Systems Evaluation (SysEval) : Applying Systems Thinking to Evaluation

Logic models have been the mainstay of evaluation for many years. But what happens when the logic is illogical or incomplete? These widely used popular tools have many shortcomings that can misguide evaluation itself. A systems view remedies these shortcomings and reveals extended logic that can be incorporated into a new kind of logic model that becomes the foundation of system evaluation in the future. In this chapter, we articulate a new model derived directly from the theory of change that aptly guides the evaluation of any complex system, problem, or issue. In addition, we explain how programmatic systems based program evaluations ‘roll up’ to important ideas around collective impact.