Grounding Evaluation

operationalising grounded research into M&E practice

Tracey Konstant

Salvador Dali

1941

Mic

hael

Tef

fo 2

005

Scale needs systems

Systems offer:

TerminologyShared expectationsLess renegotiation

The rules of the game

Better a good system for doing something

that does not work,

than no system at all

Traditional project processes

Problem Statement

Solution - Purpose

Outcomes

Outputs

Activities

PLANNING

BUT

IT WAS ALL A GUESS

Accurate language PLANNING

Perceived Problem Or – Described Situation

Possible Improvement

Rationale

Activities

Problem Statement

Solution - Purpose

Outcomes

Outputs

Activities

Traditional project processes

postpone the impact

hope for the outcomes

count the activities and outputs

EVALUATION

guess the indicators

Grounding EVALUATION

What activities really took place?

The Actual Outputs

The Observed Outcomes

Can we see impact?

If we aim for the irrelevant, we will

almost certainly hit it

Or is there a better way?