Now that you are clear about your aim and outcomes, you need to work out how you will show the change your project is achieving over time.
There are two key steps to this process:
- understanding and identifying the signs of change (using indicators)
- measuring the extent of change that is happening (tracking progress).
Why is tracking progress important?
Tracking project progress will help you to:
- know if your project is making the difference you intended
- understand what's working and what isn't and help you make changes to your project, if you need to
- track progress and provide information to your funder(s)
- learn from your project.
At BIG we are interested in understanding how much overall change or improvement will result from funding a particular project.
Read our Guidance on indicators and Guidance on monitoring
Tracking progress - key points checklist
- Have you identified at least one indicator for each outcome?
- Do your indicators describe the signs that will tell you if a change is happening?
- Have you described the scale or level of the change you wish to achieve at key points during the project, and by the end of the project?
- What methods will you use to track your indicators?
- How do you know if this is the most appropriate way to collect information?
- Are your indicators realistic?
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