The preparation, implementation, and impact (II) model kpi uin ar-raniry

The preparation, implementation, and impact (II) model

To simplify the process here, we refer the reader to a model of evaluation constructed by cutlip, center and broom (2000, pp. 436-454).the preparation, implementation, and impact ( PII ) model is a straightforward approach to evaluating communication programs at all required levels.

It provides guide lines to evaluate the preparation and planning process within the organization ,the tactical implementation, and the impact and results of any given effort in evaluating the planning process, it asks if the research collected was sufficient and complete, if it was organized and analyzed in a way that it could be used effectively, if the process was timely and inclusive, and other key questions that assess whether the process functioned to produce a workable plan to meet the challenge.

Evaluation of the implementation process tracks the success of tactics by counting media placement, even attendance, and other such measures of our tactical abilities. The final evaluation is the impact of the program. what were the result? did the program meet the objectives? were attitudes, opinion or behaviors changed ?and finally, did those changes produce the desire result and satisfy the goal (assuming the objective were met ) within the allocated budged ?evaluation that does not measure end result simply cannot stand the test of today’s organizational managers. And communication professionals who cannot demonstrate that their efforts produce the desired result within acceptable expenditures are themselves expendable.

Evaluation is actually relatively easy if it is planned from the beginning of an effort using the strategic communications planning matrix (figure 10.1) good evaluation owes much to good objectives. If the objectives are written as outcomes to be accomplished in order to reach the goal, then the evaluation will be result-oriented and satisfy the organization’s management. Two steps must be considered in evaluating any plan. First, by what criteria should we judge success; and second, how are those criteria best measured?

Figure 10.1

10. Step strategic communication planning matrix

Matrix : Evaluation

Step ten-evaluation criteria and tools

10. evaluation criteria and tools

Evaluation criteria are the specific measures used to determine the success of each objective. Evaluation tools are the specific methods used to gather data identified by each criterion. The evaluation tools should be included in the calender and budget.

Creativity, and ability to direct a communication effort. You should add evaluation factors that specifically address your success and effectiveness in community relations, media relations, or other skill areas.

While media placement is not a measures of whether a public received and acted upon a message, it is still a factor to be evaluated within the context of effective strategies and tactics.

Although it is not  recommended to set an objective for specific media placements because it tends to force manipulative tendencies which are expressly forbidden it some code of ethics ( PRSA’s specifically ), it is perfectly acceptable to set an evaluation criterion that measures your success at placement couched in terms of media relations. While an objective for front page coverage in the wall street journal may set a manipulative course that is fatal to good relationship with media, evaluation criteria that measure such coverage and placement as a whole across the campaign would examine the number of front page placements in nationwide publications. The first course is manipulative; the second seeks to evaluate and improve media relationships across the board.

Similarly you may seek to evaluate your performance at staging and promoting events or any other accepted marketing or public relations communication tool. although these evaluations are not specifically determining whether or not you achieved your objectives, they are crucial to improvement of your communication effort and demonstrating your expertise, professionalism, and value to the client or organization.

Converting your objectives to evaluation criteria is your primary evaluation of results. Additional criteria that address your team’s specific capability and expertise are highly useful secondary criteria to measure your effectiveness.

Evaluation tools

Each objective must be converted to an evaluation criterion and each criterion must be measurable by an evaluation tool.  Measurement tools are essentially research tools. They are the same methodologies used in research but focus on evaluation.

They may include surveys or measure sales or count votes. But they also tally results: dollars raised or saved. Legislative bills passed or failed, and other concrete outcomes. The rules of research apply in evaluation more particularly because the evaluation of your communication effort then becomes part of the background for subsequent efforts.

Typically, evaluation measurements require a benchmark measurement prior to the program, during the program, or both. Without adequate planning for the evaluation process, the benchmarks are often not taken in the beginning resulting in no data for comparison. Unless you know where you started, you cannot determine how far you have come.

Although measurement tools are essentially the same as research methods, many research organizations have specialized in evaluative methods. It would be wise to access the web sites and newsletters on evaluation and measurement produced by specialty firms like KD paine and partners or cision. while evaluation tools for some objectives may be obvious, others may require complicated formulas that would, for example, combine measures of sales, media placement, and trade show referral in some kind of sliding scale that measures the effect of marketing communications and media relations on product sales.

