Indo-Gangetic Basin Impact Pathways Workshop

30 June - 2 July, 2006

Himalaya Hotel, Kathmandu, Nepal

Boru Douthwaite and Cristina de Leon

CPWF-BFP Impact Assessment Project

CPWF-BFP Impact Assessment Project

• Goal– To contribute to the CPWF fulfilling its impact potential– To contribute to the CPWF being perceived as a “coherent,

problem-focused research program”

• Purpose– CPWF scientists and management are using IA products

and methods

• Intervention– Carry out “exemplary” impact analysis

• Impact pathways; impact narratives; impact pathway evaluation; scenario analysis; extrapolation domain analysis

– Develop methodology

Impact Pathways

1. A visual description of the causal chain of events and outcomes that link outputs to the goal (logic model); and

2. Network maps that show the evolving relationships necessary to achieve the goal

• Implementing organizations; boundary partners; beneficiaries

Shows the project rationale; its logicShows multiple pathways

Impact pathways – a more complete picture….

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Network models

Impact Narrative

• Text description of the project impact pathway

• Describes the project or program’s rationale• Quantified and substantiated by literature

and subject to peer review• May take several forms

– Short brochure (200 words, 4-pager??)– Web-based

Why develop impact pathways and impact narratives?

• Show the project’s rationale– Help communicate what the project is doing

• More fundable

– Help with planning– Provide a basis for evaluation

• Starting point for evaluation is a good model of what you think will happen

• Help to write better project proposals

Foundations

• Impact Pathways; Impact Narratives– Adaptation of concepts from Program Evaluation

• Renger and Titcomb (2002) – problem trees

• Chen (2005) – program theory

• Mayne (2004) - performance stories

– Innovation histories • Douthwaite and Ashby, 2005

– Social network analysis• Cross and Parker, 2004

Project Problem Tree

Project Objective Tree

Outputs Vision

Project Tim eline

Network m aps

W hat needs to change

W hat thepro j ect w illproduce

W here pro j ect isgo ing- Goal

How pro j ectgoes fromoutputs to goals

Necessaryrelationshipsand how theyevolve

I m pact PathwaysModel ( = adoption

theory m odel in tegratedw ith netw ork m aps)

I m pact Narrative( = impact pathw ays model

+ text description)

Helps understandpro ject rationale

( Produced after w orkshop)

( Produced after w orkshop)

( Draft produced before w orkshop)

Workshop Road Map

Introductions and Expectations

Project Problem Tree

Project Objective Tree

Outputs Vision

Project Tim eline

Network m aps

W hat needs to change

W hat thepro j ect w illproduce

W here pro j ect isgo ing- Goal

How pro j ectgoes fromoutputs to goals

Necessaryrelationshipsand how theyevolve

I m pact PathwaysModel ( = adoption

theory m odel in tegratedw ith netw ork m aps)

I m pact Narrative( = impact pathw ays model

+ text description)

Helps understandpro ject rationale

( Produced after w orkshop)

( Produced after w orkshop)

( Draft produced before w orkshop)

Workshop Road Map

D epressedLivelihoods

LimitedReservoir

Productivity

UnderusedFisheries

ProductionC apacity

Bad HarvestingStrategies

Uncooperativeattitudes of fishers

w ith respect tomanagement of

fisheries resources

Lack of know ledgeof options ofenhancementtechnologies

Processinglimitations

Lack ofaquaculture

activities

S tart Here

D eterminants

Lack of financialresources capacity

to implementscenarios for

improved fisheriesproduction

1st LEVEL

2nd LEVEL3rd LEVEL4th LEVEL W hy is th is problem happening?

W hy?W hy?W hy?

