NSF requires evaluation, in part, because it is an essential tool for project improvement. Yet all too often, evaluation results are not used to inform project decision making. There is a gap in the project improvement cycle between dissemination of evaluation results and decision making. One way to bridge this gap is through use of an action plan for project improvement informed by evaluation findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) “Management Response Template” (http://bit.ly/undp-mrt) provides a format for  such an action plan. The template was created to encourage greater use of evaluation by projects. UNDP’s template is designed for use in international development contexts, but could be used for any type of project, including ATE centers and projects.

As shown, the template is organized around evaluation recommendations or issues. Any important issue that emerged from an evaluation would be an appropriate focus for action planning. The form allows for documentation of evaluation-based decisions and tracking implementation of those decisions. The inclusion of a time frame for each key action, who is responsible, and status encourages structure and accountability around use of evaluation results and project improvement.

Resources table

About the Authors

Kelly Robertson

Kelly Robertson box with arrow

Principal Research Associate, The Evaluation Center, Western Michigan University

Kelly has a Ph.D. in evaluation and more than eight years of experience in the field of evaluation. She works as a Senior Research Associate at The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University. Dr. Robertson has worked on evaluations at the local, regional, national, and international levels, spanning a wide variety of sectors (e.g., STEM education, adult education, career and technical education, and evaluation capacity development). Her research interests primarily focus on evaluation as it relates to equity, cultural competence, and making evaluation more user-friendly.

Creative Commons

Except where noted, all content on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Nation Science Foundation Logo EvaluATE is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number 1841783. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.