How do I run a before-and-after programme?

Measure a group before something you run – a retreat, a season of mentoring – and again afterwards. Then see what changed for the people who answered both times.

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Watch the walkthrough (2 min 38 s)
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This video shows you how to run a before and after programme. A programme measures one group twice, before and after something you run. First, set up the group. Then go to Organisation, and open Programmes. Under Start a programme, type a name, and choose the group. The first round will not open with fewer than three people in the group. Choose the date the first round closes. Answers given after that date do not count. Then select Create programme. Nothing is sent. It waits, marked Not started. Select the programme’s name, then select Open the first round, at the top right. It happens straight away. A round cannot open once its closing date has passed. When the round opens, we copy everyone in the group onto the list, under Who’s being measured. We also email each person an invitation, unless they have asked not to get invitations. Open the round before anyone starts. An assessment counts only if it is done after the round opens, or after the person joins, if that is later. One done earlier does not count, even on the same day. The top of the page counts who has answered before, after, and both. When the first round is over, select Close the first round. You cannot reopen it. Figures appear only once both rounds are closed, and enough people have answered both times. When your event is over, select Open the follow-up round. We then email everyone on the list who is still in your organisation, unless they have asked not to get invitations. When you are ready, select Close the follow-up. The programme is then complete. Here is a programme that has finished. Its results are under What changed. Change shows how far each average moved, in percentage points. The figures cover only people who completed both rounds. The page never shows who has answered, or anyone’s own scores.

Narration is AI-generated. Every screen is from our demo environment – an invented organisation and people.

A programme asks one group to take the Health of a Christian Leader Assessment twice. They take it once before something you run, such as a retreat or a season of mentoring, and once afterwards. Then the programme shows how the group as a whole has moved.

It compares only the people who answered both times. That way, the change you see is change in the same people, not a change in who replied.

You run programmes in the web app. Each one is built on a group, so set up the group first.

How do I set one up?

  1. Go to Organisation, then Programmes.
  2. Under Start a programme, give it a Name.
  3. Choose the Group it is for. The number beside each group is how many people are in it. The first round will not open with fewer than 3, because a result for 1 or 2 people would give away their own scores.
  4. Choose when the First round closes.
  5. If you like, choose a Follow-up planned for date. It is shown in your list of programmes, but it does not open anything by itself.
  6. Select Create programme.
Name, group and dates.

Nothing is sent when you create a programme. It waits, marked Not started, until you open the first round.

What do the statuses mean?

Your programmes and where each is up to.
StatusWhat it means
Not startedCreated, but the first round has not opened.
Before round openThe first round is open and counting answers.
Before round closedThe first round is closed. The follow-up has not opened.
Follow-up openThe follow-up round is open.
CompleteBoth rounds are closed and the results are fixed.
CancelledStopped part way. Its record is kept.

Opening the first round

Select the programme’s name, then select Open the first round at the top right. It happens straight away – there is no second step to confirm.

Open the first round when you are ready to begin.

When the round opens:

  • we copy everyone in the group onto the programme’s list, under Who’s being measured
  • we email each of them an invitation to take the assessment, with the closing date if you set one.

We do not email people who have asked not to receive invitations. The page does not tell you who they are.

In the 3 days before the first round closes, we send one reminder to anyone on the programme who has not answered.

What can I see while a round is open?

The top of the page shows 3 numbers: how many people have answered before, how many have answered after, and how many have answered both. Only the people who answered both go into the results.

A first round in progress.

Who’s being measured lists everyone on the programme. It does not show who has answered. To take someone off, select Remove, then Yes, remove. They stay in your organisation and the group, and keep every assessment they have completed.

The people on the programme.

While the first round is open, anyone who joins with the programme’s join code is added to the list too.

If someone completes the assessment more than once in a round, their latest one counts.

Closing a round

Select Close the first round. Closing:

  • settles which assessment counts for each person
  • stops anyone new being added to the list. Changing the group afterwards does not change the programme. You can still take someone off, unless the programme is complete or cancelled.

You cannot reopen a round.

The follow-up round

  1. When your event or season is over, select Open the follow-up round. We email everyone on the programme’s list who still belongs to your organisation, asking them to take the assessment again.
  2. When enough people have answered, select Close the follow-up. The programme is now Complete.

The follow-up has no closing date. It stays open until you close it, and no reminder goes out for it, so you may want to send your own.

Anyone who uses a code after the first round has closed joins the organisation and the group, but is not measured.

How do I read the results?

Results appear under What changed once both rounds are closed.

Before, after and the change between them.
  • Before and After are the group’s averages – overall, out of 125, and for each of the 3 areas.
  • Change shows how far each average moved, as a share of the highest possible score for that row. The page shows it in percentage points (pp), so you can compare rows with different maximums.
  • The figures cover only people who completed both rounds. The note under the chart says how many.

Once a programme is complete, its figures are fixed. A later assessment cannot change them.

The results stay hidden if:

  • fewer than 3 people answered both times, or
  • only 1 or 2 people in your organisation who have taken the assessment are not among those who answered both times. Your organisation’s overall figures would then give those people away. Either make sure they are on the programme and answer both times, or leave at least 3 people out.

Can I stop a programme?

  • Before the first round opens, select Delete this programme, then Yes, delete it. It disappears.
  • Once it has started, select Cancel this programme, then Yes, cancel it. It stops, and its record is kept as Cancelled.
  • Once it is complete, it stays as it is.

Every screenshot here is from our demo environment – an invented organisation, invented people.

Still not sure?

Ask us and a real person will answer. If you lead an organisation and would like to see Verve Lead with your own leaders in mind, we would be glad to show you around.