Problem

PN 34 I m proved fisheries productivity Problem Tree

Exercise 1: Refining and presenting your Problem Trees

• Split into project groups• Reconstruct the problem tree, writing one problem

per card– Use one colour for problems the project will address

– Use another for other problems

• Modify, and add as you see fit – But don’t go into too much detail

• Present the problem tree to plenary

Example of a Problem Tree

Turning a problem tree into an objective tree

Fishers cooperatein fisheries

management

K nowledge o foptions in

enhancementtechno logiestrans ferred

Financial resourcesfo r improved

fisheriesproductivity and

managementobtained

Respons ib leharves t ings trategies

Improvedprocess ingmethods

A quacultureact ivit ies

implemented

Optimized use o ffisheries

productioncapacity

Increasedreservo ir

productivity andmanagement

Enhancedlivelihoods

PN 34 ( I m proved F isheries Production) Objectives Tree

Goal1st LEVEL2nd LEVEL

3rd LEVEL4th LEVEL

D epressedLivelihoods

LimitedReservoir

Productivity

UnderusedFisheries

ProductionC apacity

Bad HarvestingStrategies

Uncooperativeattitudes of fishers

w ith respect tomanagement of

fisheries resources

Lack of know ledgeof options ofenhancementtechnologies

Processinglimitations

Lack ofaquaculture

activities

S tart Here

D eterminants

Lack of financialresources capacity

to implementscenarios for

improved fisheriesproduction

1st LEVEL

2nd LEVEL3rd LEVEL4th LEVEL W hy is th is problem happening?

W hy?W hy?W hy?

Problem

PN 34 I m proved fisheries productivity Problem Tree

Project Problem Tree

Project Objective Tree

Outputs Vision

Project Tim eline

Network m aps

W hat needs to change

W hat thepro j ect w illproduce

W here pro j ect isgo ing- Goal

How pro j ectgoes fromoutputs to goals

Necessaryrelationshipsand how theyevolve

I m pact PathwaysModel ( = adoption

theory m odel in tegratedw ith netw ork m aps)

I m pact Narrative( = impact pathw ays model

+ text description)

Helps understandpro ject rationale

( Produced after w orkshop)

( Produced after w orkshop)

( Draft produced before w orkshop)

Workshop Road Map

Some definitions

• Activity – what we’re doing inside the project– Plan improvements to water supply

• Outputs – our activities that other people make use of – Improved availability of clean drinking water

• Outcome – the result of the use of the output by the target group– Reduced child mortality rates in families with access to

clean water

Level of influence of Project

High

CONTROL

Low

Research Output Output Outcome Impactactivity target

Scaling Out and Scaling Up

• Scaling up - an institutional expansion, from adopters and their grassroots organizations to policy makers, donors, development institutions

• Scaling out - spread of a project outputs (i.e., a new technology, a new strategy, etc.) from farmer to farmer, community to community, within the same stakeholder groups

Develop a vision of project success two years after the project ends

• Work in project groups

• Take 5 minutes to individually answer the question– You wake up 2 years after your project has ended. Your project

has been a success and is well on its way to achieving its goal. Describe what this success looks like to a journalist:

• What is happening differently now?

• Who is doing what differently?

• What have been the changes in the lives of the people using the project outputs, and who they interact with?

• How are project outputs disseminating?

• What political support is nurturing this spread? How did that happen?

• Discuss and develop a common vision

Keep it realistic

Example of a Vision

Develop a project timeline from when your

project started until 2 years after it will end

• Build a timeline of activities, outputs and outcomes that you from the beginning of the project to achieving the vision

• It is a story of adoption of project outputs (scaling-out) and the political support that helps it along (scaling-up)

• Write activities, outputs and outcomes on separate cards, using colour-coding – Activities = yellow– Outputs = blue– Outcomes = green or grey

• Write the names of the actors responsible on each card• Stick the cards on a timeline made from flip-chart paper stuck

together, or enter on your computer.

Example of a Timeline

Example of a Timeline II

Timeline example III – Companion Modeling PN25

Literature review on participatory catchment modelling

Design and implementation of models Synthesis on models

On-the-job training of local resource managers

Degree training

Lessons from past experiments at key sites

Data synthesis, institutional analysis and monitoring at study sites

Now 20102008

Participatory workshops at key sites

New methodologies for better communication and coordination mechanisms-Manuals, papers-PhD dissertations A knowledge base, based on indigenous and scientific knowledge, at each site

Setup of local institutions

Teaching modules

Less free-riders,Less conflicts

Some extentionists act more as facilitators rather than experts

Training coursesLocally organized

Project Problem Tree

Project Objective Tree

Outputs Vision

Project Tim eline

Network m aps

W hat needs to change

W hat thepro j ect w illproduce

W here pro j ect isgo ing- Goal

How pro j ectgoes fromoutputs to goals

Necessaryrelationshipsand how theyevolve

I m pact PathwaysModel ( = adoption

theory m odel in tegratedw ith netw ork m aps)

I m pact Narrative( = impact pathw ays model

+ text description)

Helps understandpro ject rationale

( Produced after w orkshop)

( Produced after w orkshop)

( Draft produced before w orkshop)

Workshop Road Map