Evaluation

Work package Evaluation deals with the internal evaluation of the project, ensuring an optimization of the quality of all activities carried out within the framework of the project. During the consortium meeting in October 2014 in Rijeka, Croatia the internal evaluation plan was presented to and approved by all consortium partners. This evaluation plan has guided the stakeholders involved in this project in achieving the determined milestones and to ensure an optimal use of process management for the duration of the entire project. An additional purpose is to evaluate this process and to define a number of lessons learned for future projects. This process evaluation (WP3) does not include an impact evaluation and as such, does not focus on the academic quality and policy relevance of the different interventions in the pilot cities. This evaluation has been carried out separately and is described in WP7.The outcome of this process evaluation is a working document that is accessible to all project partners and the PO of the European Commission at his request. Lessons learned and recommendations for future projects will find its way to the relevant documents that are aimed at the public and other external stakeholders.

The following key topics are identified:

1. Timeliness

2. Dissemination and communication

3. Stakeholder involvement

4. Quality measurement

The process evaluation is carried out both during and after the duration of the project, enabling the consortium partners to make adjustments when required and supporting the process of continuous improvement that comes with the PDCA-cycle. In principle, the monthly Steering Committee meetings have dedicated some time and attention to these four key topics for each of the work packages under the responsibility of the leader of Work Package Evaluation. All relevant information is processed in a working document that is accessible to all work package leaders at any time during the project.

In addition to this monitoring and feedback system, once every year interviews with key participants - leaders in local communities, people on partner's staff, etc. – have helped the project partners to gain more insights on critical points in the history of the project that can help to learn more about the quality of the initiative, It furthermore helps the project partners to identify factors that affected the success or failure of certain events, provides the consortium with a history of the activities, and gives insight which can be used in planning and renewal efforts. The key participants have been identified by the WP3 leader in collaboration with the other SC members.