Outcome Mapping for Insight to Impact Meeting

A small exercise
5 minutes
On your own: Who are the stakeholders in your line of work? Who are the key actors that affect the outcome of your work?
Write them down on a piece of paper (just a list)

the outcome mapping story 2 nd Impact and Insight Meeting, London, 2007

mid-1990s: need to demonstrate results
1998: Barry Kibel and Outcome Engineering
methodological collaboration with FRAO & NEPED (IDRC funded projects)
2000: publication of manual in English
presenting, training & using OM globally
2006: www.outcomemapping.ca
a brief history

©TOM Jochen Enterprises, Möckernstr.78 10965 Berlin

opportunities for P,M,E and learning beginning Life cycle of the program end during objectives, inputs, activities results, outputs, impact

Impact (changes in environmental or social conditions) Objectives (activities, products) Outcome Challenges (changes in behaviour) Life cycle of the program different approaches Logical Frame Analysis Results based Mgt

the problem with « impact » Impact implies Development Implies Cause & effect Open system Positive, intended results Unexpected positive & negative results occur Focus on ultimate effects Upstream effects are important Credit goes to a single contributor Multiple actors create results & need credit Story ends when program obtains success Change process never ends

what is outcome mapping?
a method for planning and assessing the social effects and internal performance of projects, programs, and organisations

a flexible, multiple-use tool
Planning
Monitoring
Evaluation

What are we trying to accomplish and how? What do we want to learn? How do we know we are on-track?

OM’s response to 4 key planning questions vision boundary partners outcomes challenges and progress markers mission, strategy map, organizational practices Why? Who? What? How?

key ideas in

look at the bigger picture
See yourself as a part of an interconnected web of relationships and systems

recognize that change is…
Continuous
Complex
Non-linear
Multidirectional
Not controllable

embrace constant change
“ You cannot step into the same river twice . .”
Heraclitus, 6th c. Greek philosopher

How can we increase our knowledge of the processes we engage in? How can we know if we made a difference? How can we recognize contributors and share the credit? In the face of this complexity:

keep your eyes wide open
Being attentive along the journey is as important as reaching the destination

focus on direct partners
Identify the individuals, groups, and organizations you work with directly and try to influence
Develop a strong relationship with them
Find the best way to support their contribution to the vision

recognize the limits of your influence Program = boundary partners The rest of the world

nested spheres Adapted from: Steff Deprez VVOB-CEGO, Nov 2006 sphere of control sphere of influence sphere of interest Project Boundary partners Ultimate beneficiaries

focus of outcome mapping Behavioural Changes community capacity & ownership increases program influence decreases

why behaviour changes?
Development is done by and for people
While a program may be able to influence peoples actions, it cannot control them.
Ultimate responsibility rests with the people affected

progressive changes
OM focuses on progressive changes in the behaviours (Progress Markers)
Progress markers are like the scene-plans of a movie (for one of the characters). And like in a movie, their scenes will include other characters
They are ‘our theory of change’
And are not set in stone

Progress Markers for local communities
Participating in regular model forest meetings
Establishing a structure for cooperation
Acquiring new skills for managing model forests
Contributing resources to get the MF operational
Articulating a locally relevant vision for the MF
Promoting their MF nationally
Expanding the partnership
Calling upon external experts for advice
Requesting new opportunities for training
Publishing examples of benefits achieved through MF
Seeking out new partners for the MF
Obtaining funding from different national sources
Helping other communities establish MFs
Sharing lessons learned internationally
Influencing national policy debates on resource use

Therefore, think contribution not attribution! development involves complex interactions & you can influence but not control your partners (They are NOT like billiard balls!)

An example Girls & Women Community Leaders Women’s Self Help Groups Families Police State NGOs Banks Public Health Clinics Strategic Partners Strategies Project’s Outcomes Boundary Partners BP’s outcomes BAIF mission vision

Accountability & Learning: A Balancing Act

planning and assessment possibilities in OM Program (performance journal) Partner (outcome journal) outcomes (behaviour changes in the partners) implementation (interventions by the program) relevance & viability (of the program) contextual information situational data Strategies (strategy journal)

reviewing the intentional design 1. Read the vision statement Does this still reflect the program's dream? 2. Read the mission statement Is this the greatest contribution our program can make? Have we been doing this? Why? Why not? Should we add anything or take anything away? 3. Review boundary partners Is this who we are working with directly? Do we need to add or drop any boundary partners? 4. Review outcomes Do these accurately reflect transformations in our boundary partners as they strengthen their contributions to the vision? 5. Review progress markers Was the change process we set out accurate and useful? What now needs to be added or taken out? 6. Review strategies What did we plan to do? Have we implemented these activities? Do we need to add, remove any? 7. Review organizational practices Are we doing everything we can to maintain & enhance our capacity to support our partners?

ongoing OM applications http://www.outcomemapping.ca Ghana Korea Switzerland Kenya Ecuador United Kingdom Madagascar Mexico Brussels Mali Egypt Netherlands Namibia Bhutan Australia Uganda Honduras Sri Lanka Zimbabwe Guatemala India

What are we trying to accomplish and how? What do we want to learn? How do we know we are on-track?

PLANNING articulate goals & define activities
MONITORING track program performance & partners’ progress
EVALUATION design & conduct a use-oriented evaluation
primary uses

how do we use it?
Mostly ‘stealth’:
Key principles: Behaviours, Boundary Partners, Progress Markers, Monitoring Journals
Communications: focusing on Boundary partners
KM: using journals for ‘learning on the job’
Capacity development: using the OM narrative

Main constrains
Time
Resources
Necessary changes in up-ward accountability
Requires important changes in the user of the methodology
Can be sued to evaluate (ex post) but it is really designed for planning (ex ante)

A small exercise
On your own: go back to the list and underline (or highlight or circle) the stakeholders with which you work directly (your boundary partners) -1 minute
In pairs (with the person sitting next to you), one at a time:
Choose one of the boundary partners
Tell your partner how they behave today and how you would love them to behave in the ideal future (if everything was perfect). Write them down
-15 minutes

A small exercise
How different are two sets (stakeholders v. boundary partners)?
Did you write down THEIR behaviours? (i.e. what they do or their relationships –NOT how aware or knowledgeable they are or what others do to them)
Can you imagine a progressive process of changes from Today to Ideal?

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Outcome Mapping for Insight to Impact Meeting

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