Alkin and Christie, in their review of evaluation theories, use a tree with three main branches-use, methods, and valuingto illustrate the many different evaluation theories. They place Stufflebeam at the root of the "use" branch and write that,’,Stufflebeam's CIPP model is one of the most well-known of these [use] theories’,(2004, p. 44).
The CIPP approach has proved appealing to many evaluators and program managers, particularly those at home with the rational and orderly systems approach, to which it is clearly related.Perhaps its greatest strength is that it gives focus to the evaluation. Experienced evaluators know how tempting it is simply to cast a wide net, collecting an enormous amount of information, only later to discard much of it because it is not directly relevant to the key issues or questions the evaluation must address.
Deciding precisely what information to collect is essential. Focusing on informational needs and pending decisions of managers limits the range of relevant data and rings the evaluation into sharp focus. This evaluation approach also stresses the importance of the utility of information. Connecting decision making and evaluation underscores the very purpose of evaluation. Also, focusing an evalua” tion on the decisions that managers must make prevents the evaluator from pursuing fruitless lines of inquiry that are not of interest to the decision makers.