In the Previous Video in This Series, We Worked Through the First Four Steps of the ILC

In the previous video in this series, we worked through the first four steps of the ILC outcomes story builder.

Now we will look at some of the important concepts in measuring outcomes as well as completing the final step of the story builder.

Outcomes measurement is the process of capturing the difference our activities make in people’s lives.

To measure outcomes, you need to have information about what life is like now for people. This is sometimes called baseline data.

Then you need to collect the same information at different points in time.

You might do this before or after you have delivered an activity or at regular periods such as quarterly, or annually.

How do you know what information to collect? First, you’ll want to define what outcomes you are trying to achieve.

You can’t measure everything so try and keep the list short. Three or four specific outcomes is often enough.

Then you can identify indicators, which are like sign-posts or clues, that a change has happened.

Indicators should capture: who has changed; what has changed; and how much has changed.

For example, if you were running a doctor’s surgery, one of your outcomes might be that people have improved health.

But health is a complex outcome, so your indicator might be the percentage of patients that have fewer days off work sick.

Now let’s return to the ILC outcomes story builder. Remember our example where we are running a non-profit organisation that provides information and peer support services for people with disability?

While we know it is a made up example, let’s use it to show how we measure outcomes.

In the last video, we identified two longer-term outcomes we were trying to achieve.

The first was that:

People with disability have the skills and confidence to participate and contribute to the community and protect their rights:

In particular, we want to “increase motivation, confidence and empowerment to act.”

One indicator for this outcome could be: the percentage of people who report that participation in peer support group has increased their sense of confidence.

We also want to “increase self-advocacy, independence and relationship building”.

One indicator of this outcome could be: the percentage of people who report that participation in the group has increased their confidence to speak up and advocate for themselves.

The second longer-term outcome we identified was that:

People with disability are connected and have the information they need to make decisions and choices

Specifically, we want to “Improve knowledge about disability and/or where to find support from mainstream and community services”.

One indicator of this outcome could be the number of referrals from the peer group to mainstream government services or community based activities.

Finally, we want to “Increase use of information to make decisions to shape and plan an ordinary life”.

An indicator here could be the percentage of people who participate in the group who report that they are satisfied with the quality and usefulness of information that the peer group provides.

Measuring outcomes isn’t always easy. But it is very important for anyone who wants to show that their work is making a difference to the lives of people with disability.

There are lots of different tools you can use to measure the outcomes and impact of your work. It can be tempting to try and capture lots of different information.

But in the beginning it can be a good idea to keep it simple with things like client surveys and case studies to tell a story about the difference your activity is making.

Your ILC outcomes story diagram will suggest the important things you’ll want to measure.

You can also learn more about measuring ILC outcomes by reading the ILC Outcomes Framework Discussion Starter.