Business is a complex process that requires detailed planning of every aspect of the activity. The heads of enterprises draw up various types of plans with a deliberate deadline for their execution, with pre-planned actions and the expected outcome. Still, not every plan is effective and will precisely bring the desired result. In order to understand whether the plan will be successful, it is necessary to evaluate it, but the evaluation can, in turn, be different and multilateral; therefore, it is required to draw up an evaluation plan. It is essential to distinguish between the concepts of an evaluation plan and an evaluation management plan, since these concepts vary, and each of them must be present in the business.
The development of a plan is necessary to avoid duplication and reduce labor costs and evaluation time. The evaluation plan is a document that describes the ways of monitoring and evaluating the implemented program (Fitzpatrick et al., 2017). It is necessary to start a plan with an explanation of the purpose of the assessment and the estimated audience, since it was this information that determined the choice of solutions. An evaluation plan is a convenient tool in business, as it helps solve several issues and thereby simplifies the activities of managers (Versteeg et al., 2021). These issues include creating a holistic picture of the goal and expected results, helping to determine the number of resources needed to work on the project, and setting the required time to complete the plan (Fitzpatrick et al., 2017). Moreover, the evaluation plan helps attract allies to help, interests employees, and increases customer loyalty to the enterprise.
For evaluation, one or more measures can be used, which include actions of marketing products, results and impact. Marketing product measures allow workers to identify the types of marketing activities and resources that will appear in the reports of responsible employees. Outcome measures focus on citizens’ reactions, which are measured in the form of activity levels of behavior or changes in knowledge, beliefs, or attitudes (Guyadeen & Seasons, 2018). An example, in this case, is the number of pensioners who have started attending health groups. Impact measures take the measurement process to the next level, for example, improving water quality, reducing the number of accidents, and others.
The evaluation management plan is the part of planning that determines how to use the evaluation results to improve the effectiveness of the program. The difference between the evaluation plan and the evaluation management plan is precisely that the evaluation plan only describes what steps will be taken to evaluate the implemented proposals. The evaluation management plan is already directly using the evaluation results for further business improvements. Undoubtedly, each of these tools is necessary for the most outstanding efficiency of the enterprise, but still, they are different, and each of them should be applied at certain stages.
Cost reduction is one of the most important aspects in business, since it is from the initial costs that the further cost of the finished product is formed. Evaluator needs to find various ways to help reduce the costs associated with the evaluation plan (Balmer et al., 2021). Appraisers often decline the frequency of information collection, and also use the cheapest possible types of data acquisition in order to lessen possible costs. In addition to these methods, evaluators can use only available data and not pay attention to various unnecessary information but focus only on what is vital. These methods can help reduce congestion, but at the same time maintain the high quality of the appraiser’s work.
There are different options for reducing costs by appraisers, but still, many necessary actions a priori lead to costs. Appraisers need to collect a large amount of data in order to use them in the future to create a clear plan for the future work of the company (Guyadeen & Seasons, 2018). In addition, sometimes the collection of information is large-scale, and itself requires a lot of money, which will no longer make it possible to reduce the cost. The assessment costs should be reflected in the budget section of the plan. In addition, the program should indicate when it is necessary to take measurements.
In conclusion, modern business requires detailed planning, which naturally involves using various resources, time, and financial costs. For all these aspects to be used for good reason, it is necessary to evaluate the plan, but for more accurate implementation of this procedure, first, it is tedious to draw up an evaluation plan. It will help to avoid unnecessary costs and will make it possible to identify the results and further use them for the benefit of the company. After the evaluation plan, it is essential to draw up an evaluation management plan, since it will be aimed at using the previous results and increasing the success of the project or firm. Appraisers should be as interested as possible in reducing planning costs, and therefore several ways can help with this.
References
Balmer, D. F., Rama, J. A., & Simpson, D. (2021). Implementing the evaluation plan and analysis: Who, what, when, and how. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 13(1), 129–130.
Fitzpatrick, J. L., Sanders, J. R., & Worthen, B. R. (2011). Program evaluation: Alternative approaches and practical guidelines (4th Ed.). Pearson Education.
Guyadeen, D., & Seasons, M. (2018). Evaluation theory and practice: Comparing program evaluation and evaluation in planning. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 38(1), 98–110.
Versteeg, N., Hermans, L. M., Ahrari, S., & Van De Walle, B. A. (2021). Adaptive planning, monitoring, and evaluation for long-term impact: Insights from a water supply case in Bangladesh. Frontiers in Water, 2(1), 1-22.