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Research project evaluation and selection: an evidential reasoning rule-based method for aggregating peer review information with reliabilities

• Published: 13 October 2015
• Volume 105 , pages 1469–1490, ( 2015 )

Cite this article

• Wei-dong Zhu 1 ,
• Fang Liu 2 , 3 ,
• Yu-wang Chen 3 ,
• Jian-bo Yang 2 , 3 ,
• Dong-ling Xu 2 , 3 &
• Dong-peng Wang 2  

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Research project evaluation and selection is mainly concerned with evaluating a number of research projects and then choosing some of them for implementation. It involves a complex multiple-experts multiple-criteria decision making process. Thus this paper presents an effective method for evaluating and selecting research projects by using the recently-developed evidential reasoning (ER) rule. The proposed ER rule based evaluation and selection method mainly includes (1) using belief structures to represent peer review information provided by multiple experts, (2) employing a confusion matrix for generating experts’ reliabilities, (3) implementing utility based information transformation to handle qualitative evaluation criteria with different evaluation grades, and (4) aggregating multiple experts’ evaluation information on multiple criteria using the ER rule. An experimental study on the evaluation and selection of research proposals submitted to the National Science Foundation of China demonstrates the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that (1) the ER rule based method can provide consistent and informative support to make informed decisions, and (2) the reliabilities of the review information provided by different experts should be taken into account in a rational research project evaluation and selection process, as they have a significant influence to the selection of eligible projects for panel review.

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Evaluation of scientific research projects on the basis of evidential reasoning approach under the perspective of expert reliability

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Acknowledgments

This research is partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 71071048 and the Scholarship from China Scholarship Council under Grant No. 201306230047.

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School of Economics, Hefei University of Technology, 193 Tunxi Road, Hefei, 230009, Anhui, China

Wei-dong Zhu

School of Management, Hefei University of Technology, 193 Tunxi Road, Hefei, 230009, Anhui, China

Fang Liu, Jian-bo Yang, Dong-ling Xu & Dong-peng Wang

Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M15 6PB, UK

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Appendix 1: Reliabilities of experts for “ Results and comparative analysis ” section

As the reliabilities of some experts are not available in the data set, the average true positive rate of 0.2726 and the average true negative rate of 0.9592 are used as their reliabilities accordingly.

• The original data set is available for research use with request

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Zhu, Wd., Liu, F., Chen, Yw. et al. Research project evaluation and selection: an evidential reasoning rule-based method for aggregating peer review information with reliabilities. Scientometrics 105 , 1469–1490 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1770-8

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Received : 19 November 2014

Published : 13 October 2015

Issue Date : December 2015

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1770-8

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Project Evaluation Process: Definition, Methods & Steps

Managing a project with copious moving parts can be challenging to say the least, but project evaluation is designed to make the process that much easier. Every project starts with careful planning —t his sets the stage for the execution phase of the project while estimations, plans and schedules guide the project team as they complete tasks and deliverables.

But even with the project evaluation process in place, managing a project successfully is not as simple as it sounds. Project managers need to keep track of costs , tasks and time during the entire project life cycle to make sure everything goes as planned. To do so, they utilize the project evaluation process and make use of project management software to help manage their team’s work in addition to planning and evaluating project performance.

What Is Project Evaluation?

Project evaluation is the process of measuring the success of a project, program or portfolio . This is done by gathering data about the project and using an evaluation method that allows evaluators to find performance improvement opportunities. Project evaluation is also critical to keep stakeholders updated on the project status and any changes that might be required to the budget or schedule.

Every aspect of the project such as costs, scope, risks or return on investment (ROI) is measured to determine if it’s proceeding as planned. If there are road bumps, this data can inform how projects can improve. Basically, you’re asking the project a series of questions designed to discover what is working, what can be improved and whether the project is useful. Tools such as project dashboards and trackers help in the evaluation process by making key data readily available.

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• Project Review Template

Use this free Project Review Template for Word to manage your projects better.

The project evaluation process has been around as long as projects themselves. But when it comes to the science of project management , project evaluation can be broken down into three main types or methods: pre-project evaluation, ongoing evaluation and post-project evaluation. Let’s look at the project evaluation process, what it entails and how you can improve your technique.

Project Evaluation Criteria

The specific details of the project evaluation criteria vary from one project or one organization to another. In general terms, a project evaluation process goes over the project constraints including time, cost, scope, resources, risk and quality. In addition, organizations may add their own business goals, strategic objectives and other project metrics .

Project Evaluation Methods

There are three points in a project where evaluation is most needed. While you can evaluate your project at any time, these are points where you should have the process officially scheduled.

1. Pre-Project Evaluation

In a sense, you’re pre-evaluating your project when you write your project charter to pitch to the stakeholders. You cannot effectively plan, staff and control a new project if you’ve first not evaluated it. Pre-project evaluation is the only sure way you can determine the effectiveness of the project before executing it.

2. Ongoing Project Evaluation

To make sure your project is proceeding as planned and hitting all of the scheduling and budget milestones you’ve set, it’s crucial that you constantly monitor and report on your work in real-time. Only by using project metrics can you measure the success of your project and whether or not you’re meeting the project’s goals and objectives. It’s strongly recommended that you use project management dashboards and tracking tools for ongoing evaluation.

Related: Free Project Dashboard Template for Excel

3. Post-Project Evaluation

Think of this as a postmortem. Post-project evaluation is when you go through the project’s paperwork, interview the project team and principles and analyze all relevant data so you can understand what worked and what went wrong. Only by developing this clear picture can you resolve issues in upcoming projects.

Free Project Review Template for Word

The project review template for Word is the perfect way to evaluate your project, whether it’s an ongoing project evaluation or post-project. It takes a holistic approach to project evaluation and covers such areas as goals, risks, staffing, resources and more. Download yours today.

Project Evaluation Steps

Regardless of when you choose to run a project evaluation, the process always has four phases: planning, implementation, completion and dissemination of reports.

1. Planning

The ultimate goal of this step is to create a project evaluation plan, a document that explains all details of your organization’s project evaluation process. When planning for a project evaluation, it’s important to identify the stakeholders and what their short-and-long-term goals are. You must make sure that your goals and objectives for the project are clear, and it’s critical to have settled on criteria that will tell you whether these goals and objects are being met.

So, you’ll want to write a series of questions to pose to the stakeholders. These queries should include subjects such as the project framework, best practices and metrics that determine success.

By including the stakeholders in your project evaluation plan, you’ll receive direction during the course of the project while simultaneously developing a relationship with the stakeholders. They will get progress reports from you throughout the project life cycle , and by building this initial relationship, you’ll likely earn their belief that you can manage the project to their satisfaction.

2. Implementation

While the project is running, you must monitor all aspects to make sure you’re meeting the schedule and budget. One of the things you should monitor during the project is the percentage completed. This is something you should do when creating status reports and meeting with your team. To make sure you’re on track, hold the team accountable for delivering timely tasks and maintain baseline dates to know when tasks are due.

Don’t forget to keep an eye on quality. It doesn’t matter if you deliver the project within the allotted time frame if the product is poor. Maintain quality reviews, and don’t delegate that responsibility. Instead, take it on yourself.

Maintaining a close relationship with the project budget is just as important as tracking the schedule and quality. Keep an eye on costs. They will fluctuate throughout the project, so don’t panic. However, be transparent if you notice a need growing for more funds. Let your steering committee know as soon as possible, so there are no surprises.

