Introduction

The Essence of Our Evaluation Approach

Evaluation is the living practice of listening to the pulse of systems. It is how communities learn to dance with complexity, attuning to the rhythms of social relationality, ecological vitality, cultural wisdom, governance systems and emergent possibility. At Prisma, we see evaluation as the essence of organisational evolution—a way for collectives to sense, adapt, and evolve their actions in harmony with the essence of place and the [Living Systems Principles](Living Systems Principles) that bind us all.

Evaluation is about finding or ascribing value.

What is E-valuation?

When you think about the word ‘evaluation’, what comes to mind?

Most likely, you thought about one of the below:

• Impact measurement

• Performance reviews and KPIs

• Gauging the efficiency of processes

What is common across these? What could be the essence of evaluation?

Evaluation is a practice . That is, it is undertaken regularly, just like enacting  is, capacity-building  is, documentation is, and all other iterative, evolutionary actions that make up any collective endeavor.

For any collective that is trying to work on something together, or any system that has emerged in response to fulfilling a need, evaluation is that practice which enables it to learn. For, in finding that which is of value, it is able to better shape its own growth towards the directions that are most suitable for its unique evolutionary trajectory.

In case it wasn’t evident - the verb for evaluation is valuing.

Evaluation, therefore, can be considered the practice of valuing. Unlike conventional approaches where value is very rigidly bestowed upon objects such as money or goals achieved and activities that relate to these outcomes, we see evaluation as the repetitive practice of valuing that which serves the collective most in the given context.

And the ‘e’? Regardless of the etymology, perhaps it stands, as it does in science - for energy.

E-valuation is the practice of iteratively valuing flows of energy.

This is ultimately what any stakeholder is doing when they evaluate any effort that has been undertaken or outcomes that have been achieved. They are reflecting upon the energy (whether through active effort or through accumulated resources) that has been put in, comparing the outcomes generated against what was planned, and conducting an analysis of it all.

We are building evaluation tooling and methodology that shows the truth of what genuinely contributes to the progress or success of any project, especially those in the broadly uncharted spaces of regenerative systems change.

Why “Living Evaluation” Matters in Regenerative Systems

Evaluation is the living practice of listening to the pulse of systems. It is how communities learn to dance with complexity, attuning to the rhythms of social relationality, ecological vitality, cultural wisdom, governance systems and emergent possibility. At Prisma, we see evaluation as the essence of organisational evolution—a way for collectives to sense, adapt, and evolve their actions in harmony with the essence of place  and the [Living Systems Principles](Living Systems Principles) that bind us all.

At prisma, our mission is to enable collectives to undertake intentional action-learning journeys , imbue them with regenerative potential, and make visible the value generated therein for the evolution of multiple levels of stakeholders and orders of systems.

The purpose of evaluation then, is to assist this endeavor in three ways:

1. To enable the collectives undertaking these journeys to be clear about what they are inherently valuing through their actions, learning and processing.

2. To provide tools that make visible the value being generated, and inform analyses and insights that enhance future group endeavors as well as the broader ecosystem of systems change experiments.

3. To enhance the ability of the collective to grow as a system by weaving in insights from their own behavior into organizational and personal development.

In regenerative systems, evaluation becomes a dynamic dialogue with life itself—a socio-technological practice that illuminates the flows of value that drive collective evolution.

Vision, Mission & Core Principles

Vision

To redefine evaluation as a dynamic dialogue with life itself—a socio-technological practice that illuminates the flows of value that drive collective evolution.

Mission

To deploy and grow a technology-enabled general framework that adapts to place  & practice  through honoring energy flow in its [multi-capital](Multi-Capitals Framework) forms and provides insight into evolution across a system’s [five spheres](five spheres), empowering communities to steward regenerative futures.

Values

Our approach is built on the foundations of the following four pillars:

1. Playfulness: Everything is an experiment - true emergence is a factor of trying out different approaches and tools.

2. Curiosity: We seek patterns, not endpoints, embracing the unpredictable alchemy of action-learning journeys.

3. Interdependence: Every metric is a thread in a larger tapestry, woven from relationships between people, place, and practice.

4. Integrity: We measure what matters - to communities who design their own evaluation methodologies to act as mirrors for their unique narratives and rhythms.

Perspective

We are grounded in an ethos of co-creation. We see our work as that of facilitators who work with Place  and Practice  (and the humans stewarding them) to concoct the ideal recipes for long term, systemic catalysis.

As such, we hold the following perspectives towards evaluation:

1. Co-creative: What shall be evaluated (variables), how it will be measured (metrics), what level of growth is expected (standards) are all decided in consensus with the community - with processes tailored to match local decision-making practices and actively pulled towards greater self-organization.

2. Multi-perspectival: Co-creative processes grounded from context require a multi-capital lens to valuing flows of energy to truly honor the diversity of knowings and associated actions. Our approach is premised on seeing, valuing and developing all forms of capital - not just financial and economic.

3. Developmental: We see evaluation as an ongoing act, not just something that begins once the programming is complete. Our tooling is designed to start valuing flows the moment they begin, even before the journey starts, and we intend to provide stakeholders with live signals and insights into value generation.

4. Regenerative: The direction of our evaluation methodology is towards seeing potential, gauging fit rather than effectiveness, and enabling further experimentation. We are looking for how (& why) different components of the system are growing, not just temporary actions designed to meet short-term needs. We are placing the capacity, potential and will of the people, the place and life itself at the center.

Responsibilities

We hold ourselves accountable to answering the following questions:

1. What forms of data can be generated on diverse value contributions? How best can they be authentically reflected?

2. How can a regenerative evaluation process be conducted? What does the system look like?

3. Can multi-capital forms of value reading enable holistic evaluation? How can complexity be retained in this process without being overwhelming?

4. Can the threshold for active, playful co-creation of the evaluation processes be lowered? Which tools & practices enable this?

By designing a multi-perspectival evaluation methodology that is co-created with members of each collective, is implemented developmentally via innovative technologies and structured using life-centered, regenerative principles - we are equipping communities to emerge with the following:

1. Alternate forms of data on value contributions

2. Multi-dimensional evolutionary timeline

3. Overview of multi-capital economy in play

4. Wholistic insights on systems, people and processes

5. Contextual toolkits for future evaluation practices