Jason Ravitz, who is an Evaluation Manager for K-12 Outreach at Google, got in touch to offer an idea that inspired the cartoon up top.
What do you think of my attempt?
Here is his original suggestion, do you like any of his captions better than the one I chose?
KEY IDEA: Evaluation should be part of the design and implementation process, not brought in at the end. I often say coming in after a project to evaluate it is like cleaning up after the parade. (We want evaluation to be in the parade, if not leading it!)
Cartoon idea: A couple cleaning up after a parade route
Captions ideas:
“we didn’t see the parade, but we can evaluate it by looking the trash they left behind”
“must have been a great parade, garbage they left behind looks great”
“let’s evaluate the parade…horses were healthy, check.”
Nailed it! Love this cartoon Chris, it speaks to every pre-consultation meeting I attend with NFP Social Service Clients. On-boarding at the Design and Development Phase goes against the historical design and structures that formed the basis of this discipline. If we want our clients and their stakeholders to value our input from the beginning-to-the-end of a project or initiative, we have a lot of work to do to change the mindset and language of our own Evaluation Community. I love your cartoons BTW.
Fun fact!
The official estimate of crowd attendance at Mardi Gras has long been based on the weight of the garbage produced throughout New Orleans during the 10 days of parades.
When I first read this comic, that’s what I thought it was referencing! ????