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About
Plotline Evaluation is an independent, veteran-owned evaluation practice led by two principals. One of us leads every engagement personally. We have worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Movember, among many others.
We are a mixed-methods practice. The numbers show what changed and by how much. Interviews, focus groups and observations show why. We design both into the evaluation from the start, read each against the other, and report them as one story.
Our experience is extensive in health care, suicide prevention, post-traumatic stress and depression, veteran support services, first responders, domestic violence, human trafficking, missing and murdered Indigenous women, child support services, pregnancy and postpartum services, and recidivism and other prison-related support services, among many others.
John K. Trainor, PhD
Senior Evaluator and Medical Anthropologist
PhD in anthropology. Former evaluator at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Scott West, MEd, BSCS
Qualitative Evaluator, Data Scientist and AI Engineer
Marine Corps veteran. Has worked with veterans for two decades.
What we do
Evaluation of every kind, impact evaluations included, from start to finish: logic models and evaluation plans; surveys of all kinds, focus groups, interviews, observations and needs assessments; qualitative and quantitative analysis on top of sound data management; expert data visualization; and final reporting in multiple formats.
For businesses, we evaluate operations, financial performance, and processes and procedures. Services and evaluation for businesses have the detail.
How we work
Useful first
An evaluation earns its budget when people can act on it. Every deliverable is built for the people who have to use it, then for the file.
Methods that fit
Surveys, focus groups, interviews, observations, needs assessments and the data you already hold, chosen for the question and for the staff time you actually have. Mixed methods: qualitative and quantitative, together.
Plain reporting
Findings in plain language, visualized well, and delivered in the formats you will use: full report, executive summary, slide deck, one-page brief or dashboard. The technical detail is there for anyone who wants to check the work.
Standards
Our work follows the American Evaluation Association’s Guiding Principles for Evaluators: systematic inquiry, competence, integrity, respect for people, and common good and equity.
Talk to us
A short call is the fastest way to find out whether we are the right fit for your program or your business.
Every inquiry is confidential. We never sell or share your information. Privacy policy.