Utilization-Focused Evaluation (UFE) is an approach developed by Michael Quinn Patton that places the primary emphasis on how evaluations will be used and by whom. Rather than following a one-size-fits-all template, UFE tailors the evaluation process to ensure that findings are relevant, practical, and actionable for intended users.
The core principle of UFE is that evaluations should be judged by their usefulness to stakeholders, particularly primary users–those who will make decisions based on the findings. This approach involves engaging these users throughout the evaluation process, from defining the purpose and key questions to interpreting results and planning for use.
Key Features of Utilization-Focused Evaluation #
The key features of utilization-focused evaluation include:
- User engagement: Involves close collaboration with decision-makers and key stakeholders from the beginning.
- Context-specific design: The evaluation is tailored to the specific needs, context, and timing of the users.
- Focus on use: Every step is guided by the question: “How will this be used?”
Benefits of Utilization-Focused Evaluation #
Some benefits of utilization-focused evaluation include:
- Enhances the relevance and credibility of findings.
- Increases the likelihood of evaluation influencing real-world decisions.
- Promotes learning and adaptive management within organizations.
Considerations of Utilization-Focused Evaluation include: #
UFE requires strong facilitation skills, a flexible approach, and commitment from stakeholders. It may be less effective where there is low stakeholder engagement or unclear decision-making pathways.
Utilization-focused evaluation is, therefore, a practical, user-centered approach that aligns the evaluation process with the needs of its intended users, ensuring findings are meaningful and lead to informed action.
List of recommended resources #
For a broad overview #
Utilization-Focused Evaluation (U-FE) Checklist
This checklist created by Michael Quinn Patton is based on his book Essentials of Utilization-Focused Evaluation and lists the seventeen essential steps to evaluations that are useful and are actually useful.
Utilization-Focused Evaluation Theory: Key Concepts, Principles, and Applications
This article by EvalCommunity provides a brief on utilization-focused evaluation theory developed by Michael Quinn Patton. The article explains the key concepts and principles of this theory as well as how to use it in decision-making and its various applications in practice.
For in-depth understanding #
Utilization-Focused Evaluation with Michael Quinn Patton, Ph.D.
This interview of Michael Quinn Patton, Ph.D., interviewed by James Pann, Ph.D. provides an in-depth understanding of utilization-focused evaluation as explained by Patton himself. Dr, Patton also discusses the best ways to learn how to do evaluations and recommendations for students and beginning evaluators.
What Utilization-Focused Evaluation Is, And Why It Matters
This fifth edition of Utilization-Focused Evaluation by Michael Quinn Patton and Charmagne E. Campbell-Patton brings together five decades of research and practical experience on enhancing the usefulness of evaluations. The book offers in-depth guidance on designing and conducting evaluations that lead to meaningful and effective use of results.
Case study #
This paper introduces a distinctive approach to impact evaluation for a project aimed at supporting young children from marginalized communities through accessible, intergenerational play-based activities across eight European countries. The methodology draws on principles from Fetterman’s Empowerment Evaluation and Patton’s Utilization-Focused Evaluation, blending them into a tailored evaluation model suited to the project’s context.
Utilization-focused evaluation as a tool in the development of a participative democratic society
This article by Evanthe Schurink and Willem Schurink explores alternative evaluation approaches aimed at strengthening participatory democracy and increasing citizen involvement in governance. It focuses on the concept of citizen participation and examines how Utilization-Focused Evaluation (UFE) can serve as a valuable tool in promoting more inclusive and democratic decision-making processes.
