Significant decreases in output targets should be flagged as soon as possible to the evaluator as it could lead to the cancellation or revised design of the evaluation. The Special Hashaa Plot Survey evaluation was cancelled because too few plots were registered by the Property Rights Project. This was because people self-registered before the systematic registration program started. Self-registration also took place in control areas, compounding the issue. Since evaluation sample size requirements and the ability to maintain statistical power are often directly linked to output targets and expected results, when program output targets cannot be met program staff and evaluators must assess the extent to which evaluations can or should course correct.
Lesson Learned