Part 3
In this section
- Step 9: Synthesise and visualise the data
- Step 10: Reporting; sharing and acting on the results
- Step 11: And relax…….
Step 9: Synthesise and visualise the data
This is the part where you collate, summarise and make sense of your data by drawing out the key findings and themes. For quantitative data – this generally involves collating, grouping and categorising the data and then presenting and visualising it in a summarised form. This can include tables, graphs, bar chats, pie charts and so on. Select the one that highlights the key findings and demonstrates any patterns emerging from the data.
For qualitative data, for example where folk have provided open responses in their own words, you can synthesis the data into themes or categories:
If you have single word responses - such as in response to “Please provide three words to describe your experiences”; you can use the following technique. Insert the responses into a column of an Excel spreadsheet [one word per cell) and then copy and paste this into a Word Cloud generator [there are several free online options via the web]: the larger the word in the word cloud – the more frequently the word has been used.
Another way to synthesise qualitative responses is through categorising and theming, so-called ‘coding’ in evaluation terminology. So, for example, if you have open responses to a particular question:
- Copy the responses into a column of an Excel spreadsheet (one response per cell); read through the responses and again and then once more for luck.
- Next up, think of the common themes or categories [i.e., the ‘code’] that the responses could be grouped into, name and label these, and put these labels into the headings of adjacent columns in the spreadsheet.
- Read through the open responses once again – this time assigning each response to one of the categories. You can then summarise the qualitative responses by describing the categories and themes.
For a straightforward real example of coding; see page 6 and 7 of the Little Book of Evaluation Tools.
Step 10: Reporting; sharing and acting on the results
Either during the evaluation and/or at the end you will want to summarise your findings into an output – this can take many forms including:
- a written executive summary with the key findings
- a reporting template provided by the funder
- a final report with narrative and data visualisations
- a slide deck
- infographic(s) summarising the key findings
- a blog
- a webpage
The structure, content and format of your final output will depend on the who it is for: the project team; funders; partners or participants; engagement practitioners; partners or other internal or external audiences?
In addition to including the key findings you will likely want to include one or more of the following: interpretation on whether the outcomes were achieved or not and why; what worked and what did not; reflections on the progress towards achieving the project objectives or answering the evaluation questions; and recommendations for future activity.
If your findings are part of a formative evaluation and a continuous improvement approach, the aim will be to take action in ‘real time’ and make changes to the activities based on your findings. For summative evaluation reports – in addition to enabling the project team to learn, understand and reflect - these are typically used to satisfy any reporting requirements (e.g., as part of any grant conditions); to inform and provide insight on future activities; and can be used in many other ways (see below in Step 11).
Step 11: And relax…….
Well done – by following these steps you will have: planned and delivered a feasible, effective and considered evaluation; learnt a lot* and be able to put this learning into future engagement practice and to enhance and enrich your engagement craft.
*And you already know not to put your tongue on any frozen metal surfaces.
In addition to the benefits above, the process of planning, conducting and reporting evaluation can also result in the following outcomes:
- A deeper understanding as to the ‘purpose’ of the project; and expected outcomes which in turn enables teams to plan much more effective activities (i.e., the very act of making an evaluation plan at the start of project development, can result in enhancing project plans and increase the chances of the outcomes being achieved).
- Developing an ‘outcomes-focused’ mind-set for your engagement and other work, thinking more about the ‘so what’ [the difference it is going to make] as well as the ‘what’ [the activity].
- Evaluations that are developed in collaboration with others can facilitate closer partnership working and a greater sense of community amongst the project team.
And finally, planning and conducting an evaluation can enhance personal and professional skills for you, your team or colleagues including critical reflection and interpretation; relationship building (one learns to connect with people quickly in order to facilitate open and honest responses); communications; project and time management; and quantitative and qualitative data synthesis, analysis and visualisation.
Have I convinced you yet…?