Outcomes Approach

ESS has always promoted an outcomes approach when it comes to self-evaluation because outcomes are about the difference that your organisation makes.

But we also understand that the outcomes approach can sometimes be tricky! Over many years we’ve developed loads of resources and held events on various outcomes topics – from defining outcomes, to setting outcomes, and mapping outcomes – just to name a few.

On this page we signpost to some of our work to support you in using the outcomes approach to evaluation. We aim to keep updating this page.

Resources

Report

Were we wrong to talk about outcomes? What else is there to talk about?

This report gives a brief summary of our discussions in our ‘Were we wrong to talk about outcomes?’ event in February 2021, and sets out some suggested next steps.

Understanding different outcomes – personal, organisational, strategic

Webinar

Outcomes everywhere but which are mine? – webinar

This webinar will give you lots of ideas about how to make sense of different levels of outcomes and how to map them on to each other.

Blogs

Blog

Mapping personal outcomes to project-level outcomes

Shona Wells, ESS Training Officer talks about how she helps third sector organisations see a way to use personal outcomes to show the difference their service makes.

Posted on: 25/05/2021

Reading time: 1 minute

Blog

Does the National Performance Framework mean anything to the third sector?

ESS Director Steven Marwick reflects on an event ESS ran with the Scottish Government earlier in June.

Posted on: 25/05/2021

Reading time: 1 minute

Other resources on mapping various outcomes

Befriending outcomes (Extract from The Source to the sea)

This extract from The Source to the Sea gives examples of outcomes for befriendees, volunteer befrienders, local communities, amenities and businesses, and those commissioning befriending services.
Mapping advice outcomes to national outcomes (Extract from measuring Outcomes Citizens Advice)

This extract from Measuring Outcomes Citizens Advice gives examples of how advice outcomes can be mapped to National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes. Indicators for Measuring Citizens Advice can be found
Threading the Needle – Learning point: We need to build the focus on outcomes

Using third sector evidence to commission outcomes for health and social care – We need to build the focus on outcomes shares what ESS has found out about current practice

Framework

Third Sector Interface Outcome Framework

ESS was commissioned by Scottish Government to facilitate the development of an outcomes framework for third sector interfaces for the work that Scottish Government directly fund through the Third Sector Division.

For general support in setting outcomes

ESS Support Guides

ESS Support Guide 1a Setting outcomes

This guide helps organisations work out what their outcomes are and how to write them.
ESS Support Guide 1b Working out what to measure (Setting indicators for your outcomes)

This guide explains ways to develop and use indicators to help measure outcomes.

‘Evaluation Explained’ videos

What is an outcome?

Training Officer Shona Wells explains what outcomes are in one minute!
How to write an outcome

Shona Wells, ESS Training Officer, talks you through writing an outcome in one minute!
What is an indicator?

Grace Robertson, Training Officer at Evaluation Support Scotland explains indicators in less than one minute!
Working out what to measure: Setting indicators

Training Officer Grace Robertson talks through what to measure and setting indicators for evaluation in less than one minute!

Case Studies

Case Study: Music 4 U

This case study is about how a range of evaluation support helped Music 4 U get to grips with evaluation, and got them all on the same page.
Case Study: The Ecology Centre

This case study from The Ecology Centre is about how working as a team can help develop good evaluation practice .
Case Study: Pain Concern Helpline

This case study is about the steps Pain Concern took in order to capture the difference their telephone helpline makes for people living in chronic pain.