Why just about every indicator system in the world needs to be fixed! April 5, 2009
Posted by Paul Duignan in : Accountability, Communicating outcomes models, Doing evaluation more efficiently, Easy Outcomes, Evaluation planning, Indicators, Measurement, Outcomes models, Outcomes systems architecture, Reporting systems, Standards, Using the approach , trackbackI’ve just posted a new article in the Outcomes Theory Knowledge Base on why it is essential to map indicators onto an underlying visual outcomes model. I blogged a little while ago about why we should be wary of too-tidy indicator sets and in the article I explain why. The vast majority of indicator systems in the world suffer from the problem set out in the article – they are just a straight list of indicators set out in tabular format. They give the user no idea as to whether a number of important steps and outcomes are not being measured. Those using such systems remain blissfully unaware of this. In my view, all these straight indicator sets need to be fixed. It’s not particularly difficult, it just requires some work. How to draw the underlying outcomes models is set out in the outcomes model standards and how to then use such models for indicator mapping and many other things is described in detail in the applied version of outcomes theory – Easy Outcomes.
Currently people work with indicator lists all the time and have not idea as to whether they are just pursuing the measurable. What they should be doing is pursuing the important and using measurement where it can be used to help them do this. All of this has major consequences maximizing the chances that social and other programs will make a real difference in the world.
The new article is Duignan, P. (2009). Indicators – why they should be mapped onto a visual outcomes model. Outcomes Theory Knowledge Base Article No 235. (http://knol.google.com/k/~/~/2m7zd68aaz774/72). Post any comments you have on the bottom of it.
Later addition: There is now another paper which highlights the problem with outcomes systems just having a single list of indicators. It is here.
Paul Duignan, PhD
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[...] OutcomesBlog.Org placed an observative post today on Why just about every indicator system in the world needs to be fixed!Here’s a quick excerptI’ve just posted a new article in the Outcomes Theory Knowledge Base on why it is essential to map indicators onto an underlying visual outcomes model. I blogged a little while ago about why we should be wary of too-tidy indicator sets and in the article I explain why. The vast majority of indicator systems in the world suffer from the problem set out in the article – they are just a straight list of indicators set out in tabular format. They give the user no idea as to whether a number of imp [...]