CONTENTS
Image Credits ………………………………………………………………… x
Foreword ………………………………………………………………….. xiii
How to Use This Book …………………………………………………… xv
Author’s Notes …………………………………………………………… xvii
Acknowledgments ……………………………………………………….. xix
Introduction …………………………………………………………………. 1
PART ONE: THE BASICS
Chapter 1: Approaching Outcomes
Outcomes: The Third Stage of Management ………………………….. 8
The Problem Approach …………………………………………………… 10
The Activity Approach …………………………………………………….. 11
The Process Approach ……………………………………………………. 12
The Vision Approach ……………………………………………………… 13
In Summary …………………………………………………………………. 15
Chapter 2: The Language of Outcomes
Understanding the Language …………………………………………… 17
Shifting Perspectives ……………………………………………………… 27
From Funder to Investor …………………………………………………. 28
From Activity to Results ………………………………………………….. 31
From Service to Change ………………………………………………….. 32
Chapter 3: The Shape of Outcomes
The Importance of a Target ……………………………………………… 35
Characteristics of Well-Defined Outcome Statements …………….. 36
Positive Improvement ……………………………………………………. 36
Meaningful ………………………………………………………………… 38
Sustainable ………………………………………………………………… 39
Bound in Time …………………………………………………………….. 42
Bound in Number …………………………………………………………. 43
Narrowly Focused . . . ……………………………………………………. 47
. . . and Doable (with a Stretch!) ………………………………………. 48
Measurable ………………………………………………………………… 49
Verifiable ………………………………………………………………….. 54
Chapter 4: Finding Your Outcomes
You Get What You Measure ……………………………………………… 57
Results-Based Accountability (RBA) ………………………………….. 62
A Common Outcome Framework ………………………………………. 65
Outcomes and Indicators ……………………………………………….. 66
Knowledge/Learning/Attitude …………………………………………. 66
Behavior ……………………………………………………………………. 66
Condition/Status ………………………………………………………….. 67
PART TWO: WORKING WITH OUTCOMES
Chapter 5: Planning with Outcomes …………………………….73
Outcome Management Framework …………………………………… 76
Another Approach ……………………………………………………….. 84
Chapter 6: The Capacity for Outcomes
CAT: The Capacity Assessment Tool ………………………………….. 95
GTO ………………………………………………………………………… 101
SEED ……………………………………………………………………….. 116
Chapter 7: Tracking with Outcomes …………………………… 121
Chapter 8: Learning with Outcomes
Data versus Information versus Knowledge ………………………… 135
Chapter 9: Communicating with Outcomes ……………….. 155
The Smart Chart …………………………………………………………. 159
Chapter 10: Communicating Our Outcomes ………………. 171
Scales and Ladders ……………………………………………………… 174
The Program Results Story ……………………………………………. 184
Three Core Questions: Audience, Content, and Flow ……………. 197
The Story Pyramid ……………………………………………………… 200
PART THREE: ADVANCED TOOLS
Chapter 11: The Power of Six Sigma …………………………… 211
Chapter 12: Keeping It All in Balance ………………………… 241
Typical Scorecard ……………………………………………………….. 242
The Public Sector Scorecard …………………………………………… 243
A Governmental Scorecard ……………………………………………. 245
A Social Sector Scorecard ……………………………………………… 246
An OASAS Scorecard …………………………………………………… 247
Chapter 13: Budgeting with Outcomes ………………………. 255
Chapter 14: Outcomes in Administration ………………….. 261
Writing the Results Description ……………………………………… 264
PART FOUR: OTHER TOOLS AND PERSPECTIVES
Chapter 15: A Different View of Nonprofits ……………….. 271
Chapter 16: Thinking about Value ……………………………. 279
Chapter 17: Building Value In ……………………………………. 291
Chapter 18: A Few Final Tools . . .
Looking for Trouble: FMEA ………………………………………….. 305
Gone Fishin’: A Cause and Effect Analysis ………………………….312
TRIZ: Considering the Contradictions ……………………………… 316
One Final Tool: Process Management ……………………………… 319
Process Documentation ……………………………………………….. 320
Process Mapping ……………………………………………………….. 324
Value Stream Mapping ………………………………………………… 326
