CPE Performance Measurement & Indicators 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the difference between leading and lagging indicators?
- Leading indicators measure short-term results; lagging indicators measure long-term results
- Leading indicators predict future performance; lagging indicators measure past performance (Correct answer)
- Leading indicators are quantitative; lagging indicators are qualitative measures
- Leading indicators are collected by staff; lagging indicators are collected by participants
Correct answer: Leading indicators predict future performance; lagging indicators measure past performance
Leading indicators are predictive metrics that may signal future outcomes, while lagging indicators reflect past performance and measure results after the fact.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes a 'proxy indicator'?
- An indicator used exclusively by external evaluators rather than program staff
- An indirect measure used when the actual outcome is too difficult or costly to measure directly (Correct answer)
- An indicator that measures program inputs rather than outputs or outcomes
- A measure that is reported by a third party rather than program staff
Correct answer: An indirect measure used when the actual outcome is too difficult or costly to measure directly
A proxy indicator is an indirect measure used when the actual outcome cannot be directly measured, providing an approximation of the desired information.
Question 3: Which of the following is a key consideration when selecting performance indicators for a program evaluation?
- Indicators should be easy to collect regardless of their relevance to program goals
- Indicators should align with the program's logic model and intended outcomes (Correct answer)
- More indicators always provide a more complete picture of program performance
- Indicators should focus exclusively on quantitative data for objectivity
Correct answer: Indicators should align with the program's logic model and intended outcomes
Selecting indicators that align with the program's logic model and intended outcomes ensures that data collected is meaningful and directly relevant to assessing program effectiveness.
Question 4: What is a performance 'dashboard' in the context of program evaluation?
- A formal report generated at the end of each program cycle for funders
- A visual display that aggregates key performance indicators for quick monitoring (Correct answer)
- A method for collecting data from multiple stakeholder groups simultaneously
- A spreadsheet used to calculate and track program costs over time
Correct answer: A visual display that aggregates key performance indicators for quick monitoring
A performance dashboard is a visual tool that aggregates key indicators in one place, providing a quick overview of program status and progress toward goals.
Question 5: When setting performance targets, evaluators should ensure that targets are:
- Based solely on funder requirements without regard to program context
- Ambitious enough to challenge staff but realistic given available resources and context (Correct answer)
- Deliberately vague to allow for flexible interpretation after the fact
- Based exclusively on national benchmark data regardless of local conditions
Correct answer: Ambitious enough to challenge staff but realistic given available resources and context
Performance targets should be ambitious enough to drive improvement but realistic given the program's resources, capacity, and context in order to be credible and motivating.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of benchmarking in performance measurement?
- To evaluate individual staff performance against organizational standards
- To compare a program's performance against standards, peers, or best practices (Correct answer)
- To determine the statistical significance of outcome differences
- To establish budget allocations for the next program cycle
Correct answer: To compare a program's performance against standards, peers, or best practices
Benchmarking compares a program's performance against external standards, similar programs, or best practices to provide context for interpreting results.
Question 7: Which of the following represents a composite indicator?
- A single survey question asking participants to rate their satisfaction
- A simple count of participants who completed the program
- An index combining multiple measures such as education, income, and health into a single score (Correct answer)
- A time-series measure of monthly service utilization rates
Correct answer: An index combining multiple measures such as education, income, and health into a single score
A composite indicator combines multiple individual measures into a single score or index, allowing complex multidimensional constructs to be represented more simply.
CPE Performance Measurement & Indicators 2
What is the difference between leading and lagging indicators?