IDENTIFYING INDICATORS AND DATA SOURCES
Now that you know what you want to evaluate and the questions you want answered, you should identify the information (data or indicators) that will answer these questions, and where this information will come from (data sources).
As you can see in the logic model above, outputs are activities that are planned as part of your service. Output indicators are used to measure how well your service is delivering these outputs, for example, the number of workshops, social outings, or people attending events. Depending on what your evaluation question is, this could be an area for an evaluation project (e.g., outputs at 6 months, barriers to achieving service goals).
On the other hand, outcomes tell you what impact your service has had on the problem you identified. Some outcomes are easier to measure than others. For example, if your expected outcome is to connect carers with a peer support group, your indicator could be whether you found a peer support group that the carers could attend. However, if your outcome is to improve carer's quality of life, you may have to use a combination of different indicators to determine if this has happened. If an outcome has many indicators (say, more than 3), carefully consider whether the outcome is too broad and should be divided into two smaller outcomes. Also, consider whether you truly need all of the indicators.
Below is a brief example of an outcome and several indicators.
On the other hand, outcomes tell you what impact your service has had on the problem you identified. Some outcomes are easier to measure than others. For example, if your expected outcome is to connect carers with a peer support group, your indicator could be whether you found a peer support group that the carers could attend. However, if your outcome is to improve carer's quality of life, you may have to use a combination of different indicators to determine if this has happened. If an outcome has many indicators (say, more than 3), carefully consider whether the outcome is too broad and should be divided into two smaller outcomes. Also, consider whether you truly need all of the indicators.
Below is a brief example of an outcome and several indicators.