Agenda

Program Evaluation

Day One: Monday, February 7, 2011 — Program Evaluation: Developing and Performing High-Priority Evaluation Activities

8:30    Conference Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00    Setting the Stage: A Federal Perspective on the Current State of Program Evaluation within Government Agencies  
•    Examine the Obama Administration’s “increased emphasis on program evaluation” and what new processes may await Federal evaluators
•    Understand the relationship between evaluation and performance auditing, performance measurement, program evaluation and organizational learning
•    Review what key agencies have done to better improve their evaluation practices
•    Discuss what challenges await as new management requirements are presented

10:30     Phase One of Learning Approach to Evaluation: Focus the Inquiry
•    Establish a common framework on basic evaluation terms
•    Review the impetus for evaluation    
•    Understand the organization’s context
•    Develop the logic model

12:00    Lunch Break

1:00    Phase One of Learning Approach to Evaluation: Focus the Inquiry (continued)
•    Clarify the purpose of the evaluation
•    Develop the evaluation’s key questions
•    Think explicitly about the use of findings

Phase Two of Learning Approach to Evaluation: Carry out the Inquiry
•    Develop and implement the evaluation plan

4:00    Day One Adjourns

Day Two: Tuesday, February 8, 2011 – Program Evaluation: Developing and Performing High-Priority Evaluation Activities

8:30    Continental Breakfast

9:00    Phase Three of Learning Approach to Evaluation: Apply Learning
•    Interpret the data and develop communications and reports
•    Support the action plan based on evaluation findings
•    Monitor and provide feedback on actions taken

    Build and Evaluation System Within Your Organization
•    Gather and review information about organization’s mission, purpose, strategic plan, structure and staffing
•    Diagnose status of organization’s infrastructure critical to organizational learning and design of evaluation system
•    Reach shared understanding on the organization’s overall theory of change

12:00    Lunch Break

1:00    Build an Evaluation System Within Your Organization (Continued)
•    Use theory of change and logic models to identify inquiry questions for informing organizational improvement and success
•    Identify additional measures needed and complete plan for data collection, analysis, reporting and use
•    Implement and evaluate the evaluation system

4:00    Training Adjourns

Performance Auditing

Day Three: Wednesday, February 9, 2011 – Performance Auditing:  Achieving Maximum Impact

8:30    Conference Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00   Understand Definitions and Phases of a Performance Audit
•    Define financial and performance audits under auditing standards
•    Understand the phases and outputs of a performance audit
•    Learn the importance of the planning phase in order to receive high impact auditing results
•    Identify terms associated with risk and vulnerability assessment

Identify Risks Associated with Government Programs and Use Conceptual Models to Interpret and Assess the Risks

•    Discover the inherent risk model and relationship to program performance expectations or goals
•    Identify and evaluate sources of program performance expectations or goals
•    Review types of performance measures and understand how inherent risks, performance expectations/goal, and performance measures are interrelated

Examine How Inherent Risks Are Assessed
•    Review principles of risk
•    Develop methods for evaluating and ranking risk using risk factors
•    Determine sources of risk information
•    Learn how to document and report on risk assessment results

12:00   Lunch Break

1:00 Discuss and Understand How Vulnerability is Assessed
•    Obtain an understanding of the program: inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes
•    Assess vulnerability (the COSO/ERM and TX State Auditor models)
•    Review audit-ability of high risk/high vulnerability programs

Case Study: Conduct a Risk and Vulnerability Assessment
•    Identify high risk/high vulnerability issues
•    Report out and reach consensus on selecting issues for audit
•    Summarize risk and vulnerability assessment

4:00   Adjourn

Day Four:  Thursday, February 10, 2011 – Performance Auditing:  Achieving Maximum Impact

8:30     Continental Breakfast

9:00     Formulate Performance Audit Objectives and Sub-Objectives Based on Risks and Vulnerabilities

•    Understand the importance of asking the right question
•    Examine the relationship between audit objectives and performance aspects
•    Apply steps for defining audit objectives and sub-objectives
•    Review relationships between audit objectives and methodologies

Case Study:  Develop High Impact Audit Objectives and Sub-Objectives Based On Risk and Vulnerability Assessment
•    Select high risk/high vulnerability issues
•    Develop high impact objectives and sub-objectives
•    Report out and assess potential impacts

12:00   Lunch Break

1:00   Review and Understand How to Select Data Collection/Analysis Methodologies

•    Relate audit methodologies to appropriate and sufficient evidence
•    Review quantitative analysis (ratio analysis, trend and time-series analysis, regression analysis, cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness and others)
•    Examine qualitative analysis (survey/interview/focus groups, observation --participant observation, trained observer)
•    Understand relationship of methodology selection to audit-ability and audit project budgets
Discover Best Practices in Risk and Measurement Based Performance Auditing
•    Learn to create a checklist which identifies successful strategies related to performance auditing

4:00   Adjourn

Who Should Attend

Who Should Attend:

•    Government Auditors
•    Inspectors General
•    Program Managers
•    Project Managers
•    Program Analysts
•    Strategic Planners
•    Division Managers
•    Program Planners
•    City and County Executives

Venue and Hotel

Venue and Hotel:

Audit and Evaluate Program Performance will be held at The Performance Institute in Arlington, VA, just one block east of the Courthouse Metro stop on the Orange Line. A public parking garage is located just inside of the building.

The Performance Institute
1515 North Courthouse Rd., Suite 600
Arlington, VA 22201
877-992-9521


Hotel

A limited number of rooms have been reserved at the Arlington Rosslyn Courtyard by Marriott at the prevailing rate of $181. This rate is based on the Government Per Diem and is subject to change. Please call the hotel directly and reference code “Audit and Evaluate Program Performance” when making reservations to get the discounted rate. The hotel is conveniently located three blocks from the Rosslyn Metro station.  Please ask the hotel about a complimentary shuttle that is also available for your convenience.   

Arlington Rosslyn Courtyard by Marriott  
1533 Clarendon Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22209
Phone:  703-528-2222
Phone: 1-800-321-2211
www.courtyardarlingtonrosslyn.com

Group Discounts

Group Discounts:

For more information about group discounts, please contact Chris Hicks at 202.739.9548 or email him at [email protected].