Step 6: Evaluate
Measure results, capture lessons learned, and determine next steps.
The cycle closes in Step 6. Before-and-after comparisons measure whether the improvement hit its targets. A structured retrospective captures lessons learned — both what worked and what needs to change. The team explicitly decides: standardize the solution, iterate with another cycle, or start a new PIPS project. This is where "Close The Loop" becomes real. Improvement never stops.
Key Questions This Step Answers
- Are we comparing the same metrics we defined in Step 1, or have we moved the goalposts?
- Will this improvement hold without active management, or does it need sustaining mechanisms?
- What would we do differently if we ran this project again?
- Should we standardize, iterate with another cycle, or close and move on?
Guiding Questions
- What were the measurable results vs. the original target?
- What worked well during this improvement cycle?
- What would we do differently next time?
- Should we standardize, iterate, or start a new PIPS cycle?
- Did the solution create any new problems that need their own PIPS cycle?
Tools Used in This Step
Before & After Comparison
Compare baseline metrics with post-implementation results
RequiredEvaluation Summary
Overall assessment of the improvement project
RequiredLessons Learned
Document insights, successes, and areas for improvement
Balance Sheet
Weigh gains vs. losses and decide the path forward
Results Metrics
Record post-improvement values and auto-calculate annual savings, ROI %, and payback period using the baseline captured in the Step 1 Impact Metrics form
Tips
- •Compare the same metrics you defined in Step 1 — do not introduce new measures retroactively
- •Capture lessons learned while memories are fresh, not weeks after completion
- •Distinguish between outcomes (did it work?) and process (how well did we execute?)
- •Decide explicitly: standardize, iterate, start a new PIPS cycle, or address new problems the solution created
- •Watch for unintended consequences — as Eric Sevareid noted, "The chief cause of problems is solutions."
Best Practices
- ✓Use a before/after table: metric name, baseline value, target value, actual value, % improvement
- ✓Run a structured retrospective: What went well? What could improve? What will we do differently?
- ✓Assess sustainability: will the improvement hold without active management? What sustaining mechanisms are needed?
- ✓Share results and lessons with the broader organization to multiply the impact
- ✓Reframe unmet goals as input for the next PIPS cycle rather than a failure
- ✓Consider the 4th outcome path: if the solution introduced new unintended problems, start a separate PIPS cycle to address them
Facilitation Guide
Hold a 90-minute evaluation workshop. Present before/after data and let the team review silently (10 min). Discuss results as a group — were targets met? Why or why not? (20 min). Run a structured retrospective: each person writes what went well, what to improve, and action items on separate sticky notes (15 min). Share and cluster the notes (20 min). Draft the evaluation summary together — key findings, recommendations, and next steps (15 min). Decide as a team: standardize the solution, iterate with another cycle, or close the project (10 min).
Completion Criteria
Before moving to the next step, ensure these criteria are met:
- Before and after metrics have been compared
- Evaluation summary is complete with results and recommendations
- Lessons learned have been documented and shared
- Team has decided on next path: standardize, iterate, start a new cycle, or address new problems created by the solution
Read more in The Never-Ending Quest
Chapter 9 of the PIPS book covers Step 6 in depth — with real-world case studies, facilitator notes, and common pitfalls.
Browse Chapters