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Using System Dynamics as an Evaluation Tool

Experience From a Demonstration Program

Indiana State University, kimfred98{at}aol.com

Michael Deegan

University at Albany, SUNY

Joanne G. Carman

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Evaluators are often faced with many challenges in the design and implementation of a program's evaluation. Because programs are entangled in complex networks of structures and stakeholders, they can be challenging to understand, and they often pose issues of competing and conflicting goals. However, by using a systems mapping approach to evaluation design, evaluators can identify and diagram the relationships between different variables and learn about their potential impact and unintended consequences on a program's processes. In this article, we describe how using a systems approach and causal loop mapping approach during an evaluation of a demonstration program for people with developmental disabilities helped evaluators to better understand the program's implementation and the variation in the program's outcomes.

Key Words: evaluation • system dynamics • causal loop diagram

American Journal of Evaluation, Vol. 29, No. 3, 251-267 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1098214008319446


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