The recipe for a good evaluation is similar to trying out a new recipe.
You find a new recipe that looks amazing—maybe it popped up on social media or was handed down from a friend.
You buy the ingredients, follow the steps, and give it a go.
But the final dish is just… okay. Not bad, but not great. So you make a mental note: Less salt next time, longer cooking time, or double an ingredient.
This quick post-dinner reflection is the start of a recipe for a good evaluation.
Like a chef creating a cookbook, recipes are a perfect example of how we gather feedback, make adjustments, and improve things over time.
Getting feedback from the table
One of the quickest forms of evaluation comes from your eaters—family, friends, or whoever’s at your table. They might compliment your dish, offer a “suggestion,” or say nothing at all (which may or may not be a bad thing). Their reactions are data. And while informal, you’re likely picking up on cues about what worked and what didn’t.
Tweaking the ingredients
Maybe next time you use one protein instead of another, skip the canned vegetables and use fresh ones, or add more spice. You don’t overhaul the whole thing—you tweak just enough to see if it improves the outcome. This adjustment process is iterative, based on eater feedback and your own observations. It’s not just about following instructions—it’s about refining based on experience.
Lessons learned
After a few tries, you’ve made the dish your own. You know the shortcuts, the swaps, and the tricks to make it shine. You might even pass the improved version to someone else—your evaluation insights now benefit others. That process of trying, adjusting, and learning is proof of how we evaluate not just programs, but everyday experiences.
Formative and summative evaluation, served warm
There are several evaluation types, but the most used are formative and summative evaluations. When you make changes while you’re still testing the recipe—swapping ingredients, adjusting the heat—that’s formative evaluation. It helps you improve as you go.
Once you’ve finalized the version you love, you’re in summative territory. You assess the outcome and decide if it’s a keeper, if you’ll share it, or if it just wasn’t worth it. Both evaluation types matter—and both are likely already happening in your kitchen, even if you’ve never used the terms.
Key takeaway
Evaluation doesn’t always come with surveys and focus groups. Sometimes it looks like taste testing, small changes, and thoughtful reflection. Whether in the kitchen or in a community program, creating a recipe for a good evaluation means being curious, making thoughtful tweaks, and learning from every round.
Raise Your Voice: Have you ever experimented with a recipe and made it better the second time? What changed? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.
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