3. Completion

When you’re done with your project, you still have work to do. You’ll want to take the data you gathered in the evaluation and learn from it so you can fix problems that you discovered in the process. Figure out the short- and long-term impacts of what you learned in the evaluation.

4. Reporting and Disseminating

Once the evaluation is complete, you need to record the results. To do so, you’ll create a project evaluation report, a document that provides lessons for the future. Deliver your report to your stakeholders to keep them updated on the project’s progress.

How are you going to disseminate the report? There might be a protocol for this already established in your organization. Perhaps the stakeholders prefer a meeting to get the results face-to-face. Or maybe they prefer PDFs with easy-to-read charts and graphs. Make sure that you know your audience and tailor your report to them.

Benefits of Project Evaluation

Project evaluation is always advisable and it can bring a wide array of benefits to your organization. As noted above, there are many aspects that can be measured through the project evaluation process. It’s up to you and your stakeholders to decide the most critical factors to consider. Here are some of the main benefits of implementing a project evaluation process.

• Better Project Management: Project evaluation helps you easily find areas of improvement when it comes to managing your costs , tasks, resources and time.
• Improves Team performance: Project evaluation allows you to keep track of your team’s performance and increases accountability.
• Better Project Planning: Helps you compare your project baseline against actual project performance for better planning and estimating.
• Helps with Stakeholder Management: Having a good relationship with stakeholders is key to success as a project manager. Creating a project evaluation report is very important to keep them updated.

How ProjectManager Improves the Project Evaluation Process

To take your project evaluation to the next level, you’ll want ProjectManager , an online work management tool with live dashboards that deliver real-time data so you can monitor what’s happening now as opposed to what happened yesterday.

With ProjectManager’s real-time dashboard, project evaluation is measured in real-time to keep you updated. The numbers are then displayed in colorful graphs and charts. Filter the data to show the data you want or to drill down to get a deeper picture. These graphs and charts can also be shared with a keystroke. You can track workload and tasks, because your team is updating their status in real-time, wherever they are and at whatever time they complete their work.

Project evaluation with ProjectManager’s real-time dashboard makes it simple to go through the evaluation process during the evolution of the project. It also provides valuable data afterward. The project evaluation process can even be fun, given the right tools. Feel free to use our automated reporting tools to quickly build traditional project reports, allowing you to improve both the accuracy and efficiency of your evaluation process.

Related Project Closure Content

The project closure stage is a very important step in the project life cycle because it’s when the project team and stakeholders will determine how successful the project was by closely inspecting the deliverables and ensuring whether the success criteria was met. Here are some blogs, templates and guides that can be helpful during this project phase.

• Lessons Learned Template
• Project Closure Template
• 5 Steps to Project Closure (Checklist Included)
• What Is Post-Implementation Review in Project Management?
• 10 Steps for Successful Project Completion (Templates Included)

ProjectManager is a cloud-based project management software that has a suite of powerful tools for every phase of your project, including live dashboards and reporting tools. Our software collects project data in real-time and is constantly being fed information by your team as they progress through their tasks. See how monitoring, evaluation and reporting can be streamlined by taking a free 30-day trial today!

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What is Project Evaluation? The Complete Guide with Templates

Project evaluation is an important part of determining the success or failure of a project. Properly evaluating a project helps you understand what worked well and what could be improved for future projects. This blog post will provide an overview of key components of project evaluation and how to conduct effective evaluations.

What is Project Evaluation?

Project evaluation is a key part of assessing the success, progress and areas for improvement of a project. It involves determining how well a project is meeting its goals and objectives. Evaluation helps determine if a project is worth continuing, needs adjustments, or should be discontinued.

A good evaluation plan is developed at the start of a project. It outlines the criteria that will be used to judge the project’s performance and success. Evaluation criteria can include things like:

• Meeting timelines and budgets - Were milestones and deadlines met? Was the project completed within budget?
• Delivering expected outputs and outcomes - Were the intended products, results and benefits achieved?
• Satisfying stakeholder needs - Were customers, users and other stakeholders satisfied with the project results?
• Achieving quality standards - Were quality metrics and standards defined and met?
• Demonstrating effectiveness - Did the project accomplish its intended purpose?

Project evaluation provides valuable insights that can be applied to the current project and future projects. It helps organizations learn from their projects and continuously improve their processes and outcomes.

Project Evaluation Templates

These templates will help you evaluate your project by providing a clear structure to assess how it was planned, carried out, and what it achieved. Whether you’re managing the project, part of the team, or a stakeholder, these template assist in gathering information systematically for a thorough evaluation.

Project Evaluation Template 1

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Project Evaluation Template 2

Project Evaluation Methods

Project evaluation involves using various methods to assess the performance and impact of a project. The choice of methods depends on the nature of the project, its objectives, and the available resources. Here are some common project evaluation methods:

Pre-project evaluation

Pre-project evaluations are done before a project begins. This involves evaluating the project plan, scope, objectives, resources, and budget. This helps determine if the project is feasible and identifies any potential issues or risks upfront. It establishes a baseline for later evaluations.

Ongoing evaluation

Ongoing evaluations happen during the project lifecycle. Regular status reports track progress against the project plan, budget, and deadlines. Any deviations or issues are identified and corrective actions can be taken promptly. This allows projects to stay on track and make adjustments as needed.

Post-project evaluation

Post-project evaluations occur after a project is complete. This final assessment determines if the project objectives were achieved and customer requirements were met. Key metrics like timeliness, budget, and quality are examined. Lessons learned are documented to improve processes for future projects. Stakeholder feedback is gathered through surveys, interviews, or focus groups .

Project Evaluation Steps

When evaluating a project, there are several key steps you should follow. These steps will help you determine if the project was successful and identify areas for improvement in future initiatives.

Step 1: Set clear goals

The first step is establishing clear goals and objectives for the project before it begins. Make sure these objectives are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Having clear goals from the outset provides a benchmark for measuring success later on.

Step 2: Monitor progress

Once the project is underway, the next step is monitoring progress. Check in regularly with your team to see if you’re on track to meet your objectives and deadlines. Identify and address any issues as early as possible before they become major roadblocks. Monitoring progress also allows you to course correct if needed.

Step 3: Collect data

After the project is complete, collect all relevant data and metrics. This includes both quantitative data like budget information, timelines and deliverables, as well customer feedback and qualitative data from surveys or interviews. Analyzing this data will show you how well the project performed against your original objectives.

Step 4: Analyze and interpret

Identify what worked well and what didn’t during the project. Highlight best practices to replicate and lessons learned to improve future initiatives. Get feedback from all stakeholders involved, including project team members, customers and management.

Step 5: Develop an action plan

Develop an action plan to apply what you’ve learned for the next project. Update processes, procedures and resource allocations based on your evaluation. Communicate changes across your organization and train employees on any new best practices. Implementing these changes will help you avoid similar issues the next time around.

Benefits of Project Evaluation

Project evaluation is a valuable tool for organizations, helping them learn, adapt, and improve their project outcomes over time. Here are some benefits of project evaluation.

• Helps in making informed decisions by providing a clear understanding of the project’s strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
• Holds the project team accountable for meeting goals and using resources effectively, fostering a sense of responsibility.
• Facilitates organizational learning by capturing valuable insights and lessons from both successful and challenging aspects of the project.
• Allows for the efficient allocation of resources by identifying areas where adjustments or reallocations may be needed.
• Provides evidence of the project’s value by assessing its impact, cost-effectiveness, and alignment with organizational objectives.
• Involves stakeholders in the evaluation process, fostering collaboration, and ensuring that diverse perspectives are considered.

