UFE user and intended-use worksheet

This worksheet is the first step in evaluation design. Specifying who will use the evaluation and why determines its overall direction.

When to use this worksheet and what completion involves Fictional completed example

EvalCompass Worksheet

UFE user and intended-use worksheet

Method: Utilization-Focused Evaluation

This worksheet is the first step in evaluation design. Specifying who will use the evaluation and why determines its overall direction.

Basic information

Enter an overview of the evaluation

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Program evaluated: Community counseling service (fictional)
Evaluation timing: September–November 2026
Evaluator name: Evaluation officer A
Date prepared: September 13, 2026

Reason for this entry: Set an evaluation schedule that meets the meeting deadline.

Program evaluated

Evaluation timing

Evaluator name

Date prepared

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Enter an overview of the evaluation

Set an evaluation schedule that meets the meeting deadline.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Follow each field’s heading to record the program name, focus, period, and other details. Leave undecided matters clearly marked as unresolved.

Read the full fictional example

Stakeholder map

Identify all stakeholders and narrow down candidate primary users

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Stakeholder name and position	Evaluation interests and needs	Candidate primary user (○/△)	Reason not selected as a primary user (if △)
Counseling service manager	Reallocate intake slots	○	Not applicable
Resident collaborator	Communicate barriers to use	○	Not applicable
Related program officer	Future reference material	△	Not directly involved in this intake decision, but findings will be shared

Reason for this entry: Retain the interests of people who are not primary users.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Stakeholder name and position	Evaluation interests and needs	Candidate primary user (○/△)	Reason not selected as a primary user (if △)

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Identify all stakeholders and narrow down candidate primary users

Retain the interests of people who are not primary users.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Keep the information in each row aligned. Scroll wide tables horizontally to see every column.

Read the full fictional example

Confirm primary users and intended uses

Enter final primary users by name and the specific actions or decisions they will make using findings

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Primary user (name and role)	Intended use (specific decision or action)	Timing of use
Service manager A (fictional role)	Decide whether to pilot evening slots	December 2026
Resident collaborator B (fictional role)	Check ease of use of the pilot proposal	November 2026

Reason for this entry: Use role labels for fictional examples rather than inventing personal names.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Primary user (name and role)	Intended use (specific decision or action)	Timing of use

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Enter final primary users by name and the specific actions or decisions they will make using findings

Use role labels for fictional examples rather than inventing personal names.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Keep the information in each row aligned. Scroll wide tables horizontally to see every column.

Read the full fictional example

Focus evaluation questions

List everything users want to know, then prioritize questions based on decisions, deadlines, resources and answerability

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Candidate question	Direct relevance to intended use (high / medium / low)	Selected (○/×)
Who cannot use the current hours?	High	○
Have long-term incomes changed across the city?	Low	×

Reason for this entry: Exclude broader social changes because they are weakly related to this decision.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Candidate question	Direct relevance to intended use (high / medium / low)	Selected (○/×)

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

List everything users want to know, then prioritize questions based on decisions, deadlines, resources and answerability

Exclude broader social changes because they are weakly related to this decision.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Keep the information in each row aligned. Scroll wide tables horizontally to see every column.

Read the full fictional example

Use plan (actions after evaluation)

Agree who will use findings, for what and by when

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Action	Person responsible	Deadline
Meeting to compare intake options and burdens	Counseling service manager	Late November 2026
Record the selected option and reasons	Meeting secretariat	December 2026
Reassess pilot findings	Evaluation officer	March 2027

Reason for this entry: Assign follow-up after use as well.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Action	Person responsible	Deadline

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Agree who will use findings, for what and by when

Assign follow-up after use as well.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Keep the information in each row aligned. Scroll wide tables horizontally to see every column.

Read the full fictional example

Before writing, check when to use the worksheet and what completion involves

UFE user and intended-use worksheet is a worksheet for applying Utilization-Focused Evaluation in meetings or individual work. For the overall duration of the method, use “Illustrative estimate (adjust for scale and staffing): 1–4 weeks to identify users and focus the evaluation; total duration depends on scale” as a reference, adjusting for scale and resources. Fill in what you know provisionally and leave unresolved matters as questions to check next.

