Doing things differently: Rethinking monitoring and evaluation to understand change

Learning paper

Over the past four years, Saferworld has put in place a way of monitoring, evaluating and learning from our work focused on behaviour and relationship change. This paper outlines the process we have gone through to adapt, embed, and embrace an approach inspired by Outcome Mapping and Outcome Harvesting (OH).

Key benefits of our monitoring, evaluation and learning approach are:

  • It is simple, but promotes complex discussion and analysis.
  • It allows conflict- and gender-sensitivity to be built into programmes; it promotes analysis of and adaptation to context.
  • Bringing front-line staff and partners into wider conversations with others substantially increases cross-organisational learning.

Download the learning paper

Listen to the learning paper discussion podcast here (30 mins).

A number of Saferworld staff have also recorded short videos to talk a little bit more about what they think Outcome monitoring and harvesting brings to the organisation. Take a look at these video clips alongside the paper, as they bring to life the perspectives of those making it work at the programme level. Many thanks to all those staff who participated.

Catalysing team-wide understanding, featuring Ojsawi Shah

Adapting as you go, featuring Khirad Kargasov

What I like about outcome harvesting, featuring Bonita Ayuko

Feedback loops, featuring Galdino Joseph Sakondo

Outcome harvesting with partners, featuring Bibhash Chakraborty

It’s all about practice, featuring Tamara Duffey-Janser

Cross programme learning, featuring Ariana Martini

“Our approach is centred on collecting and analysing evidence together about what others do differently – and determining how far that is because of our work. The approach is different because it is flexible and straightforward enough to be used in complex, rapidly changing contexts.”

Madeline Church