Outcomes, Outputs & Context Tammy Horne, Ph.D. WellQuest Consulting Ltd. (780)

Goals and Objectives Goal: Broad, general statement of purpose e.g., Improve the health of children in our community 11/14/20152

Goals and Objectives Objective: Desired outcomes, stated in advance, are often called outcome objectives e.g., Reduce the incidence of low birth weight babies born in our region (Activities designed to influence the outcome objective are sometimes called process objectives) 11/14/20153

Writing Outcome Objectives State only one result per objective (e.g., ‘ increase knowledge and skills ’ is not one outcome objective, but two) Focus on the result (participants learn, improve), not what you do (provide, promote) What you do is the process; what results is the outcome 11/14/20154

Writing Outcome Objectives Include direction – increase, decrease, maintain – and time frame Decide if you need a target and if one is realistic – based on research or experience: “ Increase youth representation on our tobacco reduction coalition ” vs “ Increase youth representation on our tobacco reduction coalition to 50% of the membership ” 11/14/20155

Writing Outcome Objectives When writing outcome objectives, make them SMART: Specific (Can we clearly define what we are looking for?) Measurable (Can we develop specific questions and procedures for data collection -- whether quantitative or qualitative?) 11/14/20156

Writing Outcome Objectives Actionable (Can we do anything to influence it?) Relevant (Is it a “need to know” or a “nice to know”?) Timely (Do we need it now? Can we get data for it now?) The SMART acronym has been used in a number of evaluation resources – e.g., Centre for Health Promotion at University of Toronto (1998) Evaluating Health Promotion Programs. 11/14/20157

Outcomes vs Outputs An outcome is usually a change-oriented result (may sometimes be maintenance – such as mobility or cognitive functioning) An output is a program ‘ product ’ or ‘ deliverable ’ – such as number of participants, workshops/classes/events offered, resources produced, or distributed, meetings attended, etc. 11/14/20158

Outcomes vs Outputs Examples of outputs could be: # of promotional activities (e.g., media) # of referrals given or accepted # of workshops/classes/counselling sessions # of people attending (the above) # of resource materials distributed (manuals, self-help materials) 11/14/20159

Outcomes vs Outputs Sometimes there is a grey area: Attendance is usually an output -- but it could be an outcome if people have barriers to attending – then attendance could represent behaviour change Outputs are sometimes called process indicators (more on indicators later) 11/14/201510

Our Scope of Influence Realistically, how much influence do our programs have? What is feasible within your time frame and resources? It is more realistic to influence specific outcome objectives than a broad goal to which numerous outcomes contribute 11/14/201511

Our Scope of Influence Short and intermediate outcomes are easier to influence directly, compared to longer-term outcomes that are more likely influenced by other factors E.g., skills and confidence people develop for quitting smoking, and short-term quitting, are easier to influence than how long they remain a non-smoker and whether they get a smoking-related illness 11/14/201512

Our Scope of Influence Your influence on outcomes will be dependent on the broader context in which you work? 11/14/201513

Some Example Context Questions How do other programs in your community fit with yours? (e.g., complement your efforts, compete for participants, publicity or funds) What kinds of community support does your program have (or lack)? What kinds of political support does your program have (or lack)? 11/14/201514

Some Example Context Questions What are the broader life circumstances of the people you work with (social, economic, environmental)? 11/14/201515