Due to confidentiality, many uses of Outcome Harvesting cannot be shared. Here are some of the publicly available examples of developmental, formative and summative evaluations that used Outcome Harvesting. They illustrate the potential of the approach to be usefully adapted to a wide variety of monitoring and evaluation needs.
EVALUATION OF CARE’S OIKKO (UNITY) PROJECT, PROMOTING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FUNDAMENTAL LABOUR RIGHTS IN THE READY-MADE GARMENT (RMG) SECTOR IN BANGLADESH, 2018
RICHARD SMITH, HUMAIRA AZIZ AND JOE SUTCLIFFE
This summative, internal evaluation used workshops to harvest outcomes from ready-made garment workers, organisers of worker self-help groups and trade union officials. Outcomes identified changes in the ability and willingness of workers to raise issues / claim rights in their workplaces, responses from employers to worker demands, changes in gender relations in communities and households, and improved capacities and willingness of trade unions to represent the concerns of women workers in the ready-made garment sector. Crucially for CARE’s learning, the evaluation examined how the project contributed to the pathways of change evident in the outcomes.EVALUATION OF THE FORD FOUNDATION’S STRENGTHENING HUMAN RIGHTS WORLDWIDE GLOBAL INITIATIVE (SHRW), 2012-2016
BARBARA KLUGMAN, SOUTH AFRICA; RAVINDRAN DANIEL, INDIA; DENISE DORA, BRAZIL; MAÏMOUNA JALLOW, KENYA; MARCELO AZAMBUJA, BRAZIL
The US$54 million initiative funded seven human rights groups from the Global South and seven International NGOs headquartered in the Global North in order to further catalyze efforts underway to strengthen the perceived legitimacy and influence of local movements on global agendas and strategies. Documents 1,250 outcomes influenced by the 13 organisations.DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY: RETHINKING MONITORING AND EVALUATION TO UNDERSTAND CHANGE, 2016
MADELINE CHURCH
In 2012-2015, Safer World has put in place a way of monitoring, evaluating and learning from its work focused on behaviour and relationship change. This paper outlines the process Safer World went through to adapt, embed, and embrace an approach inspired by Outcome Mapping and Outcome Harvesting.EVALUATION OF THE MERCY CORPS BROADENING PARTICIPATION THROUGH CIVIL SOCIETY PROGRAMME IN IRAQ, 2013-2015
RICARDO WILSON-GRAU AND THE TEAM LEADER OF MERCY CORPS-JORDAN AND THE BPCS IRAQ ADVOCACY PROGRAM MANAGER. (Due to Mercy Corps policy, they cannot be named.)
This summative, internal evaluation harvested the 148 most significant changes in behaviours, actions or decisions of Iraqi citizens and government entities for strengthening Iraq’s transition to participatory democracy, to which Mercy Corps-supported civil society organisations or allies contributed. With support of the evaluation team, the BPCS chief of party, Mercy Corps Iraq senior M&E manager and the BPCS senior program director led Mercy Cops staff in an exercise to analyse and interpret the outcomes in the light of the evaluation questions that guided the exercise.OUTCOMES EVALUATION OF THE GLOBAL NETWORK OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS FOR DISASTER REDUCTION (GNDR) 2012 – 2015
KORNELIA RASSMANN AND RICHARD SMITH
This summative, participatory evaluation used three notions of outcome: i) 180 “basic perceived outcomes” that were, however, not sufficiently specific to be treated as outcomes as defined in the Outcome Harvesting approach; ii) 21 “SMART Outcomes” that do meet the criteria; and iii) 6 specific outcome themes were selected from the 21 outcomes and developed into extended ‘Outcome Stories’ for triangulation (substantiation) by more independent sources.CASES IN OUTCOME HARVESTING: TEN PILOT EXPERIENCES IDENTIFY NEW LEARNING FROM MULTI-STAKEHOLDER PROJECTS TO IMPROVE RESULTS
JENNY GOLD AND RICARDO WILSON-GRAU WITH WORLD BANK INSTITUTE PROJECT STAFF, JUNE 2014
Starting in 2012, the World Bank Institute undertook formative pilot evaluations to explore how Outcome Harvesting tools might help project teams and clients to manage knowledge and learn from complex and difficult to monitor development processes. This booklet contains an average of 30 outcomes per pilot:
