Outcome Milestones
Outcome Milestones
Traditionally we focus on work plans - the phases and the steps that providers take to provide a service.
Funders tend to buy work plans and hope for the best when it comes to results. The reason they can only hope is that it is perfectly possible for a group to do everything it said it would do and yet fall well short of achievement for customers.
For example, in an educational programme designed to change behaviours, the result is not how many people were ‘reached' with information but how many of those individuals chose to do something/behave differently as a result of being informed.
Milestones shift the focus from what providers do to what customers get. They begin by understanding the logic that gets a person from where they are now to where they are to be if the programme is to declared a true and not superficial success.
One good way to get to an outcome milestone is to start with activities and ask the question:
"So what?"
and keep asking yourself that question until you get to the milestone.
For example:
People are sent brochures and see posters.
"So what?"
They decide to come to the Saturday workshop.
"So what?"
People attend the workshop and say they liked it.
"So what?"
MILESTONE: X number of people report a positive change in behaviour three months after the workshop.
In what way can your service work towards outcome milestones?
