Outcome Mapping for Olof Palme

Outcome Mapping Presentation for Olof Palme International Center, Tirana, 1.11.2007 Steve Powell & Ivona Čelebičić proMENTE social research, Sarajevo

Aims for this session
What is OM?
What is new/right/exciting about OM?
Our project: experiences from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Discussion
What is in it for you

Who are we
Steve Powell & Ivona Čelebičić proMENTE social research, Sarajevo
Sources for OM: INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTRE www.idrc.ca
See: www.promente.org/OM

What is OM?
An approach to project planning, monitoring and evaluation
A new, soft alternative to replace or complement LFA, RBM etc
A new paradigm/way of thinking. A backlash?
An M&E tool for internal use by the implementing agency?
A tool for external evaluators?
A box full of ideas for everybody?

Problems with traditional approaches Strategy maps inspire thinking about different dimensions of planning Mechanistic approach to strategy Quality, not quantity of change Focus too much on impact in areas “where their influence … is low and decreasing relative to that of other actors”* Fits better with what CSOs feel they are doing: stimulating change, not delivering outputs CSOs tend to see it as alien OM Traditional help implementing agencies to become “learning organisations” Exclusive focus on impact/results Rich, useful feedback Provide only “clueless feedback” Contribution (what did they do, what worked?) Attribution (did they really cause the change?) Flexible Inflexible Focus on development/change of key partners; quality, not quantity Force implementing orgs to try to demonstrate that they caused numerically large impacts

Logframe vs. OM Vision Implementing agency: strategy Boundary partners: changes in attitudes, behaviour, system Other actors? ? Outputs Outcomes Objectives Goal

Boundary partners ≠ beneficiaries!
(might be, do not have to be)
There can be more than one group of boundary partners
Development work is really about leveraging the influence of a limited number of key partners …
… focus is NOT on the stakeholders with whom the boundary partners interact
changing consciousness, ways of working …
… in service of a vision
Boundary partners: changes in attitudes, behaviour, system

Example Implementing agency: Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly Boundary partners: young politicians Outcome challenge: Empowered young politicians influence the change of the everyday politics in their parties. Recognized need for improvement in the areas selected in the party modules, continuous activities on the empowerment of youth engaged in politics. Other actors: political parties, other young politicians … Vision The partners become part of a new, younger, gender-equal generation in politics, who through their influence in their political parties initiate a change in the direction of everyday political issues – away from national/ethnic issues towards themes which respect democracy and human rights including gender rights and which will contribute to social prosperity in the long term. …. … …. …

OM: 12 steps Helping the implementing partner to learn Internal M &E Considering all the dimensions of strategy 11. Performance journal 7. Organisational practices Evaluation Outcome & performance monitoring Intentional design 10. Strategy journal 6. …Strategy maps 12. Evaluation plan 8. Monitoring priorities 9. Outcome journals 5. ...Progress markers 4. ...Outcome challenges 3. ...Boundary partners 2. Mission 1. Vision

Progress marker ladders Vision Boundary partner 1 Boundary partner 2 Outcome challenge 1 Love to see Like to see Expect to see Outcome challenge 2

“ Official” OM and t he spirit of OM
OM is available in bits ...

Our project in B&H : 1 donor, 3 framework partners, 6 implementing partners, 6 projects 01 st of January 2007 – 31 st of December 2007 "Improvement of access to justice – Raising public awareness on access to rights, legislative changes and legal procedures in BiH Vasa Prava Sarajevo 01 st of January 2007 – 31 st of December 2007 Operational costs for 2006 BiH Press Council (funded by SHC) Sarajevo Swedish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights 01 st of January 2007 – 31 st of December 2007 "Citizen in action"– Project of community-based advocacy campaigns for solving priority citizens problems from "Civic Platform for 2006 Elections". "Local Government leadership building activities" Civil Society Promotion Center – GROZD, "Citizen in action" Sarajevo 01 st of January 2007 – 31 st of December 2007 Academy for political leaders Helsinki Citizens Assembly (HCA) – Academy for political leaders) Banja Luka Olof Palme International Center 01 st of January 2007 – 31 st of December 2007 Village activities (including round tables in towns) Most, Visegrad 01 st of January 2007 – 31 st of December 2007 Womens political lobby Zenski Centar, Trebinje Kvinna til Kvinna Timeframe Evaluated activity Partner organisation Framework organisation

Aim s of our OM project in B&H
Explorative evaluation of the six projects
Sida-funded civil society programming : lessons on sustainability
Exploration of OM as a tool

Conclusions & Recommendations
What do you think?
What is OM NOT good for?

“ Official OM”
could/should be adopted by donors right from the project application stage
Otherwise, difficult to implement
Donors have to lower the measurement bar: from attribution to contribution
Donors have to want to help organisations to learn, at the cost of demonstrating effectiveness
Should be done internally -> Time constraints -> focus on limited, quality information

Using the “spirit of OM” informally
can really change the way CSOs think about how they work
can usefully influence planning & implementation

Take-home-point
In your planning and monitoring…
agree on a limited number of boundary partner groups
… and try to focus a “ladder” of changes in their behaviour/ consciousness
… which you would like or love to see

Practise!
Remember your vision…
Identify 1-3 boundary partner groups
Write an outcome challenge for ONE boundary partner group
Write progress markers for that outcome challenge

Identify 1-3 boundary partner groups
Those individuals, groups, & organizations with whom a program interacts directly to effect change & with whom the program can anticipate some opportunities for influence.

Write an outcome challenge for ONE boundary partner group
Outcome Challenge Statements:
Describe the boundary partner`s contributions to the vision
Describe the ideal behavioural changes
Are about a single boundary partner

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Outcome Mapping for Olof Palme

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