Keep activities, outcomes and evidence in separate columns
A busy programme is not automatically an effective one.
Name the intended change
Start with the change the service is meant to support, for whom and over what period. Then list the activities the team can deliver. Workshops held and participants attending describe delivery. They do not, by themselves, demonstrate a lasting change in employment, income or wellbeing.
Choose a modest evidence plan
For a fictional mentoring pilot, record attendance separately from participant-reported progress and any independently verified result. State when information was collected and how many participants responded. Missing follow-up data should remain visible. Do not present a small set of positive stories as the result for everyone who enrolled.
Avoid claiming causation from a before-and-after story
Other events can influence a participant’s circumstances during a programme. A simple follow-up record can support service improvement without proving that the programme caused the change. Match the language of a report to the design of the evaluation and seek specialist advice for stronger causal claims.
Review the burden of measurement
Each field takes time to collect and can create privacy risks. Keep information only when it supports a defined decision or reporting requirement. Review who can access it and when it will be deleted. A shorter, consistently maintained evidence record is more useful than a large form completed only at the end of a funding period.
References provide background. The working methods and fictional examples here are our editorial guidance, not an endorsement by the referenced organisations.
Put this into practice: open the worksheet →