Results-Based Management Tip Sheet 2.1: Results Chains and Definitions
This tip sheet is a companion to the Results-Based Management for International Assistance Programming at Global Affairs Canada: A How-to Guide and other Managing for Results / Results-Based Management resources available on the Global Affairs Canada website. This tool describes the Global Affairs Canada Results Chain, including definitions of key RBM terms, and provides a reference tool that you can use in your day-to-day work.
This diagram illustrates how each level of the results chain stems from the level below.
Text version
Ultimate Outcome: Change in state, conditions or well-being of ultimate beneficiaries (not surrounding circumstances).
Considerations:
- Why are we doing this?
- What changes in state, conditions or wellbeing (not surrounding circumstances) will the ultimate beneficiaries (rights holders) experience?
- Dependant on the achievement of the intermediate outcomes.
- Can occur during/end or after closing of the project or program/portfolio and should be measured accordingly.
Examples, changes in: Gender equality, health, enjoyment of human rights, quality of life, prosperity, living conditions, well-being, human dignity, security (environmental, economic, personal, community, food).
Intermediate Outcome: Change in behaviour, practice or performance of intermediaries or beneficiaries.
Considerations:
- What changes in behaviour, practice or performance, will intermediaries or beneficiaries experience?
- Dependant on the achievement of one or more immediate outcomes.
- Achieved by the end of the project or program/portfolio and must be measured.
Examples, changes in: decision-making, services* (provided by the intermediary or accessed by beneficiary), participation, protection** , policy making, access***, social norms, control, leadership, and influence.
Immediate Outcome: Change in capacities of intermediaries or beneficiaries.
Considerations:
- What changes in capacity will intermediaries or beneficiaries experience?
- Dependant on the completion of outputs.
- Achieved during implementation of the project or program/portfolio and must be measured.
Examples, changes in: knowledge, opinions, skills, awareness, attitudes, ability, willingness, motivation, and access***.
Outputs: Products & services delivered by the project or program implementer(s).
Considerations:
- How will implementers work to achieve the above changes/outcomes?
- Outputs depend on the completion of activities.
- Outputs must be measured.
- Completed during implementation according to work-plan schedule.
- The activity and input levels in the results chain are not included in the Global Affairs Canada’s logic model.
- At the project level, activities are reflected in an Outputs and Activities Matrix and financial inputs are reflected in a budget.
Examples: workshop facilitated, training provided, policy advice provided, research undertaken, assessments conducted, and clinics built or refurbished.
Activities: Planned activities undertaken by project or program implementer(s).
Examples: Draft report, procure material, monitor implementation, analyze documentation, hire a GE specialist, conduct environmental assessment, provide technical assistance, develop training curriculum.
Inputs: Resources invested by implementer(s) and donor(s).
Examples: money, staff, time, materials, equipment, and technology.
| Results Chain | Formal Definition | Examples of Expected Outcome and Output StatementsFootnote 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Outcome (International assistance results) | The highest-level change to which an organization, policy, program, or project contributes through the achievement of one or more intermediate outcomes. The ultimate outcome usually represents the raison d'être of an organization, policy, program, or project, and it takes the form of a sustainable change in state, conditions or wellbeing among (ultimate) beneficiaries (not of surrounding conditions) |
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| Intermediate Outcomes (International assistance results) | A change that is expected to logically occur once one or more immediate outcomes have been achieved. In terms of time frame and level, these are medium-term outcomes that are usually achieved by the end of a project/program, and are usually changes in behaviour, practice or performance among intermediaries and/or beneficiaries. |
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| Immediate Outcomes (International assistance results) | A change that is expected to occur once one or more outputs have been provided or delivered by the implementer. In terms of time frame and level, these are short-term outcomes, and are usually changes in capacity, such as an increase in knowledge, awareness, skills or abilities, or access** to... among intermediaries and/or beneficiaries. |
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| Outputs | Direct products or services stemming from the activities of an organization implementing a program or project. |
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| Activities | Actions taken or work performed through which inputs are mobilized to produce outputs. |
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| Inputs | The financial, human, material and information resources used to produce outputs through activities and accomplish outcomes. |
* Note: Services delivered by an intermediary (duty bearer / responsibility holder) or accessed by the beneficiary (rights holder), as an intermediate outcome, reflects change in behaviour, practice or performance by the intermediary to strengthen quality of services provided and a change in access and use by the beneficiary of that service. A humanitarian project is an exceptional case where service delivery is at the immediate outcome level since a humanitarian actor directly delivers a service. In this case, there are no intermediaries in the country as a result of a break down in state services. Therefore, no capacity is built within this context and does not lead to changes in service quality by the intermediary and sustainable and responsive access and use of services by beneficiaries.
