Assessing, Analysing, and Crafting

Assessing Outcomes and Outputs

In this final phase, you need to assess the tangible deliverables and the broader impacts of the project.

• Outputs: Measure the deliverables against the predetermined criteria to evaluate their success. Compare actual results with the expected outcomes, identifying variances and understanding their causes.

• Outcomes: Broader outcomes are the long-term impacts that extend beyond the immediate deliverables. These can include social, environmental, or economic changes. When evaluating these, ensure they align with your initial project goals and provide positive contributions to the overarching mission.

• Unintended Consequences: Sometimes projects result in unexpected positive or negative outcomes. Reflect on these to gain a full understanding of the project’s impact.

Analysing and Interpreting Your KPIs

Your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) provide a quantitative and qualitative basis for assessing your project's success. After collecting data throughout the project, analyse and interpret this information to understand its full impact.

Crafting a Narrative

Once you’ve analysed the data, you can create a compelling narrative around your project’s impact. Combine the quantitative results with qualitative experiences to form a rich, holistic story. This approach not only demonstrates your project’s success but also helps in communicating the project’s broader value to stakeholders and the public. A great resource for this is Europeana’s Impact Playbook.

By reflecting critically on your project, you pave the way for future improvements and continue to evolve as a project manager, ensuring sustained success in your future initiatives.

Here is an example of two meetings held by RECHARGE Next Living Lab and the Serfenta Association, an NGO based in Poland, to evaluate the outcomes of their Living Lab project: Hi! Heritage Impact.

Meeting 1: First Summary of the RECHARGE Next LL Project – Experiences, Challenges, Progress, Timeline, and Future Directions

Meeting Synopsis: This meeting served as a summary of the RECHARGE Next Living Lab project. The team reflected on their experiences with the Living Lab methodology, identified emerging challenges, and reviewed progress made in relation to the project timeline. Discussions also focused on potential promotional strategies and economic activities that could be pursued by the Hi! Heritage Impact expert team. Roles were assigned in the areas of coordination, promotion, and partnership-building. The team agreed to launch broad outreach efforts to raise awareness of the Hi! Heritage Impact initiative among a wide audience.

Meeting 2: Final Evaluation and Summary of the RECHARGE Project – Client Engagement and Future Planning

Meeting Synopsis: This concluding meeting focused on evaluating the overall outcomes and impact of the RECHARGE project. The team assessed strategies for engaging potential clients with the project’s results and clarified the distribution of remaining tasks related to project finalisation and dissemination. The Serfenta Association also agreed to explore opportunities for securing external funding to further develop the Hi! Heritage Impact project.