Project Impact Analysis

Impact evaluation is a crucial tool for understanding the effectiveness of development programs, offering insights into how interventions influence their intended beneficiaries. The Handbook on Impact Evaluation: Quantitative Methods and Practices, authored by Shahidur R. Khandker, Gayatri B. Koolwal, and Hussain A. Samad, presents a comprehensive approach to designing and conducting rigorous evaluations in complex environments. With its emphasis on quantitative methods, this guide serves as a vital resource for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners striving to assess and enhance the impact of programs aimed at reducing poverty and fostering development. The handbook delves into a variety of techniques, including randomized controlled trials, propensity score matching, double-difference methods, and regression discontinuity designs, each tailored to address specific evaluation challenges. It bridges theory and practice, offering case studies and practical examples from global programs, such as conditional cash transfers in Mexico and rural electrification in Nepal. By integrating both ex-ante and ex-post evaluation methods, it equips evaluators to not only measure program outcomes but also anticipate potential impacts in diverse settings. This resource transcends technical guidance, emphasizing the strategic value of impact evaluation in informing evidence-based policy decisions and improving resource allocation. Whether for evaluating microcredit programs, infrastructure projects, or social initiatives, the methodologies outlined provide a robust framework for generating actionable insights that can drive sustainable and equitable development worldwide.

How can projects succeed in time and budget but still miss the mark on delivering the organization's desired outcomes? Consider the distinction: Project outputs are the tangible deliverables – reports, software features, built structures. They signify completion. Desired outcomes are the resulting benefits – increased efficiency, customer satisfaction, market share. They represent impact. Without connecting outputs to outcomes, even successful projects will most likely not achieve outcomes. Make your projects count. These 4 strategic connections are non-negotiable: 1️⃣ Strategic Alignment of Projects: Align projects (actions) with strategic priorities (viewpoints/goals) to ensure efforts contribute to the overall strategic direction and outputs achieve desired outcomes. This is where strategy sets the course, and projects provide the means to get there, ensuring every action has a purpose. 2️⃣ Strategic Resource Allocation: Prioritize projects based on strategic impact. This ensures that the most important initiatives get the resources they need to succeed, maximizing the organization's investment. 3️⃣ Outcome Translation: Link project outcomes to strategic results (KPIs). This establishes a clear line of sight between project deliverables and the metrics that matter most to the organization's overall success. 4️⃣ Strategic Adaptability: Adapt project portfolio to evolving strategy. This enables the organization to remain agile and responsive to changing market conditions and strategic shifts, ensuring that project investments remain aligned with current priorities. In conclusion, while project management delivers outputs within constraints, strategy management provides the crucial framework to ensure those outputs drive organizational success and achieve Desired Outcomes. Effective strategy management prioritizes resources, guides project selection, and directly links project outcomes to strategic objectives. Therefore, integrating both project and strategy management is indispensable for sustained success. How do you make these connections? Send me a note to dive into this! #StrategicThinking #StrategicPlanning #ProjectManagement

Understanding Impact Through Contribution Analysis In complex environments, where multiple factors influence outcomes, understanding your impact can feel overwhelming. This is where Contribution Analysis comes in—a practical, theory-based approach that focuses on how your work contributes to change, rather than trying to prove direct causation. At Matter of Focus, Contribution Analysis underpins our approach to understanding and evaluating impact. I started exploring it as part of my 'mid-life' PHD. Reviewing the literature, it became obvious it was a powerful way to navigate complexity, especially when outcomes are shaped by a mix of interventions, external factors, and collaboration. Why Contribution Analysis? * It focuses on contribution, not causation: This method acknowledges that in real-world contexts, no single factor drives change. * It’s grounded in a theory of change: By mapping activities to outcomes and testing assumptions, you can clearly see how your work contributes to the results. *It considers external factors: We don’t evaluate in isolation; we help you assess the role of other influences and contextual factors. * It builds confidence and clarity: using the approach provides evidence-based insights that give you and your stakeholders a clear picture of what’s working and why. We support organisations in applying this thinking by: ✔ Helping you develop or refine your theory of change (using the headings in the picture below). ✔ Gathering and analysing evidence to evaluate your contributions. ✔ Exploring wider factors influencing the same outcomes. ✔ Facilitating rich discussions to uncover key insights. If you’re looking to understand and demonstrate your impact, we’d love to help. Whether you’re starting from scratch or enhancing your existing approach, our team has the expertise to guide you through the process and provide clarity in complexity. Or use our headings and try making a contribution framework for yourself (link in chat).

How Sustainability Teams can make money. Ethical operating companies like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, and Interface have proven that sustainable business practices aren’t just a “nice to have”. they drive profitability. It improves the bottom line of a company. Now, as corporate sustainability teams face growing pressure to prove their value amid deregulation and cost-cutting, it’s time for a strategic repositioning. Sustainability isn’t just policy work. It’s a core driver of business success that delivers financial returns. Here’s an approach that aligns impact with investment: High ROI + High Impact 👉 Priority Initiatives Low ROI + High Impact 👉 Strategic Investments High ROI + Low Impact 👉 Quick Wins Low ROI + Low Impact 👉 Low Priority Projects Impact How much does this project contribute to environmental and social sustainability? 💚 Carbon Reduction 💚 Circularity 💚 Water & Energy Savings 💚 Social Impact 💚 Biodiversity Protection ROI (Return of Investment) How much financial value does this project generate? 📈 Cost Savings 📈 Revenue Growth 📈 Regulatory & Compliance Benefits 📈 Brand & Customer Value 📈 Operational Efficiency Scoring System To prioritise projects, it’s necessary to have a scoring system in place—for example, a 1–10 scale for each metric under both Impact and ROI. Then, you weight the metrics according to the company’s priorities (e.g., carbon might be weighted more heavily). Examples Here are some examples for potential business cases: 💡 LED lighting retrofits 👉 Priority Initiatives Often has payback periods < 2 years with significant energy savings 🔃 Product redesign for circularity 👉 Strategic Investments Transformative impact but requires R&D and retooling 🚚 Optimising logistics routes 👉 Quick Wins Quick fuel savings but smaller portion of overall emissions 🌳 Carbon offsetting low-impact activities 👉 Low Priority Projects When direct reduction would be more effective »When you are led by values, it doesn't cost your business, it helps your business.« - Jerry, Greenfield / Co-Founder Ben & Jerry’s. This Matrix helps to prove it.