When this worksheet is useful

Designing an evaluation that ensures use after earlier evaluations were shelved
Linking findings directly to a specific decision, such as budget allocation or program continuation
Clarifying whom the evaluation serves among diverse stakeholders

Participants and preparation

Evaluator as facilitator, identified primary users (around 1–5 people) and other stakeholders as needed

Bring the materials used for decisions, existing data, and differing stakeholder views to help complete the worksheet.

Suggested order

1. Basic informationEnter an overview of the evaluation
2. Stakeholder mapIdentify all stakeholders and narrow down candidate primary users
3. Confirm primary users and intended usesEnter final primary users by name and the specific actions or decisions they will make using findings
4. Focus evaluation questionsList everything users want to know, then prioritize questions based on decisions, deadlines, resources and answerability
5. Use plan (actions after evaluation)Agree who will use findings, for what and by when

Signs the worksheet is ready for review

Document identifying users and intended uses
Focused evaluation question list
Evaluation report

Cautions for review

Defining intended users as departments or organizations leaves nobody responsible; identifying individuals by name is the principle
Users want to know everything and questions exceed 20; focus by asking what they would ask if limited to one question
Evaluators become influenced by user preferences and self-censor critical analysis

Guides to read before starting

Read a completed fictional example (your entries will not change)

Fictional example; not actual results

The following fictional example evaluates intake so the manager can choose next year’s booking slots.

Basic information

Program evaluated: Community counseling service (fictional)
Evaluation timing: September–November 2026
Evaluator name: Evaluation officer A
Date prepared: September 13, 2026

Reason for this entry: Set an evaluation schedule that meets the meeting deadline.

Stakeholder map

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Stakeholder name and position	Evaluation interests and needs	Candidate primary user (○/△)	Reason not selected as a primary user (if △)
Counseling service manager	Reallocate intake slots	○	Not applicable
Resident collaborator	Communicate barriers to use	○	Not applicable
Related program officer	Future reference material	△	Not directly involved in this intake decision, but findings will be shared

Reason for this entry: Retain the interests of people who are not primary users.

Confirm primary users and intended uses

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Primary user (name and role)	Intended use (specific decision or action)	Timing of use
Service manager A (fictional role)	Decide whether to pilot evening slots	December 2026
Resident collaborator B (fictional role)	Check ease of use of the pilot proposal	November 2026

Reason for this entry: Use role labels for fictional examples rather than inventing personal names.

Focus evaluation questions

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Candidate question	Direct relevance to intended use (high / medium / low)	Selected (○/×)
Who cannot use the current hours?	High	○
Have long-term incomes changed across the city?	Low	×

Reason for this entry: Exclude broader social changes because they are weakly related to this decision.

Use plan (actions after evaluation)

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Action	Person responsible	Deadline
Meeting to compare intake options and burdens	Counseling service manager	Late November 2026
Record the selected option and reasons	Meeting secretariat	December 2026
Reassess pilot findings	Evaluation officer	March 2027

Reason for this entry: Assign follow-up after use as well.

Common errors in judgment

Analyzing data to fit users’ preferred conclusions

How to revise: Provide evidence needed for decisions, including inconvenient findings

Reason: Focusing on use does not mean tailoring conclusions to please users.

Writing only “government” as the primary user

How to revise: Specify the responsible role, decision and deadline for use

Reason: This enables concrete planning for use.

Editorial and checking information

Content updated: 2026-10-07Source 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

References and checked sections

Utilisation-focused evaluation
BetterEvaluation
Section consulted
Main text; two essential elements
How it relates to the text
Identify primary users and intended uses early and link subsequent evaluation decisions to them.
Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)

How to cite this page

EvalCompass Editorial Team. “UFE user and intended-use worksheet”. EvalCompass, updated 2026-10-07. https://evalcompass.jun-nakatani.com/en/worksheets/utilization-focused/

Add the date you accessed the page. Text created by this site is available under CC BY 4.0. Quotations, external materials, and bundled fonts have their own terms of use. When reusing content, credit the source, link to the license, and indicate any changes.

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Change history

2026-10-07 — Corrected statements and procedures identified during content checks (U04). Preserved the order, number and labels of input fields and the section structure.
2026-09-13 — Updated explanations to correspond to the sources and added method-specific fictional completed examples, judgment examples and a change log.