We believe outcome statements should be meaningful, measurable, and manageable. This is our second post in this series, examining the second M. Organizations often struggle to identify outcomes that are both meaningful and measurable. But, because they are required to measure their outcomes, they sacrifice meaningfulness and just count what is easy to count. Sound familiar? So, we don’t recommend that organizations start with this second M. Instead, start with what is meaningful and then figure out how to make it measurable.
Indicators are the Key
Our outcome “mad lib” goes like this: “___% of participants who _____ will _____ as indicated by ______.” In other words, in our outcome statements, we tell you how we will know the outcome has been achieved, because our most meaningful outcomes don’t often have universal, shared meanings and definitions. Here are some examples:
| Outcome | Indicator | |
| Participants will gain financial literacy skills | as indicated by . . . | An increase on their Financial Capability Survey score. |
| Participants will demonstrate the ability to advocate for themselves | as indicated by . . . | Completion of 3/5 self-advocacy behaviors on the checklist. |
Indicators can take many forms . . .
Scores. In the first example, you will notice that our indicator is tied to a score on an assessment. When you’re using a measurement tool that’s designed to measure the outcome you care about, in the way you’ve defined it, a participant’s score or change on that measure can be an indicator in and of itself.
Observations. In the second example, the organization has operationalized the outcome they seek with a behavioral checklist of their own, and the indicator of achievement is completion of a certain percent of items on the list.
Self-Reports. A third example doesn’t follow our “mad lib” as well because it pertains to outcomes that cannot be objectively measured or observed but instead rely on participants’ own self-assessment and -report: “Participants report experiencing improved sense of safety in their homes.” Essentially, the participant’s report is the indicator.
This is such a common challenge that we’ve written about it before. The title of our first post on the topic has become a motto around here: You cannot measure what you have not defined! Our follow-up post to that provides strategies for measuring the hard-to-measure outcomes, the ones you can’t see or measure directly. Check those out if you want to dig deeper.
As we strive for meaningful and measurable outcomes, it’s easy to go overboard. In an effort to capture the value and nuance of our work, we write many outcomes with specific and nuanced indicators. This might look great on a grant, but you’ll regret it when you have to build a new spreadsheet, modify your database, hand-count forms, or re-read three months’ worth of progress notes in order to report on the outcomes you’ve crafted. Next time, I’ll talk about the last of our three M’s – making it manageable.