objectives and indicators for mch programs mch in developing countries january 25, 2011
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Objectives and Indicators
• Session goals– Promote an understanding of the importance of
good objectives and indicators, and their contribution to effective program management
– Provide or refine skills needed to develop MCH program objectives
Objectives and Indicators
• Session objectives -- by the end of the session, participants should be able to:– explain the terms “goal,’ “objective,”
“indicator” and “target”– describe the characteristics of objectives and
indicators that are useful for program management
– write a “smart” objective for the country project and state its corresponding indicator
Why discuss MCH program objectives?
– How will you know if you are successful if you don’t identify what you want to do?
– There are always limited resources– Clear objectives are often a donor requirement– Developing appropriate and useful objectives is
not always simple or intuitive...
(Note -- they are NOT a substitute for “doing the right thing” based on a needs assessment)
Logic model flow chart - how program efforts contribute to the program’s goals
Causality
Inputs Activities
Processes
Outputs
Objectives
Outcomes Impact
Inputs Activities
Processes
Outputs
Objectives
Outcomes Results
• Activities are any action, funded or unfunded, undertaken to achieve a program result
• Assignments, tasks, stuff we do to achieve our objectives!
Inputs Activities
Processes
Outputs
Objectives
Outcomes Impact
• Objectives can include anything that is clearly intended to be achieved through the program or project
• Output level objectives are those resulting from first order activities
• Impact level objectives refer to the desired long-term or ultimate result
• Intermediate objectives that fall somewhere between these two are usually referred to as outcomes - also known as “effects”
Inputs Activities
Processes
Outputs
Objectives
Outcomes Results
• Output level objectives are those that result from activities -- things your program does– In most instances don’t represent population change
– Important area for program/project monitoring
• Frequently “bean counting”– Useful for program management purposes
– And -- donors may hold you accountable for the beans
Inputs Activities
Processes
Outputs
Objectives
Outcomes Impact
• Impact and outcomes are…– Changes in the condition or behavior of a program participant or
changes in conditions that affect a participant: results
• Whether an objective is a impact or outcome depends on its level in the causality chain– Impact describes the long-term results
– Outcomes describe the immediate effects on participants
• The ability of a program to produce results (i.e., outcomes, impact, or both) depends on your resources, program duration, and many, many social, economic and cultural conditions that affect participants in the program
Inputs Activities
Processes
Outputs
Objectives
Outcomes Impact
• Objectives should be the highest order objectives for which you can be held accountable
• They should be S M A R T :– S - simple
– M - measurable (in the program setting)
– A - appropriate (technically correct, important)
– R - realistic
– T - time-limited
Inputs Activities
Processes
Outputs
Objectives
Outcomes Impact
• Let’s consider this objective...
The project will improve the understanding of mothers
about the importance of oral rehydration therapy and how
to correctly mix ORS.
Let’s try again….
Inputs Activities
Processes
Outputs
Objectives
Outcomes Impact
By the end of the project, 80% of mothers of children under age 5 in the project area will give their child increased fluids when the child has
diarrhea
Inputs Activities
Processes
Outputs
Objectives
Outcomes Impact
• Let’s consider another objective...
The project will increase
immunization coverage to 80%
Let’s try again….
Inputs Activities
Processes
Outputs
Objectives
Outcomes Impact
By the end of the project, 80% of children aged 12-24 months in the
project area will have completed their basic immunizations
Inputs Activities
Processes
Outputs
Objectives
Outcomes Impact
Additional terms:
• Indicators…– Answer the question, “How will we measure “How will we measure
what we have achieved?”what we have achieved?”
• Target a specific level of achievement
By the end of the project, 80% of children aged 12-23 months in the project area will have completed
their basic immunizations
What is the indicator and target for this objective?
The % of children aged 12-23 months in the project area who have completed
their basic immunizations
Indicator:
Target :
80%
SelectingSelectingIndicatorsIndicators
• Who to involve in setting objectives and indicators?
– Project staff– Others familiar with relevant data– The community, partners– Published literature, project reports
• When?– Iterative - As work on program development proceeds– Check feasibility before finalizing
• It’s usually OK to revise objectives if rationale is provided
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Practicality
• Are the data associated with the indicator practical?
– How will you collect the data?
– Are quality data currently available?
– Can routine data can be procured on a regular and timely basis?
– Will you need to conduct a survey or special studies?
All of these contribute to the program goals -- broad, long-term intended results
Inputs Activities
Processes
Outputs
Objectives
Outcomes Impact
Indicators
Final thoughts on the selection of objectives and indicators
Indicator quality presumes data quality: be aware of the limitations (regarding validity, reliability, and timeliness) of your data
More indicators aren’t necessarily better; you need enough information to get an honest reckoning
Meaningful qualitative indicators are often okay and sometimes preferable
Use objectives for management—it’s the main reason we measure performance
Take a practical approach—get adequate information that is available at a reasonable cost to the program
Indicators should make sense to a development professional, but be understandable to interested persons