Rapid Evaluation Approaches for Complex Initiatives
نویسنده
چکیده
v OVERVIEW This paper presents a comparative framework of rapid evaluation methods for projects at three levels of complexity: quality improvement methods for simple process improvement projects, rapid cycle evaluations for complicated organizational change programs, and systems-based rapid feedback methods for large-scale systems change or population change initiatives. The paper provides an example of each type of rapid evaluation and ends with a discussion of rapid evaluation principles appropriate for any level of complexity. The comparative framework is designed as a heuristic tool rather than a prescriptive how-to manual for assigning rapid evaluation methods to different projects. No single rapid evaluation method works best in all circumstances; the right approach addresses the goals of the evaluation and captures the complexities of the intervention and its context. These methods are not mutually exclusive; they can be nested, just as simple checklists can be used to reduce preventable surgical errors within larger hospital safety campaigns that are funded through national payment reforms rewarding system-wide shifts in health care costs and quality. Regardless of the level of complexity, rapid evaluation methods should maintain a balance between short-term results and long-term outcomes so that there is an alignment of task control, management control, and strategic control. These methods should also be part of an interactive and adaptive management system in which internal operational results and external environmental feedback are used together to test and improve the initiative's overall strategy.
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