Project Evaluation Best Practices

Follow these best practices to do a more effective and meaningful project evaluation, leading to better project outcomes and organizational learning.

• Clear objectives : Clearly define the goals and questions you want the evaluation to answer.
• Involve stakeholders : Include the perspectives of key stakeholders to ensure a comprehensive evaluation.
• Use appropriate methods : Choose evaluation methods that suit your objectives and available resources.
• Timely data collection : Collect data at relevant points in the project timeline to ensure accuracy and relevance.
• Thorough analysis : Analyze the collected data thoroughly to draw meaningful conclusions and insights.
• Actionable recommendations : Provide practical recommendations that can lead to tangible improvements in future projects.
• Learn and adapt : Use evaluation findings to learn from both successes and challenges, adapting practices for continuous improvement.
• Document lessons : Document lessons learned from the evaluation process for organizational knowledge and future reference.

How to Use Creately to Evaluate Your Projects

Use Creately’s visual collaboration platform to evaluate your project and improve communication, streamline collaboration, and provide a visual representation of project data effectively.

Task tracking and assignment

Use the built-in project management tools to create, assign, and track tasks right on the canvas. Assign responsibilities, set due dates, and monitor progress with Agile Kanban boards, Gantt charts, timelines and more. Create task cards containing detailed information, descriptions, due dates, and assigned responsibilities.

Notes and attachments

Record additional details and attach documents, files, and screenshots related to your tasks and projects with per item integrated notes panel and custom data fields. Or easily embed files and attachments right on the workspace to centralize project information. Work together on project evaluation with teammates with full multiplayer text and visual collaboration.

Real-time collaboration

Get any number of participants on the same workspace and track their additions to the progress report in real-time. Collaborate with others in the project seamlessly with true multi-user collaboration features including synced previews and comments and discussion threads. Use Creately’s Microsoft Teams integration to brainstorm, plan, run projects during meetings.

Pre-made templates

Get a head start with ready-to-use progress evaluation templates and other project documentation templates available right inside the app. Explore 1000s more templates and examples for various scenarios in the community.

In summary, project evaluation is like a compass for projects, helping teams understand what worked well and what can be improved. It’s a tool that guides organizations to make better decisions and succeed in future projects. By learning from the past and continuously improving, project evaluation becomes a key factor in the ongoing journey of project management, ensuring teams stay on the path of excellence and growth.

More project management related guides

• 8 Essential Metrics to Measure Project Success
• How to Manage Your Project Portfolio Like a Pro
• What is Project Baseline in Project Management?
• How to Create a Winning Project Charter: Your Blueprint for Success
• Your Comprehensive Guide to Creating Effective Workback Schedules
• What is a Work Breakdown Structure? and How To Create a WBS?
• The Practical Guide to Creating a Team Charter
• Your Guide to Multi-Project Management
• How AI Is Transforming Project Management
• A Practical Guide to Resource Scheduling in Project Management

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Amanda Athuraliya is the communication specialist/content writer at Creately, online diagramming and collaboration tool. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.

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How To Complete A Project Evaluation: Tips & Benefits

Moira Alexander is a recognized thought leader and the founder of PMWorld 360 Magazine and Lead-Her-Ship Group, a digital content marketing agency where she helps companies create, market, and lead with engaging digital content. With over 25 years of business, information technology, and project management experience, she's been named one of the top global female thought leaders and influencers on project management, SaaS, and the future of work.

Galen is a digital project manager with over 10 years of experience shaping and delivering human-centered digital transformation initiatives in government, healthcare, transit, and retail. He is a digital project management nerd, a cultivator of highly collaborative teams, and an impulsive sharer of knowledge. He's also the co-founder of The Digital Project Manager and host of The DPM Podcast.

Expert Evidence

Why bother with project evaluations? They’re your ticket to looking back on what went great, spotting areas for improvement, and making smarter choices for future projects. Here's how to get one done.

You know that feeling when you've just wrapped up a project? You're exhausted, proud, excited, and mostly just ready to move on to the next challenge. But there's one crucial step left: completing a project evaluation.

In this article, I’ll discuss the many benefits of project evaluations, practical tips on how and when to conduct one, and how project management software can help. 

What Is Project Evaluation?

The project evaluation process systematically assesses and analyzes a project's performance, outcomes, and impacts against pre-defined objectives and criteria. 

Why is project evaluation important? It’s a valuable tool for learning through retrospection . Completing one can help you reflect on your project's overall performance, identify improvement areas, and make informed decisions about future projects. 

When Should You Complete A Project Evaluation?

Project evaluations aren’t just a box to check off—they’re an important part of the project management process. They’re also not just for reflecting at the end of your projects. Conducting a project evaluation can help provide a detailed look at what to expect during your project, how your project is going, and how you can make things better next time. 

You can evaluate your project at any time, but it is especially important at three key points in your project life cycle .

Pre-Project Evaluation

When creating your project charter , you should evaluate its feasibility and share it with your team members and stakeholders. Before moving forward, a pre-project evaluation plan ensures you can justify the project's relevance, benefits, and effectiveness. 

With the pre-project evaluation, you’re actually completing all of the information that will go into your project charter, including: 

• Project goals
• Project scope
• Responsibilities
• Potential risks

This information provides the basis and justification for your project to gain approval. 

Pre-project evaluations differ from ongoing and post-project evaluations, which are focused more on taking corrective action either during or after a project has been completed.

Ongoing Project Evaluation

You should continually evaluate your projects in real time throughout the project life cycle to ensure they’re progressing as planned and meeting all scheduling and budget milestones. Your previously determined KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) will serve as your guide for evaluation here. The use of project management software can also make this process much easier, as it ensures that all of your data is centrally available. 

Post-Project Evaluation

At project completion, once deliverables are provided, the project has been closed, and lessons learned have been discussed and documented, you should review all paperwork and analyze all applicable data. This can help you identify what worked and what went wrong to get a clear picture of how to improve future projects.

Two Common Types Of Project Evaluation Methods 

You can use these two effective evaluation methodologies at different project phases.

Formative Evaluation

This evaluation approach is the process of gathering feedback and analyzing data while a project is ongoing. During the project planning and implementation phase, formative evaluation can help with the following:

• Providing feedback and guidance to improve project performance and outcomes
• Identifying issues earlier on in the project
• Making the necessary adjustments to ensure project success

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Summative Evaluation

A summative evaluation helps you assess your project's overall impact and effectiveness once the project has been completed. This evaluation approach can help with:

• Measuring how well a project’s objectives were achieved 
• Outlining what outcomes were delivered
• Guiding future decision-making

How To Complete A Project Evaluation

Now, let’s get into the four essential steps needed to evaluate your projects effectively. These steps will primarily help you complete ongoing and post-project evaluations. 

Step 1: Define Evaluation Criteria

The first step to completing a project evaluation is to establish clear evaluation criteria. These guidelines ensure that your project work aligns with the project's objectives, goals, scope, and expected outcomes. Defining specific evaluation criteria ensures that your assessment will be focused, relevant, and meaningful. 

Make sure to use KPIs (key performance indicators) that will help you measure success, such as:

Payback period analysis. This measures the amount of time it will take to recover the net initial investment in a project. Think of it as measuring the project investment risk. 

