Program outcomes are critical to those working in or alongside family and community services. They assist in determining whether the activities undertaken benefit children, families and communities. They also add to the broader evidence base about the kinds of strategies and programs that work (and don’t) for families.

However, to understand why a program is (or is not) achieving its outcomes, knowledge is first needed about how the program is working and how well it is responding to need. That is, a ‘process evaluation’ is needed.

Process evaluation is a systematic way of examining how a program operates and is implemented. It examines the activities conducted for an intervention, program, service or policy – the way they are executed and the fidelity to the original plan. By examining these areas, the aim is to understand how a program or intervention is delivered, identify any challenges or deviations from the original aim or plan, and assess whether the program is being delivered as intended.

Process evaluation is a flexible approach that can be applied to many family and community programs. It can be adapted to various contexts, used with simple or complex interventions, at the start or end of a program, with mixed methods, or on its own. It can also be done at the same time as an evaluation of program outcomes.

This guide explains why process evaluations are useful and outlines the key steps involved in doing one. Each step offers practical information for how to plan and execute a process evaluation, with examples and tools to help apply the guidance. Example process evaluation reports are also provided.