RE: Is this really an output? Addressing terminology differences between evaluators and project managers | Eval Forward

Hi all

Contribution of Emile and Bintou exchange on the necessary distinction between outputs and outcomes.

Outputs are all goods and services developed through the project's activities via the use of project's resources and inputs (in the Emile's case, these are the distibuted insecticide-treated nets). Outcomes would be the changes (of course, they should be "positive" changes, otherwise we should close that project) that can appear in the living and income conditions of project's target beneficiaries (in the Emile's case, these are the reduction of malaria incidence).

The difference between the two different items is that outputs - as well as activities and inputs - are part of the project's "controlled" environment (you can decide what and how much to buy and distribute) while outcomes remain the influence that the project is intending IF AND ONLY IF THE PROJECT'S TARGET BENENFICIARIES USE WHAT THE PROJECT DISTRIBUTED. This is why outcomes are part of the project's "influenced" environment.

And this is what makes things more difficult in achieving outcomes in comparison to outputs because the project management unit has no slight control over the changes among beneficiaries. It then depends on how relevant the implemented activities were in order to generate outputs that can really solve the problem situation identified at the onset. If we can borrow concepts from marketing, and if we assume that outcomes represent the changes requested by the beneficiaries (that is the "demand") and the outputs are the mean to bring about these changes (that is the "supply"), it is then needed that the "supply" meets the "demand" in order to changes to occur.

Contribution to Dowsen reaction

Yes, this what I do myself before I go on drafting a Results Framework (or Logical Framework) at the start of project design and this results framework for setting the M&E plan and for guiding any evaluation later. I start with the problem situation assessment (i.e. the Problem Tree tool) using the "cause-effect" causality law. And then turning each problem identified in the Problem Tree into a positive statement I develop the Objective Tree, then a fine-tuning of the Objective Tree using the "means-end" causality law. From the Objective Tree, I can identify the best alternative "result chain" move with it very easily to the results (or logical) matrix and so on...

Contribution to Reagan Ronald reaction on handbooks' quality.

I am not sure that anyone of us has attributed the poor quality of evaluation handbooks to evaluators or international consultants in evaluation. Personally I made it clear that sometimes the handbook's content can be of good quality but presented and disseminated upon a very poor communication processing and dissemination process. Based on what I know, many handbooks' content were prepared by high quality consultants in evaluation. However, relying on my minor competency on knowledge and information systems and communication, a good handbook, in general, and in evaluation, in particular, must rely - as a communicative tool - on 4 necessary 4 criteria: (1) a good, appropriate, relevant, and purposeful content; (2) an adequate mean of dissemination; (3) a good knowledge on the targeted population; and (4) a conducive environment to the use of the information. For many handbooks, we were more focusing on (1) and a bit less on (2) and (3) and this is not enough to give birth to good quality handbooks on any subject and not only on evaluation guidelines. Moreover, the consultant in charge of content can be quite good in terms of content (i.e. the substantive knowledge) but may not be very qualified in terms of communication. This is why I always recommend to build a team on an evaluator + a communication specialist to have a good quality handbook on evaluation.

Hope that I added a bit to this discussion.

Mustapha