Practical evaluation guide

What are evaluation questions? Development, examples and prioritization in practice

An explanation of evaluation questions, development steps, program examples, differences from indicators and prioritization for evaluation planning.

Start with the decision to define the evaluation question

Main takeaway

Evaluation questions are questions the evaluation as a whole seeks to answer. Unlike individual survey items, they define the evaluation's focus. Prioritize according to purpose, users, decision timing, resources and data, and link them to necessary evidence and analysis. [1]

Evaluation without evaluation questions is like setting out without a map. Survey items and tables may multiply while the decisions the data should inform remain unclear, leaving results unused for improvement.

Good questions specify who will use them for which decisions rather than vaguely asking whether a program succeeded. Starting design with questions can reduce necessary data while enabling collection of useful decision information.

Create questions that inform decisions

Distinguish questions from indicators and work backward from the decision to focus what needs checking.

Evaluation questions and indicators

An evaluation question asks what you want to establish. An indicator is specific information observed to answer it. For example, whether training led to practice is a question; the proportion developing an evaluation plan within 3 months of training is an indicator.

Reversing this order and listing available numbers first often ends with satisfaction and participant counts alone. Decide questions, consider necessary evidence, then select indicators and collection methods.

Evaluation questions and indicators
Element	Role	Training program example
Evaluation purpose	Which decision to inform	Decide whether to continue and improve next year
Evaluation questions	What to establish	Did training lead participants to put learning into practice?
Indicator	What to observe	Proportion of participants developing evaluation plans
Data sources	Where to obtain information	Post-training surveys, submissions and checks with supervisors

[1]

Work backward from decisions

First write who will decide what from the findings. Necessary questions vary between continuation, changing target groups, increasing budgets and revising delivery.

Next use the logic model to choose which aspects of implementation, short-term outcomes, medium-term outcomes and unexpected changes to examine. Prioritize decision-relevant issues rather than asking everything.

Confirm users and planned decisions
Review program objectives and logic model
Write information needs as brief questions
Check which decisions each answer would enable
Select main questions according to decision need and collection feasibility
Link indicators, sources and analysis methods

[1]

Example questions by purpose

For implementation, ask whether the intended group was reached through necessary frequency and methods. For outcomes, ask whether expected changes in knowledge, behavior and conditions occurred. When addressing causality, carefully calibrate the claim, for example asking how far the program contributed to observed change.

In grant-funded programs, questions about how funding affected feasibility or organizational capacity also help decisions. For municipalities, differences in reach between areas or target groups may matter alongside outcomes.

Implementation: did it reach those in need in the intended way?
Outcomes: what changed for the target group?
Improvement: which elements might improve outcomes if changed?
Equity: do reach or outcomes differ by characteristics or area?
Contribution: how far was the program involved in change?

Practical framework or suggestion

Common mistakes and prioritization criteria

Asking only whether a program succeeded leaves success undefined. Participant counts help establish reach, but value judgments also require criteria such as the intended group and expected scale. Connect descriptive questions to necessary evaluation judgments.

Where questions are excessive, rank by decision influence, failure risk and stakeholder disagreement. Lower-priority questions may need to move to routine monitoring or a later evaluation.

Do not combine multiple issues in one question
Do not embed a predetermined answer
Specify targets, timing and changes for unmeasurable questions
Exclude questions unused in decisions from the main evaluation
Check necessary data and limitations for each question

Practical framework or suggestion

Fictional example; not actual results

Turn is this a good consultation program into answerable questions

A fictional example for illustration: design for a meeting deciding next year's consultation hours and support.

Judgment	Evaluation questions	Necessary evidence
Change opening hours?	Does ease of use differ between target groups?	Use by route and time and reasons for non-use
Add application-preparation support?	At what stage do procedures stop after consultation?	Follow-up status and specific barriers
Add effect investigation?	How far can current information explain program contribution?	External factors, other support and comparison conditions

What this example supports

Check the decision served by each question before adding survey items. If current data cannot establish causal effects, that gap also informs the next design decision.

Common errors in judgment

Embed staff's desired conclusion in a question

How to revise: Allow positive change, no change and harm to be examined

Reason: This prevents evaluation becoming mere confirmation.

Combine separate issues into one sentence to keep exactly 3 questions

How to revise: Separate issues and compare importance and research burden

Reason: Clarity of answerable scope matters more than question count.

Put it into practice next

Use the evaluation question worksheet to link each question to its decision on a separate line

View an example and open the worksheet Read the method explanation

Frequently asked questions

How many evaluation questions are appropriate?

There is no fixed appropriate count. Check whose decision each question serves and whether it can be answered by the deadline. For important unanswerable questions, record reasons and next testing methods.

Are survey items and evaluation questions the same?

No. Evaluation questions concern the whole evaluation; survey items are one data collection means for answering them.

Who should decide evaluation questions?

Do not rely on the program manager alone. Involve implementation staff, decision-makers using results and, where possible, the target group and cooperating organizations to improve practicality.

References and checked sections

CDC Program Evaluation Framework, 2024
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · 2024
Section consulted
Steps 3–4: Focus the Evaluation Questions and Design / Gather Credible Evidence
How it relates to the text
Alignment and feasibility of purposes, questions, indicators and collection methods
Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)

Content updated: 2026-09-13Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)No documented human reviewIncludes fictional examplesEditorial policy and scope of checking Cite this page Report a correction

How to cite this page

EvalCompass Editorial Team. “What are evaluation questions? Development, examples and prioritization in practice”. EvalCompass, updated 2026-09-13. https://evalcompass.jun-nakatani.com/en/guides/evaluation-questions/

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Change history

2026-09-13 — Added correspondence between claims and original sources, fictional completed examples, judgment corrections and links to next tasks. Revised unverified generalizations.