• Calculation: Payback period = Amount of the investment ÷ annual cash flow
• Hint: The goal is the have a shorter recovery period.

Accounting rate of return (ARR). This KPI measures a project's financial return. 

• Calculation: Accounting rate of return = Annual net income ÷ initial investment
• Hint: Investments with a higher ARR are likely to be better.

Net present value (NPV). This calculates all expected future cash inflows and outflows to determine a project's expected net monetary gain or loss.

• Calculation: NPV = Today's value of the expected cash flows − Today's value of invested cash.

Step 2: Gather Relevant Project Data

Collecting relevant quantitative and qualitative data about the project will help provide a comprehensive view of your project's performance, which is essential for comparing against expectations. 

• Quantitative data : This type of data identifies measurable things like how many, how much, or how often. 
• Qualitative data : This data type uncovers certain behavioral things like why, how, or what happened.

Relevant data gathering sources might include:

• Project documentation (project objectives, goals, deliverables, and metrics)
• Performance reports
• Previous evaluation reports
• Stakeholder feedback
• Surveys and interviews
• Focus groups
• Case studies
• Industry benchmarks

Step 3: Carefully Analyze Data

Once you’ve gathered your data, it’s time to analyze it. This process involves examining trends, patterns, and relationships in the data to identify key findings and conclusions. This will help you uncover strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to the project. 

This is especially important for correcting actions throughout projects and making calculated decisions about future initiatives.

With large amounts of data to sift through, isolating what to look for can feel overwhelming. I advise utilizing project goals and outcomes as the basis for determining the type of information you need.

Step 4: Draw Conclusions

Based on the data analysis, draw conclusions about the project's performance, impact, and success in achieving its objectives. Identify things like:

• Key takeaways
• Lessons learned
• Areas for improvement 

These conclusions are necessary to support corrective actions and for data-driven decisions in future projects. All conclusions and corrective actions should be discussed and centrally shared with all stakeholders, preferably through project management software. This is where KPIs will help you isolate how well your project is performing and what you need to change in the future to enhance project delivery.

5 Benefits Of Project Evaluation

Project evaluations are essential to learning from your mistakes and delivering successful projects in the future. Here are some worthwhile project evaluation benefits.

1. Developing best practices

Through project evaluation, you can identify and document best practices that have contributed to project success. In doing so, your company can replicate these best practices in future projects to improve performance and outcomes.

It’s important for companies to develop, document, and communicate all best practices in person. Keeping everyone on the same page going forward also requires maintaining a central repository for best practices that everyone can refer to at any time to ensure consistency.

2. Promoting a culture of learning and continuous improvement

Regular project evaluation promotes a culture of learning and continuous improvement. By reflecting on past projects, your company can achieve the following:

• Identify lessons learned
• Implement corrective actions
• Enhance project management practices
• Build company-wide knowledge
• Foster innovation and creativity 

3. Enhancing stakeholder satisfaction 

Project evaluations provide your company with valuable insights into stakeholder needs, preferences, and expectations. By understanding stakeholder perspectives, your company can further tailor project delivery to meet stakeholder requirements. This ultimately enhances stakeholder satisfaction and builds strong relationships.

4. Increasing accountability and transparency

Evaluation helps enhance accountability and transparency in project management. Evaluating project performance and results ensures your company can demonstrate its commitment to delivering quality outcomes and utilizing resources efficiently. Increased transparency builds and strengthens trust with stakeholders and enhances your company’s credibility.

5. Supporting evidence-based decision-making

By collecting and analyzing data on project performance, organizations can make more informed decisions about resource allocation , strategic direction, and future project investments. This data-driven approach ensures all decisions are based on facts rather than assumptions, leading to better outcomes and increased impact.

3 Common Project Evaluation Mistakes 

Here are some of the potential mistakes you may make while completing a project evaluation and things you can do to prevent them.  

Mistake 1: Lack of Clear Objectives 

A common mistake in project evaluation is not defining clear objectives and criteria for assessment. Without clear objectives, measuring a project's success and deriving meaningful insights for improvement becomes challenging.

I’ve often seen project managers rush through this step only to watch their projects go off track, miss goals and deliverables, or require modifying the project scope more than once. My advice is to slow things down and allow ample time to form clear objectives at the start of a project.

Mistake 2: Ignoring Stakeholder Feedback

Another mistake is disregarding stakeholder feedback in the evaluation process. Try to remember that stakeholders often have more experience and insight into how a project impacts their role and how a project will be impacted. 

Stakeholders are integral to your project's success, and their perspectives should be incorporated at all evaluation points to ensure you have a comprehensive assessment.

Mistake 3: Failing to Act on Findings

Another significant mistake is not taking action based on evaluation findings. Translating evaluation results into actionable recommendations and implementing changes is essential for driving continuous improvement. Some key things need to be done to act on learnings:

• Communicate all initial findings and potential solutions with all relevant stakeholders, both in person and in writing 
• Document and evaluate each recommended solution and its impact
• Seek input from stakeholders and subject matter experts
• Adjust solutions where needed
• Assign solutions
• Measure and document the results
• Repeat these steps as needed

Questions To Ask During A Project Evaluation

Completing project evaluations successfully requires you and your team to be able to answer a few key questions. Use these to help guide your evaluations at different stages throughout the project:

Setting project goals and objectives

• What are the business drivers behind the project?
• What’s the purpose of the project?
• Is the project essential, and will it align with the company’s strategy?
• What are the project’s goals and their priorities?
• Who will champion or sponsor the project?

Defining project scope and deliverables

• Is the project scope realistic?
• Does the scope of the project detail everything that matters?
• What are each of the deliverables, and can they be achieved within scope?
• What assumptions are built in?

Identifying project stakeholders

• Are all stakeholders identified and available?
• Who are the stakeholders?
• Has the project been communicated with all stakeholders? When?
• Are they fully invested in the project? If not, why?
• Does the project team have the right skills and capabilities?

Developing a project timeline and milestones

• What is the timeline, and how was it determined?
• Is it realistic?
• Has a contingency plan been put in place if tasks or the project isn’t completed on time?
• What KPIs will be used to measure success?

Allocating resources and budget

• Are the right resources assigned to project tasks?
• Is the project budget realistic?

Implementing project monitoring and control measures

• How and when will project performance be measured?
• Who will be responsible for monitoring different aspects of the project?
• What measures will be in place for change control?
• How and when will changes be communicated?
• What types of project management tools will give me the data I need?

Analyzing project results and lessons learned

• What criteria will be used for analysis and identifying the right questions?
• What tools will be used to track results?
• What tools will be used to analyze results?
• When will results be communicated, and how?
• When and where will lessons learned be documented and communicated?
• Who will lessons learned be communicated with?
• What is the process of acting on lessons learned?

It’s important to note that this isn’t an exhaustive list. Depending on the situation and the project, other questions may need to be addressed to complete a full evaluation. 

Project Evaluation Tools That Can Help 

Evaluating projects can generate numerous action items and moving pieces. I would advise anyone completing a project evaluation to gather feedback using survey tools, use data analytics platforms to decipher findings, and leverage project management software with dashboards to track everything in real time.

Project Management Software

Project management software such as Monday.com , Wrike , or SmartSheet can help in tracking and monitoring project progress, milestones, and key performance indicators. Some of these tools also provide real-time visibility into project status and simplify data collection for evaluation purposes. 

Here are the best tools for helping you monitor project progress and evaluate success.