- Leadership for Results: Developing Capacity and Delivering Results toward Public Sector Reform in Burundi
- Implementing Reform Initiatives in Solid Waste Management in Bosnia
- Improving Governance in Pharmaceutical Procurement and Supply Chain Management in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda
- Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight of National Budgets in Africa
- Priority Setting and Constitutional Mandates in Health
- Improving Open Contracting Processes at the Country and Global Level
- Strengthening Capacities of Local Governments in South East Europe
- Strengthening Implementation of Legislation on Access to Information across Latin America
- Scaling up Capacity Development of City Officials and Practitioners across China Through eLearning
- Improving Social Accountability in the Philippines Education Sector
OUTCOMES EVALUATION OF THE GLOBAL CHILD PROTECTION IN CRISIS (CPC) NETWORK 2008 – 2011
KORNELIA RASSMANN, RICHARD SMITH, JOHN MAUREMOOTOO (2012)
Summative evaluation using a fusion of Outcome Harvesting and the Network Functions Approach (NFA). Assesses the extent to which 137 outcomes (1) facilitated learning, (2) influenced child protection policy and practice, and (3) enhanced CPC’s standing within the child protection landscape. The participatory process of the evaluation served as a means for knowledge sharing and learning. The evaluation analyzes the network’s contribution to the outcomes with respect to its form and purpose functions (NFA).
GPPAC EVALUATION 2006-2011
NATALIA ORTIZ AND RICARDO WILSON-GRAU, 2012
A formative assessment of the 208 outcomes achieved and the performance of the global secretariat and 15 regional affiliates of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict.BIONET 2007‐2010 EVALUATION
RICARDO WILSON-GRAU, GEOFFREY HOWARD, MIKE JEGER
Summative evaluation and assessment of the prospects for the BioNET global “taxonomy for development” network to increase its impact on food security, in particular through greater support to plant health systems. Reports on the experience of identifying and documenting 200 emergent outcomes.OUTCOME “HARVESTING” – EVALUATION OF OXFAM NOVIB´S GLOBAL PROGRAMME 2005-2008
RICARDO WILSON-GRAU, JULIETTE MAJOT, WOLFGANG RICHERT
Summative evaluation of Oxfam Novib’s €22 million program to support 38 grantees working on sustainable livelihoods and social and political participation. Documents over 300 outcomes from 111 countries.Évaluation du programme Améliorer l’éducation par la planification et le pilotage stratégique en Haïti, Janvier 2022.
Conny Hoitink et Isabelle de Geuser
Cette évaluation externe, déroulée entièrement en ligne lors de la crise covid, présente l’analyse et l’interprétation des 41 effets du programme mise en oeuvre par l’Institut International de Planification de l’Éducation (IIPE) de l’UNESCO au sein du Ministère de l’Education Nationale et de la Formation Professionnelle de Haïti entre 2018 et 2021. Elle présente des nouvelles pratiques établies au sein du Ministère et répond à la question de la validité du choix du programme de se concentrer sur le niveau décentralisé, dans un contexte excessivement centralisée.
End term evaluation of 5-year Partnership to Inspire, Transform and Connect the HIV response (PITCH), 2020
Aryanti Radyowijati, Conny Hoitink, Zaïre van Arkel, Maurizia Mezza and Lingga Tri Utama
This evaluation harvested 123 outcomes with over 60 partners in multiple countries and assessed the progress to the ambitions of the PITCH theory of change as well as the sustainability of the achievements. In combination with other methods it also assessed the partnership’s approach to external and internal collaboration. The programme was implemented by Frontline Aids and AidsFonds, together with partner organisations around the world and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Annex 4 explains the substation process that was followed.