Federal agencies operate in an environment where expectations are higher than ever. Leaders must respond quickly to changing public needs, deliver services efficiently and demonstrate measurable results. However, the systems designed to support this work were often built for an era characterized by annual reporting cycles, manual processes and limited visibility into daily activities.
Real-time evaluation, specifically formative evaluation and rapid-cycle evaluation (RCE), provides a practical way forward. These methods help agencies learn continuously, improve programs during implementation and make timely, evidence-based decisions. This post offers a clear overview of how these approaches work and how federal agencies can start considering them for their programs.
Agencies today handle increasingly complex missions. Even when programs are well designed, implementation can reveal unexpected barriers or opportunities. Real-time evaluation helps teams see what’s happening on the ground and make adjustments before challenges escalate or inefficiencies increase costs and extend timelines. Common conditions that make real-time evaluation especially valuable include:
These are common realities in large, distributed systems. Real-time evaluation helps agencies respond more quickly and confidently within this environment.
Both approaches support continuous learning, but they serve different purposes. Together, they turn program management into a real-time learning system.
Formative Evaluation
Formative Evaluation
It is a structured process for gathering ongoing feedback to strengthen implementation.
Best for:
1. Multi-year or multi-phase programs
2. Efforts that require coordination across teams or partners
3. Understanding participant and stakeholder experiences
Enables agencies to:
1. Identify implementation gaps early
2. Improve workflows and communication
3. Make mid-course adjustments without waiting for annual reviews
Rapid-Cycle Evaluation (RCE)
Rapid-Cycle Evaluation (RCE)
Rapid-cycle evaluation is comprised of short, iterative tests designed to quickly determine whether a strategy or change is working.
Best for:
1. Pilots, new technologies or process improvements
2. Testing multiple approaches before scaling
3. Situations requiring fast learning
Enables agencies to:
1. Run quick A/B or small-scale tests
2. Measure immediate outcomes
3. Expand successful strategies with confidence
Across the federal landscape, real-time evaluation is helping agencies accelerate improvement, strengthen operations and enhance service quality. The following examples demonstrate how targeted cycles of learning can drive meaningful operational gains.
Aptive’s support of EHRM demonstrates how rapid decision-making and real-time problem resolution can strengthen major federal transformation efforts. Under the contract, Aptive helps VA teams quickly identify, route and triage EHRM issues, ensuring problems are escalated to the right technical and clinical owners without delay. The team additionally supports integrated workstreams, developing decision materials that create the real-time feedback loops needed to keep a complex, multi-agency modernization effort on track. This experience highlights how structured rapid-response processes and continuous information flow can reduce bottlenecks, enhance system readiness and accelerate progress in large-scale federal modernization initiatives.
Aptive leads the national evaluation of SAMHSA’s Zero Suicide Program, implementing a formative and rapid-cycle evaluation model across 25 grantees. Through continuous data monitoring, iterative testing of implementation strategies and real-time feedback loops, Aptive is helping SAMHSA strengthen workforce training, refine service delivery and meet congressional reporting requirements. This large-scale public health engagement demonstrates Aptive’s ability to operationalize real-time evaluation across complex, multi-site federal programs.
Aptive employs a three-step method, rooted in participatory evaluation principles, to assist agencies in implementing real-time evaluation.
Clarify what the program is trying to achieve and how evaluation supports that mission. Consider:
Building a shared understanding fosters support and alleviates worries about evaluation being punitive.
Shift from batch reporting to ongoing monitoring. Key actions include:
This phase helps teams quickly identify what’s working and where small adjustments can create significant benefits.
Sustainable real-time evaluation requires the right skills, systems and governance. Agencies can:
When evaluation becomes part of daily operations, agencies gain a more agile and resilient management approach.
Real-time evaluation helps agencies move faster, improve service delivery and demonstrate accountability with current data, not after-the-fact reports. The result is stronger performance, better alignment with federal mandates and increased public trust. Aptive is ready to assist teams in applying these methods through the appropriate systems, frameworks and an effective approach to continuous learning.
About the Author
Jon Scaccia, Ph.D., is a data analytics and implementation science expert at Aptive, supporting a wide range of public health initiatives. He earned his doctorate in clinical-community psychology from the University of South Carolina. As a community psychologist and evaluator with more than two decades of experience, Dr. Scaccia advances public health through innovative research and technology solutions. He is the founder of PubTrawlr and “This Week in Public Health.” He stays active in the field through research, mentorship, publishing and speaking engagements.