• 1. monday.com — Best for workflow automation
• 2. Celoxis — Best for Project Management with BI analytics and dashboards
• 3. Wrike — Best for large projects and scaling organizations
• 4. Productive — Best for agency project management
• 5. ClickUp — Best for task customization
• 6. Hub Planner — Best for resource scheduling
• 7. Zoho Projects — Best for integration with Zoho Suite
• 8. Visor — Best for spreadsheet-based management
• 9. Quickbase — Best for process automation
• 10. Workzone — Best for comprehensive project visibility

Surveys and Feedback Tools

Surveys and feedback tools like SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, or Jotform can be used to gather stakeholder feedback, opinions, and satisfaction levels. They can help you collect valuable insights for project evaluation and improvement.

Data Analytics Platforms

Data analytics platforms like Tableau, Power BI, or Google Analytics are great tools for analyzing project data and deriving meaningful insights. These platforms offer advanced data visualization capabilities, predictive analytics, and reporting functionalities to support evidence-based decision-making. Some project management tools have built-in analytics tools or integrate with analytics tools. The most useful project management dashboards provide dynamic tools that allow analysis of current projects and completed and canceled projects for future analytics. 

Remember, completing ongoing evaluations is essential for assessing your current and future project performance, identifying areas for improvement, and driving future success. Following the steps outlined in this article, using project management software and analytics tools, and avoiding some of the common mistakes will set you on the path toward successful projects.

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From good to great: everything you need to know about effective project evaluation.

December 30, 2023

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For project managers, each project is like nurturing a baby—it needs constant attention to grow strong and reach its full potential. That’s why monitoring your project’s real-time progress and performance is the secret to consistent success. 

Project evaluation is your best ally in assessing how effectively your project aligns with its objectives and delivers value to stakeholders. Uncovering these evaluation insights will empower you to make smart decisions that significantly improve your business outcomes. 

Eager to discover the secrets of successful project evaluation? You’re in for a treat! 🍬

In this article, we’ll guide you through the five crucial steps to master your project evaluation process . Plus, we’ll delve into the perks and pitfalls of project evaluation and explore its primary types. Buckle up, and let’s begin!

What is Project Evaluation?

What are the main types of project evaluation, what are the benefits of performing a project evaluation, step 1: identify project goals and objectives, step 2: define the scope of the evaluation, step 3: develop a data collection plan, step 4: analyze data, step 5: report your findings, step 6: discuss the next project evaluation steps , common project evaluation mistakes to avoid.

Assessing a project’s success involves project evaluation—a meticulous process that involves gathering detailed project data and using project evaluation methods to uncover areas for performance improvement. 

Project evaluation isn’t just a routine check—it keeps stakeholders informed about project status, opportunities for enhancement, and potential budget or schedule adjustments. ✅

Every part of the project, from expenses and scope to risks and ROI, undergoes analysis to ensure alignment with the initial plan. Any hurdles or deviations encountered along the way become valuable insights that guide future improvements.

Tools like project dashboards and trackers are crucial in facilitating the evaluation process. They streamline access to crucial project data, making it readily available for informed decision-making and strategic adjustments.

In any project’s lifecycle, there are three pivotal moments demanding evaluation . While project evaluation can happen at any time, these particular points deserve official scheduling for a more structured approach.

Pre-project evaluation

Before starting a project, assessing its feasibility for successful completion is essential. This evaluation typically aligns with the development stage the project is currently in, and it’s a cornerstone for its effective execution. In this type of evaluation, you must establish a shared understanding of objectives and goals among all stakeholders before giving the project the thumbs up.

Ongoing project evaluation

Using metrics throughout the project’s lifecycle is important for confirming that completed tasks align with benchmarks. This includes staying within budget, meeting task completion rates, and ensuring overall work quality . Keeping the team focused on the initial objectives helps them stay on course as the project evolves.

Post-project evaluation

After project completion, analyzing impacts and outcomes is your number one priority. Outcomes provide a yardstick for measuring the project’s effectiveness in meeting predefined objectives and goals so you can see what worked and what didn’t. Evaluating impacts helps you effectively address and resolve issues in future projects .

The advantages of conducting a project evaluation span from internal team growth to external triumphs. Here’s a rundown of the main benefits:

• Tracking the project’s progress: It helps track team performance across projects, providing a record of improvements or setbacks over time
• Identifying improvement areas: By recognizing trends and patterns, evaluations pinpoint areas for improvement within the project or team processes
• Measuring impact: Project evaluation quantifies the impact of your project, providing concrete metrics and feedback to measure the success of your endeavors
• Engaging stakeholders: If you involve stakeholders in the evaluation process, you’ll reassure them of project quality, fostering trust and collaboration
• Encouraging accountability: Project evaluation promotes accountability and reflection among team members, motivating them to work hard for continuous improvement
• Informing future planning: Insights you gather from evaluations influence future project plans , allowing for adjustments based on past project performance and lessons learned 👨‍🏫

How to Conduct a Project Evaluation in 6 Steps

Unlocking the path to a successful project evaluation isn’t just about following a checklist —it’s about leveraging the right project management tools to streamline the journey! 

We’re here to provide you with the six essential steps to take during a project evaluation process and equip you with top-notch tools that’ll help you elevate your evaluation game. Let’s explore! 🧐

Crafting solid goals and objectives during your project’s development is like drawing a map for your team— it sets the course and direction .

Goals also play a crucial role in shaping the evaluation process tailored to your objectives. For instance, if your goal is to enhance customer satisfaction, your evaluation might focus on customer feedback , experience metrics, and service quality.

Luckily, the super important step of setting project goals is a piece of cake with an all-in-one project management solution like ClickUp . This powerful tool streamlines your project endeavors and kickstarts your project journey by helping you define clear goals and objectives—all in one place! 🌟

With ClickUp Goals , nailing your targets becomes effortless. Set precise timelines and measurable goals, and let automatic progress tracking do the heavy lifting. Dive in by adding key details—name your goal, set the due date, assign a team member—and you’re ready to roll!

ClickUp equips you to:

• Establish numerical targets for precise tracking
• Mark Milestones as done or pending to track progress
• Keep an eye on financial goals for better budget management
• List individual tasks as targets to tackle complex objectives

Highlight pivotal moments by tagging them as Milestones and transform large goals into manageable chunks for your team to conquer effortlessly.

The cherry on top? You can group related goals into Folders to track progress across multiple objectives at a glance, leading to simpler decision-making. 🍒

Ready to dive into the evaluation process? First, let’s clarify why you’re doing it, what you’re aiming for, and what exactly you’re measuring. Remember to define the evaluation’s scope, including objectives, timeframe, key stakeholders, evaluation metrics, and methods or tools you plan to use for data collection and analysis.

This clarity in purpose and scope is your secret weapon—it sets the stage for a well-organized and effective evaluation, making your project planning and execution as easy as pie. 🥧

ClickUp has the perfect solution for documenting your scope of work without breaking a sweat. With the ClickUp Scope of Work Template , you get a ready-made framework to plug in all the essentials—covering everything from project background and goals to timelines and budget details.