**Note: Prevention is a necessary accompaniment to achieving protection. Please consult your sector specialist for further information.
*** Note: Changes in access can fall at either immediate or intermediate outcome level, depending on the project’s theory of change. If it is reasonable that a change in access can result directly from the delivery of one or more outputs, then “access” can be at the immediate outcome level. If a change in capacity (immediate outcome level change) is needed in order for a change in access to take place, then “access” would be at the intermediate outcome level. For example, if only building wells was needed to create access to drinking water, then the immediate outcome would be: “increased access to clean water in the community”. However, if a project would need to build the capacity of the community on: building wells, how to raise awareness on drinking clean water, etc., then “increased access to clean water” … would be at the intermediate outcome level.
Result / Outcome: Results are the same as outcomes. An outcome is a describable or measurable change that is derived from an initiative's outputs or lower-level outcomes. Outcomes are qualified as immediate, intermediate, or ultimate; outputs contribute to immediate outcomes; immediate outcomes contribute to intermediate outcomes; and intermediate outcomes contribute to ultimate outcomes. Outcomes are not entirely within the control of a single organization, policy, program or project; instead they are within the area of the organization's influence. In the context of development, these are also referred to as development results.
Beneficiary (Rights Holder): The set of individuals that experience the change of state, condition or well-being at the ultimate outcome level of a logic model. In its international assistance programming, Global Affairs Canada-funded implementers usually work through intermediaries to help achieve changes for beneficiaries. Global Affairs Canada implementers may also work directly with beneficiaries. In this case, beneficiaries may, like intermediaries, also experience changes in capacity (immediate outcome), and changes in behaviour, practices or performance (intermediate outcome).
Intermediary (Duty Bearer / Responsibility Holder): Individual, group, institution or government, that is not the ultimate beneficiary of the project, but that will experience a change in capacity (immediate outcome) and a change in behaviour, practices or performance (intermediate outcome) which will enable them to contribute to the achievement of a sustainable change of state (ultimate outcome) of the beneficiaries. Intermediaries are often mandate holders or duty bearers that are responsible for providing services to the ultimate beneficiaries. They are the entities that implementers work with directly.
Attribution: The extent to which a reasonable causal connection can be made between a specific outcome and the activities and outputs of a government policy, program or initiative. The theory of change approach recognizes that each outcome may have more than one cause. This is why it is important that a project’s theory of change captures the complexity inherent in the project design. This approach recognizes that at the intermediate and ultimate outcome levels, one organization or project cannot claim full attribution or sole responsibility for the achievement of these outcomes. Instead, organizations, programs/portfolios and projects contribute to, and influence the achievement of the changes described in the ultimate and intermediate outcomes. This contribution and influence works in tandem with other efforts, especially those of program/portfolio and project intermediaries and beneficiaries, and the contributions of other donors or actors.
Thus, as indicated by the double-headed arrow on the left side of the results chain diagram above, the input, activity, output and immediate outcome levels are where you will have the greatest degree of attribution and control. This will gradually give way to contribution and influence as you move up the results chain.
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