Use measures, indicators or metrics

As part of an evaluation, it is often important to either develop or use existing indicators or measures of implementation and/or results.

Using an existing indicator or measure can have the advantage of producing robust data which can be compared to other studies, as long as it is appropriate.

Considerable work has been done to develop measures and indicators that can be used for the outcomes of development projects.

The terms “measure”, “metric” and indicator” are often used interchangeably and their definitions vary across different documents and organisations. Hence, it is always useful to check what these terms mean in specific contexts.

Terms that are commonly associated with measurements include:

A target is the value of an indicator expected to be achieved at a specified point in time. Often a benchmark is used to mean the same thing.
An index is a set of related indicators which intend to provide a means for meaningful and systematic comparisons of performance across programmes that are similar in content and/or have the same goals and objectives.
A standard is a set of related indicators, benchmarks or indices which provide socially meaningful information regarding performance.

Resources

Advocacy

Example

Outcomes and Performance Indicators for Advocacy Programs: This set of outcome indicators, developed by the Urban Institute, is aimed at supporting supporting the development, monitoring and evaluation of advocacy programs.

Education and Training

Examples

Outcomes and Performance Indicators for Youth Tutoring Programs: This set of outcome indicators, developed by the Urban Institute, is aimed at supporting supporting the development, monitoring and evaluation of Youth Tutoring Programs.
Outcomes and Performance Indicators for Youth Mentoring Programs: This set of outcome indicators, developed by the Urban Institute, is aimed at supporting supporting the development, monitoring and evaluation of Youth Mentoring Programs.
Outcomes and Performance Indicators for Employment Training/Workforce Development Programs: This set of outcome indicators, developed by the Urban Institute, is aimed at supporting supporting the development, monitoring and evaluation of Employment Training/Workforce Development Programs.

Governance

Examples

Worldwide Governance Indicators: aggregates indicators from six areas of governance from 213 economies over the 1996 - 2010 period. (World Bank)
The Ibrahim Index: provides a framework and tools that were developed in order to assess the delivery of public goods and services in Africa. (Mo Ibrahim Foundation)
DataGov: allows users to interactively access and compare data for governance issues from around the world. (DataGov)

Guide

Global Programme on Democratic Governance Assessments: designed to support developing countries produce governance indicators in order to allow the monitoring of performance toward democratic governance reforms. (UNDP)

Health

Examples

Outcomes and Performance Indicators for Health Risk Reduction Programs: This set of outcome indicators, developed by the Urban Institute, is aimed at supporting supporting the development, monitoring and evaluation of Health Risk Reduction Programs.

Inequality

Guide

Policy Impacts on Inequality: Simple Inequality Measures: demonstrates a range of ways to measure inequality by using the statistical concepts of location, shape and variability. (Food and Agriculture Organization)

Poverty

Tool

Handbook on Poverty and Inequality: provides a range of tools which allow the user to measure, describe, monitor, evaluate, and analyze poverty. (World Bank)

Example

Multidimensional Poverty Index: aims to capture the multiple aspects that constitute poverty. (Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative)

Welfare

Examples

Outcomes and Performance Indicators for Transitional Housing Programs: This set of outcome indicators, developed by the Urban Institute, is aimed at supporting supporting the development, monitoring and evaluation of Transitional Housing Programs.
Outcomes and Performance Indicators for Prisoner Re-entry Programs: This set of outcome indicators, developed by the Urban Institute, is aimed at supporting supporting the development, monitoring and evaluation of Prisoner Re-entry Programs.
Outcomes and Performance Indicators for Emergency Shelter Programs: This set of outcome indicators, developed by the Urban Institute, is aimed at supporting supporting the development, monitoring and evaluation of Emergency Shelter Programs.

Wellbeing

Example

2012 California County Scorecard of Children's Well-Being: provides an interactive display of statistics reporting on the wellbeing of children in California. (Children Now)

World Peace

Example

Global Peace Index: The Global Peace Index, an initiative of Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), provides a ranking for each nation in regards to their peacefulness.