Customize its handy tables to document the ins and outs of your evaluation process. Imagine your evaluation goal is to boost customer satisfaction. Here’s a sneak peek at how you’d document the scope:

• Objectives: To enhance customer satisfaction by 20% within the next six months
• Timeframe: Evaluation will be conducted quarterly over the next year
• Stakeholders: Customer service team, marketing department, and selected customers for feedback
• Criteria: Metrics include Net Promoter Score (NPS), customer feedback surveys, and resolution time for customer inquiries
• Methods: Use surveys, feedback forms , focus groups, and analysis of complaint resolutions to gather data and insights on customer satisfaction

In ClickUp Docs , flexibility is the name of the game. You can add or remove sections and dive into real-time collaboration by inviting your team to modify the document through edits and comments. 💬

Each section comes preloaded with sample content, so personalizing your template will be a breeze whether you’re a seasoned pro or a newcomer to using Docs.

Now, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and gather the data that answers your evaluation queries. Get creative—there are plenty of ways to collect information: 

• Create and distribute surveys 
• Schedule interviews  
• Organize focus group observations
• Dig into documents and reports

Variety is key here, so use quantitative and qualitative data to capture every angle of your project. 

For invaluable insights on areas for improvement , we recommend heading straight to the source—your loyal customers! 🛒

With the ClickUp Feedback Form Template , you get a customizable form that centralizes all your feedback. It’s ready to capture feedback on everything from product features to customer support and pricing.

The template has a tailor-made feedback Form you can easily distribute to your customers. Once the forms are filled in, turn to the Service Rating List view—your personal feedback command center showcasing scores, reasons behind the ratings, and invaluable improvement suggestions.

Plus, you can delve into provider ratings in a dedicated list and explore the Overall Recommendations board to identify areas that need enhancement at a glance.

Once the data’s in your hands, it’s analysis time! Pick the right tools from your kit—descriptive statistics, thematic analysis, or a SWOT analysis —to unlock insights and make sense of what you’ve gathered.

Tap into ClickUp Whiteboards to orchestrate a dynamic SWOT analysis , perfect for companies with remote or hybrid teams . 

Simply create color-coded squares (or any shape you fancy) representing S trengths, W eaknesses, O pportunities, and T hreats. Then, organize your data effortlessly by creating sticky notes and dragging them to the right square, and behold! Your shareable SWOT analysis Whiteboard is ready to roll! 🎲

ClickUp’s digital Whiteboards are like physical whiteboards but better! You can use them to:

• Conduct collaborative brainstorming sessions
• Leverage Mind Maps to break down big ideas into bite-sized portions
• Create dedicated sections for OKRs , KPIs, and internal data as quick references
• Share ideas with your team through sticky notes, comments, documents, and media files
• Solve problems creatively with color-coded shapes, charts, and graphs 📊

ClickUp Dashboards are ideal for visualizing data and making data-driven decisions. Dive into a treasure trove of over 50 Cards, crafting your ideal Dashboard that mirrors your vision. Want to see your progress in a pie chart, line graph, or bar graph ? Take your pick and make it yours!

This panoramic view is excellent for monitoring goals, extracting crucial insights, and effortlessly tweaking your strategies. Rely on Burnup and Burndown charts to track performance against set goals and forecast the road. 🛣️

Whether sharing the Dashboard within your workspace or projecting it full screen in the office, it’s the perfect catalyst for team discussions on key project evaluation points.

Once you’ve delved into the data, it’s time to bring those insights to light! Crafting a report is your next move—a clear, concise summary showcasing your evaluation’s key findings, conclusions, and recommendations. 📝

Reporting is all about delivering the right information to the right people, so customize your project evaluation report to suit your audience’s needs. Whether it’s your project team, sponsors, clients, or beneficiaries, tailor your report to meet their expectations and address their interests directly. 

Eliminate the need to start your report from square one using the ClickUp Data Analysis Report Template . This powerful tool provides separate subpages for:

• Overview: Dive into the analysis backstory, covering objectives, scope, methodology, and data collection methods
• Findings: Present your study’s results and use graphs and charts to illustrate the findings
• Recommendations and conclusions: Outline your conclusions and provide actionable steps post-evaluation

The template is fully customizable, so you can tailor it to suit your business needs and audience preferences. Tweak tables or create new ones, adding rows and columns for flawless data presentation. ✨

Sharing evaluation findings isn’t just a formality—it’s a catalyst for stronger connections and brighter ideas. It sparks discussions, invites innovative suggestions for team enhancements, and nurtures stronger bonds with your stakeholders. Plus, it’s a roadmap for future projects , guiding the way to improvements based on the project’s outcomes and impact. 

With ClickUp, you can say goodbye to toggling between project management dashboards and messaging platforms. Dive into the Chat view —your gateway to real-time conversations and task-specific discussions, all in one convenient thread. It’s the ultimate connection hub, keeping everyone in the loop and engaged. 🕹️

ClickUp Docs ramps up collaboration with team edits, comment tagging, and action item assignments—all in one place. Plus, you can effortlessly turn text into actionable tasks, ensuring organization and efficiency at every turn.

On top of this, ClickUp’s integrations include numerous messaging tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, so you can communicate easily, whether directly in ClickUp or through your favorite messaging platforms! 💌

Identifying potential hurdles in your project evaluation journey is your first stride toward navigating this path more successfully. Relying on ClickUp’s project management tools and pre-built templates for project evaluation can act as your compass, steering you clear of these missteps. 🧭

Here’s a glimpse into some prevalent project evaluation blunders you should avoid:

• Undefined goals and objectives: If you fail to establish clear, specific, and measurable goals, you can hinder the evaluation process because you won’t know where to place your focus
• Misaligned focus: Evaluating irrelevant aspects or neglecting elements crucial for project success can lead to incomplete assessments
• Neglecting data collection and analysis: Inadequate data gathering that lacks crucial information, coupled with superficial analysis, can result in incomplete insights and failure to evaluate the most critical project points
• Misuse of data: If you use incorrect or irrelevant data or misinterpret the collected information, you’ll likely come to false conclusions, defeating the whole purpose of a project evaluation
• Reactivity over responsiveness: Reacting emotionally instead of responding methodically to project challenges can cloud judgment and lead to ineffective evaluation
• Lack of documentation: Failing to document the evaluation process thoroughly can cause inconsistency and lead to missed learning opportunities
• Limited stakeholder involvement: Not engaging stakeholders for diverse perspectives and insights can limit the evaluation’s depth and relevance

Simplify Project Evaluation with ClickUp

To ensure your evaluation hits the bullseye, rely on our six-step project evaluation guide that guarantees a thorough dive into data collection, effective analysis, and collaborative problem-solving. Once you share all the findings with your stakeholders, we guarantee you’ll be cooking up the best solutions in no time.

Sign up for ClickUp for free today to keep your project evaluation centralized. This powerful tool isn’t just your ally in project evaluation—it’s your ultimate sidekick throughout the whole project lifecycle! 💖

Tap into its collaboration tools , save time with over 1,000 templates , and buckle up for turbocharged productivity with ClickUp AI , achieving success faster than ever! ⚡

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How To Evaluate and Measure the Success of a Project

Master key project evaluation metrics for effective decision-making in project management.

Table of contents

Attention all business leaders, project managers, and PMO enthusiasts! If you're passionate about making your projects successful, implementing the right strategies and leveraging technology can make all the difference. Project evaluation is the process you need to comprehend and measure that success.

Keep in mind, though, evaluating a project's success is more complex than it may appear. There are numerous factors to consider, which can differ from one project to another.

In this article, we'll walk you through the fundamentals of an effective project evaluation process and share insights on measuring success for any project. With this information, you'll be well-prepared to assess if a project has met its intended goals, allowing you to make informed decisions and set benchmarks for future endeavors.

