Putting together a final report

Dr Chris Lanigan

Policy and Research Manager

Context

Howdon Surestart

The North Tyneside Council research team

Own experience of evaluations

The Challenge

The Challenge

>20 individual projects / reports

Several staff members involved

Lack of “big picture” focus from the start

Adding up the little pictures doesn’t work!

Focus and Structure

What was / is the big picture?

Why were we doing the evaluation?

What were the big questions we wanted to answer

Over to you….

What is your evaluation trying to find out

In one sentence!

…erm, that’s really hard

Howdon Research Team did not document this (or even do it?) at the start

First step: get original team together and think backwards

Step 2:

Overall aims understood

What questions do we need to pose (and answer) to give a view of the big picture

What sub-questions lie underneath these

(Howdon report = page 19)

Step 3

Which research projects are relevant to which research questions?

Develop an Issues versus Investigations grid (more on this later)

Get team to fill it in (re-read old reports if necessary)

Issues versus Investigations grid

Issue Investigation

1.1 A, B, C, D

1.2 B, C, E, F, G

Step 4

Read reports (or at least the findings)

Answer the questions! (via the Report Grid – page 25-48 of Howdon Report)

For the gaps, gather information that was never collected or reported on

The Report Grid

Issues Findings(+ refs.)

Conclusions

Recs.

1.1

1.2

Advantages

Helps draw out big issues

Shows where our key conclusions and recommendations come from

Grid complier and report writer don’t even need to have worked on the project (ours was only involved in 1/21 reports)

From Grid to Report

Grids – not easy to read

Written section based on the grid needed

What style?

Who is the audience?

The Audience?

The Audience?

The Audience?

The Audience?

The Audience?

What do you think

For us, it’s all of these

Executive Summary – everyone, especially Chief Exec / Director of Social Services

Key Conclusions and Recommendations – the Board

Context and Background – regional and national Surestart / Researchers

Key Research Questions / Sources of Data – researchers

Detailed Findings – Project Co-ordinator

Feedback

Discuss drafts with co-ordinator (no surprises)

Verbal report to Board Executive

Managers feeding back to Social Services DMT

Worries

Will this produce action where it is needed?

Is this in line with Regional / National expectations?