1. The document introduces a Project Development Outcome Framework (P-DOF) for evaluating projects based on their rationale, objectives, inputs, outputs, use of outputs, and impact. 2. The P-DOF focuses on how project beneficiaries apply and use project outputs and how that use changes their lives, rather than just the amounts of inputs and outputs. 3. Key elements of the P-DOF include the project rationale, objectives, actions, inputs, outputs, use of outputs, and results of use (impact). These elements are tracked using a monitoring and evaluation cycle.

1. 1
Ketiboa Blay Project Development Outcome Framework
(KBP‐DOF)
Introduction
All projects or programmes are founded on something which is described variously as a problem, need
or reason which constitutes the rationale. For the project to be developmentally meaningful, it must
have a long‐term result or goal orientation that seeks to deal with the rationale that gave rise to the
project. This long term result that seeks to change target and non‐target people’s lives in response to
the rationale is what is described as project impact. So developmentally a project must begin with a
rationale and end with an impact.
To deal with the rationale, clear project objectives must be set, actions taken with appropriate and
adequate inputs to yield desired project outputs. But the project outputs in themselves will serve no
purpose of yielding an impact unless they are used or applied by the target beneficiary. It is the yield,
result or outcome of application by the beneficiary that constitutes the project impact. The message
here is that measuring, monitoring and achieving project results must be pragmatic and appropriate to
the target beneficiary as well as non‐target beneficiaries. It is what the beneficiaries say they have
gained that matters.
Summary of elements of the framework
• Project rationale
• Project objective
• Project actions/measures
• Project inputs
• Project outputs
• Use/application of outputs
• Results of use – Impact
The summary of elements go into a cyclical monitoring and evaluation framework as in Figure 1 which
enables project managers track and respond to issues severally and jointly relating to the elements in
the framework.

2. 2
Figure 1: Project development outcome M&E cycle
Essence
P‐DOF looks beyond the mere amounts of inputs and outputs (products) of an intervention. It considers
beneficiary response to output in terms of how much is used and how the use has changed people’s
lives. The focus is on how beneficial or appropriate the inputs have been, and whether or not they have
yielded desired outputs, whether the outputs have been attractive or seen to be useful and used by
people (target and non‐target), and how the use has changed their well being. Here, even the nature of
use in terms of quality and quantity of use matters. For example, it is the combination of the number of
students who use a classroom, competency of the teacher, teaching facilities available, and the time
devoted to teaching that will determine the nature of result of use – the impact.
It is not sufficient to know how many boreholes resulted from a water intervention in a community.
What matters most is whether the boreholes are delivering potable water, whether the intended users
are using the clean water and it has resulted in time saving for children and women who before fetched
unclean water far away from the community, whether the water borne disease that has plagued the
community has decreased or eliminated.
Figure 2 represents the object relationship shared by project rationale, objectives, inputs, use of results
and project impact.
Project
Rationale
Project
Objectives
Project
Actions
Project
Inputs
Project
Outputs
Use of
Outputs
Project
Impact

3. 3
Figure 2: Framework of object relationship shared by project rationale, objectives, inputs, use of results and impact.
Results framework
Results framework is a monitoring and assessment guide in project management. Project results are the
outputs, application of outputs and outcomes or impacts (positive or negative and intended or
unintended) of a project. There are three levels of project results. Results may be the products, tangibles
and intangibles created by the project, use of the products (an action attributable to the project) and the
outcome of use of the products. The products are the immediate results; use of the products is the
intermediate result and the outcome of use represents the end result. These constitute what is termed a
results chain.
Results chain
This a plausible, empirical or non‐empirical based phenomenon in the project development outcome
framework derived from a causal or dependency relationship that describes how certain inputs lead to
certain outcomes or how certain results are dependent on preceding results. The chain consists of
outputs, use of outputs, and impact. It is may be referred to as the real storyline of project development
assessment.
Scope of results framework
Results framework may be viewed generically to encompass several levels at which project results are
monitored and measured. Three levels are discussed here. At the national level the results framework
focuses on the relationship between social and economic infrastructure, legal, policy and regulatory
mechanism in place (all these being inputs) and the results (i.e. outputs, use of outputs, and outcomes)
of a project nationally. At the sectoral level the results within the sector are the focus. At the project
level the results framework describes how the project development objectives (PDOs) are to be realised.
It segments the project components and in a linkage framework puts together the PDOs, outputs, and
outcomes to be achieved by each component and the verifiable indicators in respect of the PDOs.
Project level results framework is applicable to national, regional, district and community level project
assessment. It is the points of emphasis that vary. Table 1 provides the generic spectra of the elemental
relationships in the P‐DOF nationally, sectorally and at the project level.
Rationale Objectives Inputs
Use of Results
Project Impact

4. 4
Table 1: Spectra of elemental relationships in the P‐DOF
Level Rationale Objectives Actions/Inputs Outputs Use of
Outputs
Results of
Use
Impact
National
Sectoral
Project
Authored by Ketiboa K. Blay
© Ketiboa K. Blay, 2005. All rights reserved.