While traditional data collection methods like surveys, interviews, focus groups, and document reviews are well-known in evaluation, there are also innovative approaches like participatory and arts-based methods. One such method is Photovoice. While it might be daunting to embrace new techniques, it's important to recognize the value of methods like Photovoice in expanding our toolkit and enhancing evaluation practices.

Choosing the right type of chart to display your data can help to improve clarity among your readers and lessens the likelihood that your findings may be misinterpreted. With so many different types of charts and graphs, it can be tough to know where to start. This infographic is for anyone who wants to clearly display their quantitative data in a meaningful way but isn’t sure how to pick the best chart for the job.

A codebook for qualitative research is a stand-alone document that contains a list of themes, codes, and definitions that you are using in your qualitative analysis. This article outlines the structure of a qualitative codebook as well as steps to follow to create your own.

By leveraging group dynamics and interactions, focus groups provide a platform for participants to build on ideas, challenge assumptions, and generate new insights. In this article, we present our top tips for running successful focus groups that are efficient and gather quality data.

Whether you’re new to evaluation or if evaluation is your main role, this Style Guide Template is for anyone looking to create consistency among project documents.

It seems so simple – just ask a question! But many new evaluators or side-of-desk evaluators struggle with confidence in creating good evaluation questions. This article shares a few tips for writing evaluation questions as well as an example of how I go from a client meeting to drafting evaluation questions.

A SWOT is a tool commonly used at the beginning of a new venture or as part of a new strategic planning process. A SWOT in evaluation could be used as a data collection tool or to present evaluation findings and create recommendations. This article outlines what a SWOT analysis is and how to complete one.

This Logic Model template is for anyone who wants to make Logic Models that look professional and visually interesting. This Canva design template can be customized to create your own Logic Model, suited to your evaluation needs. The professional design of this template makes it easy to create a visually interesting Logic Model to present to clients, share on a website, or submit in a report.

This article walks you step-by-step through the process we use when merging datasets from multiple sources.

Evaluations of any size tend to need to adhere to budgets, whether for financial or human resourcing constraints. There are certain pitfalls that can quickly derail your budget. This article will guide you through some of the most common budget pitfalls to help you plan and support you to stay on budget throughout your evaluation.

In this article, we highlight the importance of ensuring interviewer safety to make the interview experience effective for collecting data and a positive experience for everyone involved!

Many of us have come across reports that feel cramped, unengaging, and let’s face it, a little bit boring! Dedicating some time to designing your report before writing can significantly affect its overall quality. By taking some time to focus on design, you can create a report that is not only refined and professional, but also visually appealing. Here are my 10 tips for designing quality reports!

Data are only useful when used! They do no good buried in reports, sitting on shelves (or shared drives) hidden away. Data, particularly data from an evaluation, are begging to be discussed, contemplated, and put into action! This article discusses some ways to make sure your data are used.

Ethical practice is a cornerstone of our evaluation work at Three Hive Consulting. Not only does ethical practice ensure we are doing right by everyone involved, but conducting evaluations ethically adds to the professionalization of our work. This article defines ethical practice and provides some recommendations for how you can apply an ethical lens to your evaluation.

“Confidential” and “anonymous” are words we use quite a bit in the evaluation world. But do you know what they actually mean? This article explores some of these concepts and provides some tips on how to maintain confidentiality.

Eval Academy just released a new checklist for anyone who’s about to start a new evaluation project. Use this checklist to make sure you’re gathering the information necessary to support your evaluation endeavour. This checklist can act as a support tool for you to make sure you have the context you need when starting an evaluation.

In the first article of this installment, we covered what the CE designation is and is not, and talked a little bit about why you might get it. In this article, we will explore what you need to do to gain your CE designation. 

In every research and evaluation project, it is important to identify and address sources of error that may impact the accuracy of your findings and the relevance of your recommendations. Here, we will look at what bias and confounding are (and are not), the differences between them, and important considerations to take to prepare for and address both in your next evaluation project.

Eval Academy just released a new tip sheet for Conducting Interviews. If you will be conducting interviews in your evaluation, then this tip sheet is for you! Whether you’re new to the process or have conducted interviews before, this tip sheet provides a good overview and refresher to make your next interview experience a great one.

Eval Academy just released a new infographic about qualitative data saturation. This infographic is for those who collect or who will be collecting qualitative data and are looking to support the validity of their results. It’s a helpful resource for those who are both new and experienced in evaluation!