Evaluation is a systematic way of making a judgement about the value, merit, or worth of your intervention. Evaluation can also help you to improve your intervention. There are different types of evaluation: Ex-ante Evaluation: Ex-ante evaluation is a form of needs assessment or feasibility study which considers the potential effects, and risks, of a proposed intervention. It is carried out during the planning stage of an intervention, before it is delivered, and is the first step of the ideal evaluation cycle. Ex-post Evaluation: An ex-post evaluation is an evaluation that is conducted after the intervention has begun to be delivered. Formative Evaluation: A formative evaluation is conducted during the development of an intervention so that results can be used, in real-time, to improve the design and/or delivery of the intervention. Outcome Evaluation: An outcome evaluation looks only at outcomes - the changes caused by the intervention. Process Evaluation: A process evaluation examines the implementation of an intervention, and monitors how it is being delivered. Summative Evaluation: A summative evaluation examines the extent to which an intervention met is aims and objectives. Summative evaluation can include both process and outcome data, but focuses on the longer-term outcomes. It is usually conducted by an independent evaluator who does not provide feedback during the delivery of the intervention, but who does provide a formal evaluation report at the end of the evaluation study