Services
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Two ways to engage: external evaluation for the life of a grant, or a fixed-scope project with a written quote and a firm date. Running a company rather than a program? We also evaluate operations, financial performance, and processes and procedures: see evaluation for businesses.
Everything we do is quoted. The quote depends on the scope, the length of the project, the number of sites and people involved, and any travel. The scope call is free.
What services does Plotline Evaluation offer?
External evaluation for the life of a grant, and fixed-scope projects with a written quote and a firm date: logic models and evaluation plans, needs assessments, surveys, focus groups, interviews, observation, analysis, data management, dashboards and final reporting, plus REDCap consulting for teams that run their data there. Every project is led personally by one or both principals, using mixed methods.
External evaluation for funded programs
We serve as the independent evaluator named in your award, from kickoff to the final report. Process, outcome or impact, formative or summative: the kind of evaluation your award calls for, including comparison-group impact evaluations where the funder requires them.
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.
Plan
- Logic model
- Evaluation plan and measurement framework
- Needs assessment where the award requires one
Collect
- Surveys of all kinds
- Standardized instruments and custom-built tools
- Focus groups
- Interviews
- Observations
Analyze
- Qualitative analysis
- Quantitative analysis
- Mixed-methods integration: each read against the other
- Data management: collection systems, cleaning, secure storage, documentation
Report
- Expert data visualization and dashboards
- Annual and final reporting in multiple formats
- The performance measures your funder requires
Priced from the evaluation budget in your approved application. Not funded yet? Start with the free evaluation plan.
Fixed-scope projects
Plan
Logic model and evaluation plan
Facilitated working sessions, a logic model your team recognizes, and an evaluation plan with measures, data sources and timing.
About two weeks. Quoted to your scope.
Needs assessment
Existing data, surveys, interviews and focus groups brought together into a clear statement of need you can plan and apply from.
Six to ten weeks. Quoted to your scope.
Collect
Survey project
Surveys of all kinds: design, sampling, administration online or on paper, analysis and a clear summary of what people told you.
About three weeks. Quoted to your scope.
Focus group package
Discussion guide, two facilitated groups (remote or in person), qualitative analysis and a thematic report with recommendations.
About four weeks. Quoted to your scope.
Interview package
Interview guide, up to ten stakeholder or participant interviews, qualitative analysis and a findings report.
About four weeks. Quoted to your scope.
Program observation
A structured observation protocol, on-site or remote observation of the program as delivered, and a report on what is happening against what was planned.
Two to three weeks. Quoted to your scope.
Analyze
Qualitative analysis of data you already have
Transcripts, open-ended survey answers, case notes. We code them, test the themes against the source and report what they show.
Two to four weeks. Quoted to your scope.
Data management and quantitative analysis
Scattered spreadsheets become one clean, documented dataset, analyzed to answer the questions your funder and your board are asking.
Two to four weeks. Quoted to your scope.
Report
Dashboards and data visualization
Expert data visualization: an interactive dashboard and the charts for your reports, built so staff can read them without a statistician.
About three weeks. Quoted to your scope.
Final reporting and report rescue
A funder report is due and the data is scattered. We assemble it, analyze it and deliver it in the formats you need: full report, executive summary, slide deck, one-page brief or dashboard.
Timed to your deadline. Quoted to your scope.
Survey design and writing
Surveys are a service in their own right, not just a line in an evaluation: writing, build, deployment, collection, analysis and the deliverables under one quote, on paper and online, written for the people who will answer them. Branching logic, piping, validation, scoring and survey queues included.
REDCap consulting
Many of the organizations we work with run their surveys and research data in REDCap. We consult on REDCap in its own right: user administration, front-end administration, survey design and advanced survey design, and longitudinal projects with events and arms, built inside your own instance so your team can run them afterwards.
How every project runs
- A scope call, free of charge.
- A written scope: deliverables, price and dates.
- The work, with a short weekly check-in.
- Delivery, and a walkthrough with your team so the findings get used.
Questions people ask
How is the work priced?
Everything is quoted in writing before work begins. The quote depends on the scope, the length of the project, the number of sites and people involved, and any travel. The scope call is free, and grant applicants receive the evaluation plan at no charge.
Do you work remotely or on site?
Remotely, with clients across the United States and internationally. Site visits are budgeted into the project when the design calls for them.
In what formats do you deliver findings?
Full report, executive summary, slide deck, one-page brief or dashboard, whichever you will actually use, followed by a walkthrough with your team.
What is mixed-methods evaluation?
Mixed methods is our default design: qualitative and quantitative data, collected together and reported as one story.
Request a proposal
Tell us what you need and when you need it. You will hear back within one business day.
Every inquiry is confidential. We never sell or share your information. Privacy policy.