A brief introduction to the usefulness of Outcome Mapping for assessing impact In our experience, OM can contribute to our understanding of, and bring evidence to, the effectiveness of development cooperation. Throughout the morning we’ll be seeing different pieces of how this plays out.

Conventional logic for achieving results IMPACT OUTCOMES OUTPUTS Are we efficient? Are we effective? ACTIVITIES OM was developed by IDRC, based in Ottawa, as a response to some of the challenges they were facing when using a more conventional results chain. Projects were having difficulty with the linear characteristic of this logic As well as the it’s cause-and-effect nature INPUTS Time Inspired by Jeff Conklin, cognexus.org

Conventional logic may work for outputs IMPACT IMPACT Workshops, training manuals, research and assessment reports, guidelines and action plans, strategies, and technical assistance packages, amongst others. OUTCOMES OUTCOMES OUTPUTS OUTPUTS ACTIVITIES ACTIVITIES They were seeing that this logic could perhaps work at the level of outputs; they could say with confidence that x activities were producing certain products. But assessing deeper social change was more complex. As we move further along this results change, linearity dissipates, reality becomes messy. INPUTS INPUTS Time Inspired by Jeff Conklin, cognexus.org Inspired by Jeff Conklin, cognexus.org

But usually not for outcomes and impact Vision and Mission Intentional design Multiple pathways of changes in behaviour of different, interacting actors; this is where we have the possibility of collecting and making sense of evidence that sustains the impact we are aiming to contribute to. IMPACT IMPACT OUTCOMES OUTCOMES OUTPUTS OUTPUTS Social change is long-term, complex and is the result of what many actors do (their actions and interactions) ACTIVITIES ACTIVITIES OM defines social change at the impact level as long-term, complex and the result of what many actors do. What OM responds to is the need to look at those results that contribute to and help sustain impact. So while we can collect much interesting data at this level, at the appropriate time, OM argues for a focus on these messy processes and results here, to: Help us understand impact Help us clarify who is contributing to impact and in what way; and helps us understand the change a project or program can realistically contribute to Help us understand the complex nature of the context in which we are working and how those influence long-term impact READ BLOCK INPUTS INPUTS Time Inspired by Jeff Conklin, cognexus.org Inspired by Jeff Conklin, cognexus.org 5

Inspired by Jeff Conklin, cognexus.org Organizations with better capacity to support Women’s Empowerment & Gender Diversity IMPACT IMPACT OUTCOMES OUTCOMES OUTPUTS OUTPUTS Women’s lives are improved (equal opportunity, empowered, etc.) ACTIVITIES ACTIVITIES A women’s empowerment and gender diversity program – ultimately aims to see change in women’s lives; but their focus is helping to strengthen local organizations so that they in turn can support (advocate, promote, build capacity) for those changes in in women’s lives. OM unpacks what this stronger capacity looks like – what organizations are doing differently, who they are interacting with, what changes in the types of activites or the way they are doing them looks like INPUTS INPUTS Time Inspired by Jeff Conklin, cognexus.org Inspired by Jeff Conklin, cognexus.org 6

OM explores outcomes using this overall framework; Three stages, 12 steps. The concepts and descriptions behind V, M, BP, OC, PM, SM, OP – these are the touchstones for whether we are engaging in planning, monitoring or evaluation using OM