Clearly articulated evaluation tools must include the source of information and how it will be obtained. Include all necessary tasks when describing the evaluation tool for each criterion. If you are measuring the criterion mentioned above your evaluation tool would read something like this. conduct a random, statistically viable, telephone survey of the key public population june28-30,2008, to determine what percentage recognize the client’s name this data could then be compared to the survey conducted at the beginning of the campaign, which indicated 30%  name recognition for the client.

CALENDERING AND BUDGETING THE EVALUATION

The evaluation process point out the necessity of reviewing your calender and budget to ensure that all evaluation tools are scheduled. You can designate a separate section of the calender and budget to specifically address the planned evaluation. Another option might be include evaluation as part of the planned strategies and tactics for each public. Only with this kind of planning can you ensure that appropriate benchmark research is done in the beginning and throughout the campaign to compare with evaluation research. It also enables you to incorporate appropriate evaluation in the detailed planning for tactics. For example, if you need to measure the number of attendees at events, or number of visitors to a trade show display, you will build into the tactic  method for tracking those number. Trying to guesstimate such figure later only causes your evaluation to be inadequate and your claim to success suspect. Finally, including the evaluation tools in the calender and budget for each public ensures that the funding is available for this critical function.

THE CASE OF THE WAREHOUSE WELFARE HEALTH CARE

Sample campaign

Matrix evaluation

Step ten-evaluation uriteria and tools

Objective 1

Criteria

Awareness of the opportunity rose to 80 % among key publics by march 31^st

Tool

Partnership board staff members will determine the total target public by combining the 2,500 community leaders from the united way list and the number of professional and civic association members ( approximately 30,000 ) to arrive at the total campaign target population. They will then keep track of presentations and masss media coverage to estimate whether 80 % were exposed to the message ( because of limited time and money, exposure is the only measure to be used although oit does not measure message penetration ).

Objective 2

Criteria

Collection of $ 150,000in new leadership gifts by april 30^th

Tools

Record kept of donations from leadership appeals’

Objective 3

Criteria collection of $ 250,000in new corporate sponsorshipby june 30^th

Tools

Records kept of corporate donations

Objective 4

Criteria

Collection of the remaining $ 100.000 by august 31^st

Tools

Records kept of revenue from 5k run/bike/walk and all other general donations

SUMMARY

Communication and marketing professionals cannot expect to be taken seriously unless they positively demonstrate the results of their efforts.

Measuring the effectiveness of communication efforts can be a straightforward process if you use the strategic communications planning matrix. The matrix focuses your efforts to set objectives that are the outcomes which will combine to reach the end result desired. Evaluation of the objectives should be as strategic a function as any part of the process. Objectives become the evaluation criteria and must meet the highess standards of evaluation measurement. Your planning will also facilitate setting criteria to measure the effectiveness of the communication strategies and tactics.

Tools for measuring success are basically the same as the methodologies used in research. Nevertheless, many professional research firms now specialize in evaluate research and can design in the calender and budget for each public so this critical process is not overlooked.

EXERCISES

1.      Ask  local nonprofit to share with you its objectives from an old strategic plan and check to see if evaluation measurement is include in the plan ask about the process for evaluating success and assess whether the tools used were appropriate to determine if the goal was truly achieved’

2.      Exarmine several of the research methodologies identified in chapter 3 and determine how each could be converted to an evaluation methodology.

3.      Do a web search for research companies and find those that advertise evaluation measurement. Try to find specific descriptions of those measurements on their sites. Also search for communication research and/or evaluation newsletters that are available on the web.

References and additional readings

Cutlip, S,M,center,A.H. and broom, G,M (2000).effective publicrelations (8^th ed ).

Upper saddle river,NJ : prentice hall.

KD paine and partners.the measurement standard retrieved October 17,2007, from www. measuresofsucces.com

Newsom,D,turk,J.V &  kruckeberg, D.(2007).this is PR : the realities of public relatives (9^th ed) belinont, CA : wadsworth publishing company.

Watson,T. (2001) integrating planning and evaluation : the public relations practice and public relations programs. In heath,R,L.handbock of publicrelations (pp.259-268).thousand oaks,CA : sage publications,inc.