Resources and tools

Recommended evaluation resources

For in-depth evaluation methods, see the Magenta Book and Green Book from HM Treasury. They cover both quantitative and qualitative approaches. This includes process, impact, and value-for-money assessments.

Suggested tools and software

These tools are examples of platforms and software that can assist in measuring and evaluating service success. Before using any tool, ensure it complies with your organisation’s policies on data protection, security, and accessibility.

The inclusion of these tools does not constitute an endorsement by the Scottish Government or guarantee suitability for your specific needs. Always assess tools against your service goals and requirements.

• Accessibility Cloud platform - a platform for assessing and improving the accessibility of digital services in Scotland
• Asana - project management software to track timelines and time-to-market
• Design System - a guide provided by the Scottish Government to help public services effectively use analytics
• Google Analytics - tracks website usage, user journeys, and metrics like task completion rates and user retention
• Google Sheets - a spreadsheet tool for tracking data accuracy and change impact
• Google Looker Studio - a visualisation tool for tracking and reporting key service metrics
• Hotjar - a tool to measure user behaviour, such as task completion times, and analyse usability
• Jira - a project tracking tool to monitor cost avoidance, update cycles, and iterative improvements
• Microsoft Clarity - analyses user behaviour on websites, including task completion time and interaction patterns
• Microsoft Excel - used to calculate and monitor service costs like cost per transaction
• Microsoft Power BI - a visualisation tool to monitor and report data insights
• Microsoft Forms - a survey tool to gather user feedback and assess service effectiveness
• Pingdom/UptimeRobot - tools for monitoring technical performance metrics like website uptime and load times
• Piwik/Snowplow/Plausible - alternatives to Google Analytics for analysing user interactions with services
• Smartsheet - tracks project metrics, including cost avoidance and resource management
• SurveyMonkey - a tool for creating surveys to collect user feedback and measure user satisfaction
• Trello - a task and project management tool useful for tracking iterative improvements and feedback cycles
• WAVE - a web accessibility evaluation tool to identify and address accessibility issues like missing alt text or poor colour contrast
• Zendesk/Freshdesk - platforms to manage customer support queries and track demand for assistance