4.2 Identify intervention outputs

The TOC Process Data collection and analysis (identify problems) Use causal analysis to create a problem tree Create a solution tree and identify pathways of change Identify assumptions and articulate rationales Prioritize outcomes the project will address Clearly outline who will address other outcomes Identify intervention outputs Transfer the TOC to the logframe Identify indicators for TOC components Complete complementary documentation Review annually at minimum You are here !

Which outcomes need an intervention? Not every outcome in the TOC requires an intervention. Some outcomes are “actionable” – others are simply the result of the preconditions that come before them. Typically, entry-level or “actionable” outcomes are the in the bottom tiers of the diagram. They are the tails of pathways-- outcomes that have no preconditions/ no arrows leading to them.

Which outcomes need an intervention? Interventions are needed to set the wheels of change in motion and achieve the outcome “gender-equitable access to entrepreneurial & technical training increased.” However, the next two outcomes in the pathway, “ improved technical skills for off-farm livelihoods” and “Improved entrepreneurial literacy” require no interventions. Our theory states that if we achieve the precondition “ increased access to training” we should also achieve both of these outcomes.

Which outcomes need an intervention? This slide demonstrates the outcomes that need outputs. Other outcomes should be the result of achieving the preconditions leading to them.

Selecting Interventions First criteria ! Proposed interventions must have a clear and logical link to at least one outcome presented in the TOC.

Selecting Interventions How does your organization come up with a list of potential interventions ? Sources for potential interventions: Input from communities on desired solutions Best practices (including latest assessments) Lessons learned from previous projects (including evaluation reports) Individual and institutional experiences Ideas from review of research and secondary literature

Selecting Interventions Once the team proposes a number of options, the next step is to examine and select which ones the project will implement. It is important to: Develop criteria to base decisions on List assumptions/rationales about the connection between particular interventions and the outcomes they are expected to generate. Ask critical questions - what else do we need to know? What is already in place? Identify any risks associated with the intervention (do-no-harm)

Selecting Interventions Develop Criteria Sustainability Integration across technical sectors Community support & social acceptability Extent to which it builds on existing capacities & opportunities Level of risk Political sensitivity Required management support Technical feasibility, institutional capacity, and potential for partnering Cost effectiveness This is not a comprehensive list of criteria for selecting interventions, but it is a starting point. Program planners always should consider the assumptions, risks, critical questions, and local context when narrowing down and finally deciding on interventions. Ask participants to share other criteria they commonly apply when selecting interventions.

Selecting Interventions List assumptions/rationales related to interventions What makes us confident that if we implement “intervention X” we will achieve “outcome Y”? Are these factors completely outside the control of our project? Are these factors that we can influence? Do we have evidence demonstrating this link? Are we taking anything for granted related to the political, environmental, or social context? Are we taking anything for granted about other stakeholders and their capacities? As discussed in Session 3.2, there always will be assumptions about the connection between particular interventions and the outcomes we expect them to generate. Some will be external assumptions; conditions important to achieving a particular outcome, but completely outside the project’s control. Others will be internal assumptions—conditions important to achieving a particular outcome, which are in our control (e.g., people’s willingness to adopt a new practice). When we have evidence to support certain assumptions that explain why we believe our efforts will result in a particular outcome, we can document them as rationales.   As we consider which interventions to promote, we need to explore all types of assumptions in order to select the most promising ones.

Selecting Interventions Ask Critical Questions Critical questions are those queries you can and must answer during the design of a project to determine appropriateness of actions. Before adding an intervention to your program strategy, you need to answer these questions. For example, If land is limited, how will livestock projects be implemented? How will the project conduct training opportunities for populations with limited education and literacy? Critical questions differ from assumptions in that they should lead to team actions as part of the design

Selecting Interventions List risks related to interventions Is there any chance that the intervention will create new inequalities, disincentives, or other unintended consequences? e.g., efforts to improve gender equality result in increased domestic violence e.g., efforts to get farmers to diversify crops, result in market saturation….low prices…..reduced production of staple foods. Other examples, from your experience? Risks related to interventions can be directly related to assumptions. For example, what might happen if your assumptions do not hold? Risks additionally include external conditions that have some probability of negatively affecting the link between the intervention and the outcome. Risks also include unintended consequences that result from program interventions. For example, efforts to improve gender equality might result in increased domestic violence or efforts to encourage farmers to diversify crops might result in market saturation and low prices. When selecting interventions, make sure to explore the risk of creating new inequalities, disincentive effects, or other unintended consequences.

Target Groups Groups of people who are deliberately engaged in program interventions as a means to achieve overarching goal for the impact population. Example of target (but not impact) group: to deal with issues of absence of women’s rights, groups of men will clearly be part of the target group. Specify target groups when describing interventions.

Inserting Intervention Outputs in the TOC After selecting the most appropriate interventions, determine the immediate product of the intervention (output) Frame the output as a result, making sure to identify specific target groups. Insert into the TOC, using a different color shape, text, or other means of differentiating from outcomes.

Inserting Intervention Outputs in the TOC The red type is highlighting distinct target groups for interventions and distinct impact groups for some of the outcomes.

Assumptions and Rationales As always, review the plausibility of the causal logic each time there is a new addition to the TOC. Practitioners implementing FFP Activities should add to the TOC diagram any external assumptions identified earlier that apply to output-to-outcome linkages. We do not need to add internal assumptions to the TOC diagram, but we should document them as some part of the M&E plan. Also add rationales that help explain the causal logic to the TOC diagram, specifically those that adhere to the criteria described in Session 3.2, Slide 18: Output-to-outcome linkages. Support new assumptions and rationales in the TOC Complementary Documentation.

Small Group Work

Instructions for small group work Identify TOC outcomes that require interventions. Brainstorm potential interventions and use selection criteria (Handout 4.2a) to choose the most appropriate responses. Note assumptions, rationales, critical questions, and risks in Tool 4.2 Frame the outputs of selected interventions as results Identify specific target groups!

Instructions for small group work Insert each output into the TOC diagram, using a different color shape, text, or other means of differentiating from outcomes. Insert identified rationales and external assumptions into the TOC using the same color and shape you used earlier for assumptions/ rationales.