Interim reports

Synonyms:
Progress reports

Interim (or progress) reports present the interim, preliminary, or initial evaluation findings.

Interim reports are scheduled according to the specific needs of your evaluation users, often halfway through the execution of a project. The interim report is necessary to let a project’s stakeholders know how an intervention is going. It provides information that will help the funders and other decision-makers determine whether to continue with the current direction, where to make adjustments if necessary, revise goals, add more resources or in the worst-case scenario, to shut it down.

An interim report is similar to a final report, in that it includes a summary, a brief description of the progress, the evaluation thus far, and an overview of the financial situation. Any delays or deviations to the plan are included and explained, as well as any comparison between actual compared to expected results.

Advice for using this method

To avoid critical issues being interpreted incorrectly, begin interim reports by stating the following:

  • Which data collection activities are being reported on and which are not;
  • When the final evaluation results will be available;
  • Any cautions for readers in interpreting the findings.

Advice taken from Torres et al., 2005

Resources

Examples

Guides

Davies, L. (2012). Haiti Progress Report January-December 2011. Oxford, UK: Oxfam GB. Retrieved from https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/haiti-progress-report-january-december-2011-200732/

Oxfam GB Evaluation Guidelines (accessed 2012-05-08): https://www.alnap.org/help-library/oxfam-gb-evaluation-guidelines

Stetson, Valerie. (2008). Communicating and reporting on an evaluation: Guidelines and Tools. Catholic Relief Services and American Red Cross, Baltimore and Washington, USA. Retrieved from: https://www.alnap.org/help-library/communicating-and-reporting-on-an-evaluation-guidelines-and-tools

Torres, Rosalie T., Hallie Preskill and Mary E. Piontek. (2005). Evaluation Strategies for Communicating and Reporting: Enhancing Learning in Organizations (Second Edition). University of Mexico.

USAID. (2010). Performance monitoring & evaluation tips: Constructing an evaluation report. Retrieved from: https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pnadw117.pdf

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