The process of improving the relevance, quality or efficiency existing model, program or strategy is a form of incremental innovation that all change-makers should be capable of integrating into their work if and when their aim is truly 'incremental' innovation. This short piece summarizes the basic ideas of 'continuous improvement'...
For over a decade, developmental evaluation has been useful for innovators trying to make a difference in the world. The Developmental Evaluation Companion – finalized in 2021 with the support of the J.W. McConnel Family Foundation – provides a high level update on the approach based that is ready for...
Improving the probabilities that innovators embrace evaluation practices and findings is a constant challenge. One of the reasons for this is that many people rush to create and formalize 'big' evaluation designs and hope that decision-makers will embrace the evaluation findings when they eventually emerge down the road. This linear,...
Every effort to change the systems that hold tough economic, social and environmental problems in place is unique and requires a customized strategy. Therefore, any evaluation to evaluate a systems change effort requires an equally unique design. There are, however, universal challenges, principles and help practices that are relevant across...
Developing and evaluating the experimental phase in social innovation is one thing. Driving and assessing efforts to scale successful social innovations is quite another. This evaluation framework, based on some of Canadian's leading innovators, describes dimensions of scaling that should be front and central in any scaling effort and offers...
One of the simplest ways getting better results may simply be strengthening - rather than reinventing - our current models for getting things done. This brief provides a summary of different methodologies for continual cycles of quality improvement....
Almost every organization, collaboration and network has a strategy. But what kind of strategy do they have? The strategy continuum makes a distinction between three types, when they are appropriate, and the implications for evaluation....
This is one of the first systematic explorations of the different options communities have in developing shared measurements systems, a cornerstone principle and practice in Collective impact efforts to tackle complex problems....
Whether you work with policy coalitions, collective impact roundtables, social movements, or communities of practice, veteran and novice network builders alike will wonder how we ever managed without this rich resource....
Prototyping is a fast, lower cost, lower risk, learning-rich approach to surface and test promising responses to tough challenges. The approach originated in the technical fields of engineering, software and manufacturing, and has since spread to the arena of social innovation where diverse groups are experimenting with new ways to tackle vexing...