Evaluation and Closing the Loop
Evaluation in CE Canvas has two dimensions: activity evaluation — capturing what worked and what didn’t for each engagement method — and closing the loop — going back to the communities who participated to tell them what happened to their input.
Both are essential to improving future engagement and maintaining community trust.
Activity evaluation
After each engagement activity concludes, you can record a structured evaluation directly on the activity in the Delivery tab. Open an activity and navigate to the Evaluation tab to capture:
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Method effectiveness rating | 1–5 star rating of how well this method worked for the intended audience |
| What worked | Specific strengths — what the method did well, what the team executed effectively |
| What didn’t work | Challenges, surprises, and lessons learned |
| Process notes | Any additional observations about logistics, facilitation, or community response |
This data feeds into method performance analytics in the Outcomes Report and builds an institutional record of what works for your specific stakeholder groups and project types.
Fill in evaluation fields as soon as possible after each activity — detail fades quickly. A short reflection recorded the same week is more useful than a comprehensive one written months later.
What evaluation data is used for
Activity evaluation data appears in:
- Engagement activity summaries — when you view an activity in Delivery, completed evaluation fields are displayed alongside participation data
- Outcomes Reports — method performance analysis sections draw on effectiveness ratings and evaluation notes across all activities
Over time, evaluation data builds an evidence base for method selection — enabling teams to choose approaches based on what has demonstrably worked for particular communities and contexts, not just habit.
Closing the feedback loop
Closing the loop means going back to communities who participated in your engagement and telling them:
- What you heard — a summary of the key themes and feedback
- What was decided — the decisions made and how they were influenced by community input
- What wasn’t acted on and why — the honest account of input that couldn’t be incorporated
This is the commitment captured in the Engagement Canvas Closing the Loop section. The canvas asks you to plan when and how you will close the loop before delivery begins — not after.
In CE Canvas
The Outcomes Report (Reporting tab) is your primary tool for closing the loop. A well-structured report makes it possible to share specific, attributed feedback on how community input shaped decisions.
The Closing the Loop section of the Engagement Canvas records the commitments your team made at the planning stage — use the outcomes report to fulfil them.
Why this matters
Closing the loop is the most consistently skipped step in engagement practice. Communities invest time and knowledge in engagement processes. When they never hear what happened to that investment, two things occur:
- Trust erodes — not just in this project, but in the organisation’s commitment to meaningful engagement
- Future participation declines — people who weren’t told what happened last time don’t participate next time
The Engagement Sequence Overview covers this in detail — Step 10 is the obligation that makes all the earlier steps meaningful.
Next steps
- Outcomes Reports — generate the report that enables you to close the loop
- Engagement Canvas — the Closing the Loop canvas section captures your planning commitment
- Engagement Sequence Overview — Step 10 in full context