How do you select and use appropriate innovation evaluation frameworks and tools?

2 Why is innovation evaluation important?

Innovation evaluation is important for several reasons. First, it helps you to demonstrate the impact of your innovation to funders, partners, beneficiaries, or customers. By providing evidence of your innovation's achievements and learnings, you can increase your credibility and accountability. It also improves your innovation by identifying what works, what doesn't, and why. Collecting and analyzing this data will test your assumptions, validate results, and adapt strategies. Moreover, innovation evaluation fosters a culture of learning because it shares your insights with your team and organization. By engaging your stakeholders in the evaluation process, you can spark deeper conversations.

3 How do you select an innovation evaluation framework?

An innovation evaluation framework is a set of concepts and criteria that guide your evaluation design, methods, and reporting. It helps define your evaluation purpose and analysis techniques. There are numerous innovation evaluation frameworks available that cater to different contexts; for instance, the OECD Innovation Impact Framework which assesses the impact of innovation policies across four dimensions, the Developmental Evaluation Framework which supports innovation in complex settings, and the Social Return on Investment Framework which measures the social, environmental, and economic value of an innovation. To select an appropriate framework for your project, consider factors such as the nature and stage of your innovation, as well as the preferences and expectations of stakeholders. The scope of your evaluation, in addition to its resources and constraints, is also important to consider.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?