412-787-6088 * 412-787-7762 (fax)
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412-787-6088 * 412-787-7762 (fax)
|
|
Excellence Research, Inc has researchers who will evaluate services, programs, divisions or branch offices. We provide all types of evaluation research. Following are examples of some of the kinds of evaluation research we provide including outcomes-based evaluations, needs assessment, performance assessment, cost comparisons/analysis, constraint analysis, and evaluations for grant proposals.
With their resources getting scarcer and more and more programs vying for those limited resources, funders expect more accountability from the programs they are funding or considering funding. Accountability is no longer based on such things as adhering to processes - the number of people served, the amount of money spent, client satisfaction, etc. In the 21st century, accountability is based on achieving results - showing the actual impact your program has had on those people it serviced. This is outcomes-based evaluation.
Excellence Research, Inc. will work with you so you can demonstrate your program’s success. Among other things, we will:
Specify goals and objectives
Select
appropriate and measurable targets and indicators
Perform
pilot tests, when necessary, and do a thorough literature search
Gather
data - qualitative and quantitative, and determine baseline data
Measure
outcomes
Analyze and report findings
When program developers and directors know what their clients and potential clients needs are, they can appropriately focus their services. A needs assessment provides "usable and useful information about the needs of a target population to those who can and will use it to make judgments about policy and programs. "(Reviere et al., 1996). A needs assessment helps an organization's administration fully understand the perceived problem before they start developing solutions to it. Many funders expect organizations to provide needs assessments as part of their grant proposals.
Ideally, a needs assessment should be done in planning stages of your program. Excellence Research, Inc will:
Assist you in defining your strategy;
Work
with you to choose the appropriate data;
Design instruments to collect the data;
Collect
the data;
Provide
you with a detailed needs assessment; and
Assist
you in disseminating the results.
When done correctly, a performance assessment can be an important tool for measuring the performance of your clients and showing how your program is improving performance. Performance assessments can help you determine the required performance level, the current performance level, performance capability at different levels, and who will or should perform at the required levels. Excellence Research, Inc. will:
Develop a framework for the assessment and create the assessment plan;
Determine assessment resources;
Design
an assessment;
Determine how the assessment will be administered including
presentation, scoring, recording, judgment criteria, etc.;
Assist
in administering the assessment when necessary; and
Summarize and report results of the assessment
Are you wondering whether or not you are pricing your product or service reasonably but competitively? Excellence Research, Inc. will provide you with an analysis of the market and comparison of like products or services. We will provide any costing services you require including:
Preparing estimates of possible costs for your service or product;
Gathering data about similar services or products;
Preparing a report that compares your potential costs to the prices of
similar services or products; and
Performing
supporting analyses as required, such as "what if" analyses,
trade studies to determine the cost effectiveness of alternative approaches,
and any other necessary supporting analyses.
A constraint is anything that prevents a system from effectively achieving its goals. Constraint analysis is a process for defining, prioritizing and systematically removing constraints to enable higher productivity and lower costs by identifying only a few areas of improvement that will generate immediate results while also helping long-term improvement. Constraint analysis makes managerial changes easier to for stakeholders, especially employees, to back and be part of because it addresses only a few areas and is less overwhelming than overhauling an entire organization. Excellence Research, Inc. can provide you with a detailed analysis of your organization's constraints and the best ways to results. We can determine:
the appropriateness of your control measures;
your
staff needs;
your
staff's optimal case load;
the
adequacy of your staff resources;
the
adequacy of your quality assurance system; and
the
effectiveness of your work environment/culture.
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