Let's get started on the path to successful project evaluation!

What is project evaluation?

Project evaluation is all about objectively examining the success or effectiveness of a project once it's completed.

Remember that each project has unique goals and objectives, so each evaluation will differ. The assessment typically measures how well the project has met its objectives and goals. Throughout the evaluation process, you'll need to consider various factors, such as:

• Quality of deliverables
• Customer satisfaction

These factors help determine whether a project can be considered successful or not. It's crucial to remember that evaluation should happen continuously during the project, not just at the end. This approach allows teams to make informed decisions and adjust their course if necessary.

A practical evaluation process not only pinpoints areas for improvement but also celebrates the project's successes. By analyzing project performance and harnessing the insights gained through project evaluation, organizations, and project leaders can fine-tune their strategies to boost project outcomes and make the most of their investment in time, money, and resources for the project or initiative.

What are the steps for measuring the success of a project?

Measuring the success of a project largely depends on its desired outcomes. Since different projects have varying goals, their criteria for success will also differ.

For instance, a team launching a new product might measure success based on customer engagement, sales figures, and reviews, while a team organizing an event may assess success through ticket sales and attendee feedback. Even projects with similar objectives can have different measurements of success. So, there's no one-size-fits-all approach to evaluating project results; each assessment should be customized to the specific goals in mind.

In general, the process of measuring the success of any project includes the following steps:

1. Define the purpose and goals of the project

Before measuring its success, you need a clear understanding of its objectives, scope, and timeline. Collaborate with your team and stakeholders to establish these elements, ensuring everyone is aligned.

A well-defined project scope helps you set realistic expectations, allocate resources efficiently, and monitor progress effectively.

2. Assess the current status of the project

Regularly examine the project's progress in relation to its goals, timeline, and budget. This step enables you to identify potential issues early and make necessary adjustments. Maintaining open communication with your team and stakeholders during this phase is crucial for staying on track and addressing any concerns.

3. Analyze the results achieved by the project so far

Continuously evaluate your project's performance by looking at the results you've achieved against your goals. Organize retrospectives with your team to discuss what has worked well, what could be improved, and any lessons learned.

Use this feedback to inform your decision-making process and fine-tune your approach moving forward.

4. Identify any risks associated with the project

Proactively identify and document any potential issues affecting your project's success.

Develop a risk management plan that includes strategies for mitigating or transferring these risks. Regularly review and update this plan as the project progresses, and communicate any changes to your team and stakeholders.

Effective risk management helps minimize surprises and allows you to adapt to unforeseen challenges.

5. Establish KPIs (key performance indicators) to measure success

KPIs are quantifiable metrics that help you assess whether your project is on track to achieve its goals. Work with your project team, stakeholders, and sponsor to identify KPIs that accurately reflect the project's success. Ensure these metrics align with the project's purpose and goals and are meaningful to your organization.

Examples of KPIs include the number of leads generated, customer satisfaction scores, or cost savings.

6. Monitor these KPIs over time to gauge performance

Once you've established your project-specific KPIs, track them throughout the project's duration. Regular monitoring helps you stay informed about your project's performance, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions.

If your KPIs show that your project is deviating from its goals, revisit the previous steps to assess the current status, analyze the results, and manage risks. Repeat this process as needed until the project is complete.

<tip>

Project planning software like Float gives you a bird’s eye view of team tasks, capacity, and hours worked, and you can generate valuable reports to help with future planning.

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In addition to these steps, strive for transparency in your project reporting and results by making them easily accessible to your team and stakeholders. Use project dashboards, automated reporting, and self-serve project update information to keep everyone informed and engaged.

This approach saves time and fosters a culture of openness and collaboration, which is essential for achieving project success.

15 project management metrics that matter

To effectively measure success and progress, it's essential to focus on the metrics that matter. These metrics vary depending on the organization, team, or project, but some common ones include project completion rate, budget utilization, and stakeholder satisfaction.

We have divided these metrics into waterfall projects (predictive) and agile projects (adaptive). While some metrics may apply to both types of projects, this categorization ensures a more tailored approach to evaluation. Remember that these metrics assume a project has a solid plan or a known backlog to work against, as measuring progress relies on comparing actual outcomes to planned outcomes.

Waterfall project management metrics (predictive)

Waterfall projects typically have a defined scope, schedule, and cost at the outset. If changes are required during project execution, the project manager returns to the planning phase to determine a new plan and expectations across scope, schedule, and cost (commonly called the iron triangle).

Here are eight waterfall metrics:

1. Schedule variance (SV) - Schedule variance is the difference between the work planned and completed at a given time. It helps project managers understand whether the project is on track, ahead, or behind schedule. A positive SV indicates that the project is ahead of schedule, while a negative SV suggests that the project is behind schedule. Monitoring this metric throughout the project allows teams to identify potential bottlenecks and make necessary adjustments to meet deadlines.

2. Actual cost (AC) : Actual cost represents the total amount of money spent on a project up to a specific point in time. It includes all expenses related to the project, such as personnel costs, material costs, and equipment costs. Keeping track of the actual cost is crucial for managing the project budget and ensuring it stays within the allocated funds. Comparing actual cost to the planned budget can provide insights into the project's financial performance and areas where cost-saving measures may be needed.

3. Cost variance (CV) : Cost variance is the difference between a project's expected and actual costs. A positive CV indicates that the project is under budget, while a negative CV suggests that the project is over budget . Monitoring cost variance helps project managers identify areas where the project may be overspending and implement corrective actions to prevent further cost overruns.

4. Planned value (PV) : Planned value is the estimated value of the work that should have been completed by a specific point in time. It is a valuable metric for comparing the project's progress against the original plan. PV calculates other vital metrics, such as earned value (EV) and schedule performance index (SPI).

5. Earned value (EV) : Earned value is a measure of the progress made on a project , represented by the portion of the total budget earned by completing work on the project up to this point. EV can be calculated by multiplying the percentage complete by the total budget. Monitoring earned value helps project managers assess whether the project is progressing as planned and whether any corrective actions are needed to get the project back on track.

6. Schedule performance index (SPI) : The schedule performance index measures how efficiently a project team completes work relative to the amount of work planned. SPI is calculated by dividing the earned value (EV) by the planned value (PV). An SPI of 1.0 indicates that the project is on schedule, while an SPI of less than 1.0 means that the project is behind schedule. This metric helps identify scheduling issues and make adjustments to improve efficiency and meet deadlines.

7. Cost performance index (CPI) : The cost performance index measures how efficient a project team is in completing work relative to the amount of money budgeted. CPI is calculated by dividing the earned value (EV) by the actual cost (AC). A CPI of 1.0 indicates that the project is on budget, while a CPI of less than 1.0 shows that the project is over budget. Monitoring CPI can help project managers identify areas where costs can be reduced and improve overall project financial performance.

8. Estimate at completion (EAC) : Estimate at completion is an updated total cost estimation after the project is completed. EAC can be calculated using several methods, including bottom-up estimating, top-down estimating, analogous estimating, and parametric estimating. Regularly updating the EAC helps project managers stay informed about the project's financial performance and make informed decisions about resource allocation and cost control.

Agile project management metrics (adaptive)

Agile projects differ from waterfall projects as they often start without a clear final destination, allowing for changes along the way.

It's generally not appropriate to use waterfall metrics to evaluate agile projects. Each project is unique and should be assessed based on its purpose, objectives, and methodology.

