4.2 Identify intervention outputs

1. 4.2 Identify intervention outputs

2. 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 !

3. 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.

4. Which outcomes need an intervention?

5. Which outcomes need an intervention?

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

7. 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

8. 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)

9. Selecting Interventions 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 Develop Criteria

10. Selecting 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? List assumptions/rationales related to interventions

11. Selecting Interventions 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 Ask Critical Questions

12. Selecting 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? List risks related to interventions

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. Inserting Intervention Outputs in the TOC

16. Assumptions and Rationales

17. Small Group Work

18. 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!

19. 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.