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56 1. Poorly-designed data collection measures. 2. Project or programme objectives not in line with baseline objectives. 3. Poor timing for conducting baseline surveys - to late or done on non-representative sample. 4. Others consider baselines as expensive and not important. Baseline surveys are the major forms for establishing a basis for comparison. However, sometimes other basis for comparisons such as benchmarks, are used in place of ordinary baseline studies. A benchmark is a standard, or a yardstick, used as a point of reference for evaluating performance or level of quality of a programme, project or policy. In developing countries, a significant number of children lag behind developmentally, and significant numbers of interventions aimed at stimulating development have been implemented in such populations. Interventions such as these that track child development use internationally-agreed child development milestones as benchmarks for comparisons later on during and after the interventions. Whether an organisation decides to use baseline information or benchmarks, these are used to prove that a project, programme or policy had impact or not by comparing changes that result from the intervention. Bases for comparison studies are conducted just as any other study. Options for Establishing Bases for Comparison There are three main options used as a basis for comparison. Other options are also discussed below. There is a relationship between the kind of a basis for comparison you decide to use and the evaluation design you will use to assess impact at the end of the intervention or programme. Therefore, it is important to consider seriously this choice. The options for establishing a basis for comparison include: 1. Before and after design – this type of making a comparative analysis requires an organisation to conduct a survey before the actual intervention in relation to the objectives of the intervention and thereafter compare the results of the baseline to those obtained from post-intervention implementation. It is by far the most common, yet less powerful basis for comparison used by most organisations. Observed differences in results suggest the intervention is proving to bringing about desired change and impact. This option is often found in evaluation studies that employee longitudinal designs including interrupted time series designs. Focus Box 1: Basis for Comparison and Evaluation Designs Be careful on the choice of the options you use to conduct a basis for comparison because each option has implications on the evaluation design you decide to use.