Here are seven standard agile metrics:

• Story points: Story points are used to estimate the workload required to complete a task, taking into account the time, effort, and risk involved. Different teams may use various scales for measuring story points, so comparing story points between teams is not advisable, as it may lead to misleading conclusions.
• Velocity : This metric represents the work a team can complete within a specific period, measured in story points. Velocity helps gauge a team's progress, predicting the amount of work that can be completed in future sprints and estimating the number of sprints needed to finish the known product backlog. Since story points are not standardized, comparing teams or projects based on story points or velocity is not appropriate.
• Burndown charts : Burndown charts are graphical representations used to track the progress of an agile development cycle. These charts show the amount of known and estimated work remaining over time, counting down toward completion. They can help identify trends and predict when a project will likely be finished based on the team's velocity.
• Cumulative flow diagrams : These graphs, related to burndown charts, track the progress of an agile development cycle by showing the amount of work remaining to be done over time, counting up. Cumulative flow diagrams (CFDs) can help identify trends and predict when a project will likely be completed based on the team's velocity.
• Lead time : Lead time is the duration between the identification of a task and its completion. It is commonly used in agile project management to assess a team's progress and predict how much work can be completed in future sprints. Lead time is a standard Kanban metric, as Kanban focuses on promptly completing tasks and finishing ongoing work before starting new tasks.
• Cycle time : Cycle time is when it takes to complete a task once it has been identified and work begins, not including any waiting time before the job is initiated. Cycle time is frequently used in agile project management to evaluate a team's progress and predict how much work can be completed in future iterations.
• Defect density : As a crucial measure of quality and long-term success, defect density is the number of defects per unit of code or delivered output. It is often employed in software development to assess code quality and pinpoint areas needing improvement. If a team provides the output with a high defect density, the quality of the project's deliverables and outcomes may be significantly compromised.

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Not all metrics are created equal

It's essential to recognize that not every metric suits every project. Project metrics shouldn't be seen as a one-size-fits-all approach.

With so many metrics, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed, but the key is to focus on the specific metrics that significantly impact your project's outcome. Project managers can make informed, strategic decisions to drive success by measuring the right aspects.

Your choice of project metrics will depend on various factors, such as the type of project, its purpose, and the desired outcomes. Be cautious about using the wrong metrics to measure your project's progress, which can lead to unintended consequences. After all, you get what you measure, and if you measure incorrectly, you might not achieve the results you're aiming for!

Tips on communicating metrics and learnings

Clear communication is crucial to ensure that insightful metrics and learnings have a meaningful impact on your team. To keep your team members engaged and your communications effective, consider the following tips:

• Use straightforward, informative language : Opt for concise, easily understood language to ensure everyone has a clear grasp of the data and its implications.
• Avoid abbreviations : Use full terms to avoid confusion, particularly for new team members.
• Tell a story : Present metrics and learnings within a narrative context, helping team members better understand the project's journey.
• Use humor and wit : Lighten the mood with humor to make your points more memorable and relatable while ensuring your message is taken seriously.
• Be transparent : Foster trust by being open and honest about project progress, encouraging collaboration, and being the first to inform stakeholders if something goes wrong.

By incorporating these friendly and informative communication techniques, you can effectively engage your team members and maintain a united front throughout your project.

Cracking the code on project evaluation success

Project evaluation is a vital component of the project management process. To make informed, decisive decisions, project managers need a thorough understanding of various metrics aligned with the project's purpose and desired outcomes.

Effective teams utilize multiple metrics to assess the success or failure of a project. Establishing key metrics and delving into their implications allows teams to base their decisions on accurate, relevant information. Remember, one size doesn't fit all. Tailor success metrics to the specific goals of your project.

By implementing a robust evaluation process and leveraging insights, project leaders can adapt strategies, enhance project outcomes, maximize the value of investments, and make data-driven decisions for upcoming projects.

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Research Project Evaluation-Learnings from the PATHWAYS Project Experience

Affiliations.

• 1 Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 31-034 Krakow, Poland. [email protected].
• 2 Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 31-034 Krakow, Poland. [email protected].
• 3 Fondazione IRCCS, Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, 20-133 Milano, Italy. [email protected].
• 4 Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 31-034 Krakow, Poland. [email protected].
• PMID: 29799452
• PMCID: PMC6025380
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15061071

Background: Every research project faces challenges regarding how to achieve its goals in a timely and effective manner. The purpose of this paper is to present a project evaluation methodology gathered during the implementation of the Participation to Healthy Workplaces and Inclusive Strategies in the Work Sector (the EU PATHWAYS Project). The PATHWAYS project involved multiple countries and multi-cultural aspects of re/integrating chronically ill patients into labor markets in different countries. This paper describes key project's evaluation issues including: (1) purposes, (2) advisability, (3) tools, (4) implementation, and (5) possible benefits and presents the advantages of a continuous monitoring.

Methods: Project evaluation tool to assess structure and resources, process, management and communication, achievements, and outcomes. The project used a mixed evaluation approach and included Strengths (S), Weaknesses (W), Opportunities (O), and Threats (SWOT) analysis.

Results: A methodology for longitudinal EU projects' evaluation is described. The evaluation process allowed to highlight strengths and weaknesses and highlighted good coordination and communication between project partners as well as some key issues such as: the need for a shared glossary covering areas investigated by the project, problematic issues related to the involvement of stakeholders from outside the project, and issues with timing. Numerical SWOT analysis showed improvement in project performance over time. The proportion of participating project partners in the evaluation varied from 100% to 83.3%.

Conclusions: There is a need for the implementation of a structured evaluation process in multidisciplinary projects involving different stakeholders in diverse socio-environmental and political conditions. Based on the PATHWAYS experience, a clear monitoring methodology is suggested as essential in every multidisciplinary research projects.

Keywords: SWOT analysis; internal evaluation; project achievements; project management and monitoring; project process evaluation; public health.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Partners’ opinions about the consensus…

Partners’ opinions about the consensus around terms (shared glossary) in the project consortium…

Partners’ reports on whether the…

Partners’ reports on whether the project had been carried out according to the…

Partners’ reports on an approximate…

Partners’ reports on an approximate estimation (in percent) of the project plan implementation…

SWOT Analysis—a summary of main…

SWOT Analysis—a summary of main issues reported by PATHWAYS project partners.

Numerical SWOT, combined, over a…

Numerical SWOT, combined, over a period of 36 months of project realization (W1—after…

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Evaluation for the allocation of university research project funding: Can rules improve the peer review?

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Emanuela Reale, Antonio Zinilli, Evaluation for the allocation of university research project funding: Can rules improve the peer review?, Research Evaluation , Volume 26, Issue 3, July 2017, Pages 190–198, https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvx019

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Evaluation for the allocation of project-funding schemes devoted to sustain academic research often undergoes changes of the rules for the ex-ante selection, which are supposed to improve the capability of peer review to select the best proposals. How modifications of the rules realize a more accountable evaluation result? Do the changes suggest an improved alignment with the program’s intended objectives? The article addresses these questions investigating Research Project of National Interest, an Italian collaborative project-funding scheme for academic curiosity-driven research through a case study design that provides a description of how the changes of the ex-ante evaluation process were implemented in practice. The results show that when government tries to steer the peer-review process by imposing an increasing number of rules to structure the debate among peers and make it more accountable, the peer-review practices remain largely impervious to the change.

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