Mid-course corrections
Consider the following comments in a final report. As you develop your Logic Model and plan your reports, consider how early reports could help you make mid-course corrections.
What didn't happen? Fixable?
We didn't reach our goal for participants. How could we have fixed this? Bigger groups to protect against dropout?
What did happen? Avoidable?
A bus strike reduced access for distant families. Could we have avoided this? No, but …could we have suspended the program for a week? Added on an additional week as a repeat?
How close did you get?
We realized we hadn't planned for attrition, so we increased class size, and improved our numbers, but still missed our target by 2.
Did you achieve a valuable Y?
Didn't achieve goal but the manual we developed will be a valuable starting place for the future.
What will you do differently in the future?
In retrospect, how would you have adjusted your budget, your staffing, your timing? Add cookies to events for young children. Be sure storyteller comes from the neighborhood. Start the institution between 7 and 14 days after the end of the semester. Adjust targets and future program based on this experience.