Outcomes Measurement
Creating a
Plan for Your Outcome Measurement System |
Appendix
Summary
Measuring outcomes will help you gauge your effectiveness in providing technical assistance to faith-based and community organizations and give you the feedback you need to make ongoing improvements in your program.
Here are some key points to keep in mind:
- Outcomes are coming! Although
HHS/ACF does not now require you to report on the outcomes of
your capacity-building work, there is every indication that
they will in the future. And they’re not likely to be
the only funder who will ask you for this information; many
local and state governments, as well as United Ways throughout
the country, want to measure the impact their resources are
having.
- There is a difference between outcome
measurement and evaluation. Outcome measurement explores
what your program provides, what its intended impacts are and
whether or not it achieves them. It is not meant to prove causality,
that is, the changes taking place are a result of your program
and not of other factors. Proving causality is an expensive
and much more complex activity.
- Outcome measurement takes planning,
time and patience. Sometimes the entire process can look
overwhelming, but the individual steps are not complicated.
If you take it step-by-step, you can manage it and create a
comprehensible whole. Careful planning at the front end of your
implementation of outcome measurement is critical; line up your
staffing, pay attention to the financial resources necessary
to complete your evaluation plan and stay in regular contact
with FBCOs about the demands you will be making on their
time.
- Create options for yourself. If
you create options at each step, your efforts are more likely
to be fruitful. Brainstorming many outcomes helps people think
broadly about the purpose of a program. Identifying several
indicators for each outcome will allow you to choose those that
are most readily available and useful. Considering all types
of data collection methods will give you choices. It’s
important to tailor your evaluation plans to your unique situation;
having options helps you to consider different possibilities
and make good choices.
- Be flexible. The steps in outcome
measurement can be done by grassroots organizations. They can
learn the concepts and apply them. They can measure outcomes
within limited budgets. With training and one-on-one technical
assistance to help them keep their plans practical and realistic,
they can incorporate the work into their operations. But they
have many things on their plates and potentially many capacity-building
needs. Outcome measurement may not be their highest priority.
- Stay open to better ideas. Use
trial runs and continuous improvement steps to test your ideas
and plans. Be ready to go back to the drawing board—maybe
all the way back to your outcomes and logic model. As you learn,
you will find better, easier and most efficient ways to manage
your outcome measurement process. Remember, your program theory
is one of your most important program assets; use outcome measurement
to see whether it’s valid.
- Strive to become a learning organization. Being open to what your outcome measurement results show is one of the most important steps you can take in becoming a learning organization. Be sure you are consistently using data to make decisions, improving your programs and providing the highest quality service to your clients.
Steps in Developing an Outcome Measurement System
- Prepare for your outcome measurement work by considering the staffing and participation you need, a timeline for implementation and the financial resources available
- Identify outcomes that are meaningful, relevant and realistic for your program
- Create a logic model that lays out all the elements of your program and demonstrates the theory underlying your program
- Identify specific indicators you can use to measure the extent to which you succeed in achieving your intended outcomes
- Select data collection methods that are appropriate for your program and create valid and reliable instruments for data collection
- Design a practical and sustainable plan for carrying out your data collection; clarify the data collection procedures needed for implementation
Creating
a Plan for Your Outcome Measurement System |
Appendix