"To mark 20 years of Outcome Mapping, this paper explores the core principles and concepts that are foundational to using the approach. It also presents a set of guiding practices to support transformative change. Three principles inherent in Outcome Mapping: 1. Social, policy & systems changes depe ... nd on changes in human behaviour; 2. People contribute to their own wellbeing; 3. Sustained improvements in people’s lives or environments depend on relationships. Four core concepts necessary for effective use of Outcome Mapping: 1. Outcomes understood as changes in behaviour; 2. Spheres of influence; 3. Contributions to outcomes, not attribution; 4. Setting actor-centred boundaries. Five guiding practices for using Outcome Mapping to support transformational change: 1. Facilitate inclusive & equity-focused participatory change processes; 2. Be accountable to learning at individual, team and organisational levels; 3. Grow a complex adaptive system view, & embrace uncertainty & experimentation; 4. Commit to iterative, collective sense-making with inductive & data driven reasoning; 5. Lead from context & combine Outcome Mapping with other approaches as needed." (Summary, page 2) more

"Outcome Mapping was developed 20 years ago by the International Development Research Centre and for many in the development sector it has become a staple in planning, monitoring and evaluation toolkits. Countless organisations across the world have applied and adapted Outcome Mapping for their own ... projects and programmes, tailored to their needs and contexts. Every now and then we hear about these applications and, as a community of practitioners, we get to learn from them and improve our own understanding and practice. AGIAMONDO is one such organisation, and Managing Outcomes is its generous contribution to our community, building on over ten years of experience with Outcome Mapping. AGIAMONDO have taken the tools and principles of Outcome Mapping and adapted them to their institutional context, using the elements that work best for them, and offering a number of different tools to complement the original OM tools. While AGIAMONDO have developed this approach for their own projects and those of their partner organisations, Managing Outcomes offers an opportunity for learning and discussion for the Outcome Mapping Learning Community. In particular, Managing Outcomes includes a section on situation analysis which helps lay a clear foundation for project planning and it provides a detailed guide for monitoring, reflection and self-evaluation. Through these additions, AGIAMONDO has distilled many practices and innovations in planning, monitoring and evaluation that have arisen since OM was first developed [...]" (Foreword, page iv) more

"Managing Outcomes is its generous contribution to our community, building on over ten years of experience with Outcome Mapping (OM). AGEH have taken the tools and principles of Outcome Mapping and adapted them to their institutional context, using the elements that work best for them, and offering ... a number of different tools to complement the original OM tools. While AGEH have developed this approach for their own projects and those of their partner organisations, Managing Outcomes offers an opportunity for learning and discussion for the Outcome Mapping Learning Community. In particular, Managing Outcomes includes a section on situation analysis which helps lay a clear foundation for project planning and it provides a detailed guide for monitoring, reflection and self-evaluation. Through these additions, AGEH has distilled many practices and innovations in planning, monitoring and evaluation that have arisen since Outcome Mapping was first developed." (Foreword, page iv) more

"This manual is intended as an introduction to the theory and concepts of Outcome Mapping and as a guide to conducting an Outcome Mapping workshop. Although Outcome Mapping may be appropriate in various contexts, it has primarily been tested by development research organizations and programs working ... in Canada, Africa, Latin America, and Asia. This manual reflects that perspective and Outcome Mapping may have to be adapted to be used with groups other than our constituency of researchers, scientific organizations, government officials, policymakers, and NGOs (for example, communities). Outcome Mapping has been developed in organizations where monitoring and evaluation are primarily intended to help with program learning and improvement. The tenor of a program’s approach to Outcome Mapping will necessarily be influenced by its own and its donor’s perspectives on monitoring and evaluation. Outcome Mapping will only be as empowering, participatory, and learning-oriented as the program that implements it. Outcome Mapping takes into consideration the threats and anxiety that can be associated with planning, monitoring and evaluation, especially in a donor/recipient relationship. It offers a participatory methodology that can help programs develop a system that can meet both accountability and learning needs." (Preface) more