The Evaluate tool provides a variety of methods that enable participants to anonymously judge items on a list. The list can come from a previous step or from the meeting planning process.

Here are some examples for using Evaluate:

• Rate, rank or allocate points to prioritize a list developed in previous steps (e.g., Organize).
• Select items that apply to a criterion (may be used to shorten a long list of items).
• Indicate “comfort level” with a task just completed (e.g., list of goals, mission statement).
• Assign weights to criteria that will be used in a subsequent Multiple Criteria Analysis step.

Participants evaluate each item at their workstations.

Summary chart with 1-5 rating scale Distribution chart

As they do so, they can also enter comments describing their rationale for the values they assign. When they are finished, they send their responses and any comments they have added. After all of the participants have sent their responses, Evaluate graphically displays the results. Graphs summarize the group’s evaluations and display statistical variability, a measure of consensus. This statistical variability is one of the key elements of the Meetingworks “Technology of Consensus” approach. The use of variability and graphics allow the group to see immediately how much their evaluations differ. If variability is high, there is little consensus. If variability is low, there is consensus, and the group can move on.

One way to work toward consensus is by displaying the comments entered by participants during evaluation. All results and comments display anonymously on the public display, but a participant can view his or her own contributions at their workstation.

Comments often introduce new perspectives. More facts are offered, more clarification is given, and itional opinions are sought. This discussion often leads to reevaluation of the topic.

Evaluate results are stored as graphs and tables. The tables can be used in subsequent steps and both the tables and graphs can be printed in the final
document.

Anonymous comments attached to ratings Stacked bar chart

Evaluate features include:

• Unlimited “Roll up” capability to append multiple groups (as in focus groups)
• Modify the list or the method of evaluation during the step
• Several viewing modes: with/without variability, input list order or sorted, by subgroup (filtering), average,, summary, or distribution
• Reevaluation with audit trial
• Save as Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for further analysis