Guidance on how to understand the ‘Ways of Working’ diagrams
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Step 1 - Print out slides 3, 4, 5 & 6 on separate sheets of paper.
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Step2 – Attach slide 4 (the table) to the right hand side of slide 3 (the theory of change). Similarly, attach slide 6 (the table) to the
right hand side of slide 5 (the theory of change). You do not need to print out slide 2, it has only been included to remind you of how
the Prove and Improve It! Framework fits together.
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Step 3 – Tips to understanding the diagram:
Slides 3 and 5 present a general theory of how change is achieved through two ways of working- capacity building and
northern advocacy. In both cases, the different steps in the change process are identified, these include:
– The general categories of activities and outputs an organisation would work towards;
– The general categories of outcomes it would seek to achieve in support of generating long term sustainable change in people’s
lives.
Running along the left side of slides 3 & 5 are also two arrows. These indicate the steps in the theory of change that are within the
sphere of influence of a NNGO (those things it can reasonably claim to influence) and should be actively assessed and managed as
part of routine performance management systems; and the steps in the theory of change that are outside a NNGOs sphere of
influence, but within its sphere of interest (i.e. those higher level changes to which an organisation is working towards but over
which it has limited influence) and should be tested periodically through impact assessments.
Each table (slides 4 and 6) is structured around three common questions :
– What to assess?
– How to assess?; and
– What to communicate, to whom and how?
These questions are asked at each step in the theory of change, so for example, if you are doing advocacy in the north, at the level
of outcomes:
– What are the common outcome categories you might be interested in tracking change in? And what are the best indicators?
– What are the best methods for recording and assessing this change?
– What aspect of progress should be communicated to which stakeholders (donors, the public, communities) & how?
In parallel to developing the ‘Ways of Working’, work will also be undertaken to identify common impact indicators across
different thematic areas. These two streams of work will come together in such a way that the final Prove and Improve It!
Framework will allow an organisation to match a way of working with a relevant theme so as to identify relevant indicators and
methods. Please read background document for further explanation of the approach
1
Ways of working
Rights
Northern
advocacy
Health
Thematic Areas
Prove & Improve it!
Framework
To give you a sense of how
the framework will work, the
following slides present the
details of what will sit under
each ‘Way of Working’. We
use Northern Advocacy and
Capacity Building (highlighted
in red in the adjacent
diagram) as examples. The
information that follows is
only illustrative and has been
developed for the purposes of
the quarterly meeting.
2
Livelihoods
Water &
sanitation
Rights
Women’s
empowerment
11. Significant
change s in
people’s lives
Outcomes
system
4. Strengthened relational &
adaptive management
capabilities
7. Strengthened financial
stability
Changes in capacity of
organisation
8. Strengthened
technical capacities
3. Changes in skills,
attitudes, behaviours &
actions of individuals / staff
Activities and outputs
More control
More attributable to NGO
Sphere of influence: changes at this level tracked as part of routine performance management
5.Strengthened specific
internal processes
6. Strengthened learning
& organisational
capacities
10. Improved practices of
wider set of stakeholders
Southern
NGOs
1.Delivery of training, mentoring, coaching, consultancy
services and support as part of specific programme
capacity development
Local
capacity
providers
Southern
govt’s
2. Delivery of training, mentoring, coaching, consultancy
services and support as part general organisational capacity
development
NNGO
Political, economic, environmental factors / activities of other actors
9. Improved practices
and services of
organisation
Capacity development of southern partners and wider civil society
Health
Impact
Sphere of interest: periodically
assessed through impact assessments
Less control
Less attributable to NGO
Education
3
What to assess?
(Illustrative examples)
How to assess?
(Illustrative examples)
What to communicate, to whom & how?
(Illustrative examples)
Impact
•Stories of change
•Most significant change
•Appreciative enquiry
•Contribution towards relevant thematic impact indicators
3. Changes in skills, attitudes, behaviours & actions of
individuals / staff
•Improved confidence
•Application of new skills
•Organisational capacity assessment tools
•Case studies - most significant change, random
sampling, tracer study ( longitudinal study providing a
series of stories at discreet point of time)
•Timelines for plotting observable changes or changes in
perspectives and behaviours
•Ladders of change
Percentages of partners with demonstrably enhanced capacity
•Stakeholder / constituent satisfaction surveys
•Stakeholder surveys
Number of people trained
Stakeholder satisfaction with capacity building activities
7. Strengthened financial stability
•Increase in number of donors
•Improved fundraising capacity
Activities and outputs
•Cost efficiency
•Scope & reach of services provided (number of
organisations working with, number of people trained)
•Feedback from stakeholders on the quality of the capacity
support / service
•Access to capacity resources (eg number of times toolkits
used)
Core organisational values
Core principles for communicating effectiveness
Outcomes
•Illustrations rather than measurement of change, given
problems with attribution
•Contribution towards relevant thematic impact indicators
4
Rights
Women’s
empowerment
Water &
sanitation
15. Significant
changes in people’s
lives
Outcomes
system
Multilateral
& regional
orgs
12. Improved public
awareness & understanding
Activities and outputs
More control
More attributable to NGO
Sphere of influence: changes at this level tracked as part of routine performance management
13. Changed attitudes,
behaviours & actions of
decision makers
7. Public awareness
raising on specific
issue
11. Strong alliances
between actors created
6. Build alliances &
coalitions on specific
issue
Bilateral
donors
Private
sector
10. Mobilised
supporter base
5. Mobilising public /
supporters on
specific issue
9. Media attention
generated
4. Media outreach
on specific issue
3. lobbying and
advocacy of decision
makers
Political, economic, environmental factors / activities of other actors
14. Policy change
achieved & implemented
1.Research &
develop policy on
specific issue
2. Engage & link with
southern partners
on specific issue
NNGO
5
Northern advocacy, public campaigning & awareness raising on development
Livelihoods
Health
Impact
Sphere of interest: periodically
assessed through impact assessments
Less control
Less attributable to NGO
Education
What to assess?
(Illustrative examples)
How to assess?
(Illustrative examples)
What to communicate, to whom & how?
(Illustrative examples)
Impact
•Outcome mapping
Outcomes
5. Lobbying &advocacy with decision makers
•Quality of relationship with decision makers
9. Changes attitudes, behaviours and actions of decision
makers
•Changes in knowledge and understanding
•Changes in attitude
•Changes in intention
•Changes in behaviour
Activities and outputs
Core organisational values
Details of the policy change achieved
Core principles for communicating effectiveness
14. Policy change achieved & implemented
•Budget allocated (analyzed according to specific group
where needed)
•Policy implemented
•NGO findings reflected in policy
6