Evidence Planning Tool

What is the Evidence Planning Tool?

The Evidence Planning Tool is a systematic approach to define, communicate, and refine goals, while gathering and structuring information about how the project achieved the intended outcomes and changes in practice. It helps organisations and individuals to think more broadly about the effects of their work on beneficiaries, society and other stakeholders. The Evidence Planning Tool also allows you to project the effects of your activities on the future, which helps to think about what you might want to change or keep.

The tool is valuable in determining whether there are alternative approaches or processes that can be used to achieve the goal more effectively. In addition, it highlights potential problems or mistakes that can be easily made early on, which helps to improve the process. The tool forces reflection and critical evaluation of every aspect of a plan, making problems visible before they occur in practice.

The tool can be used (1) as part of ongoing monitoring and evaluation of a project or programme, (2) to test the potentially outdated way of working, (3) to bring focus to the approach and (4) to stimulate new problem-solving approaches, by critically analysing assumptions and evidence.

How do you use the Evidence Planning Tool?

The figure below presents a visual overview of the Evidence Planning Tool.

This image consists of four elements (enhance, replace, limit, reuse). In the middle of the cycle, the main goal of the project or organisation can be placed. The four elements help to reflect on four important dimensions of the project or organization. Below is an explanation of these dimensions:

1. Enhance: This understanding helps analyse added value of the project. In an example they looked at how the project created new jobs and skills for young people, thereby strengthening the local community economically.
2. Replace: Analyses what the project replaces, such as an outdated method. For example, a project that replaces traditional energy sources with renewable energy can demonstrate how this transition will benefit from the old way of working.
3. Limit: This element helps identify the limitations or drawbacks of the project. Imagine that a sustainable agricultural project has undesirable side effects, such as the temporary reduction of yields, then the analysis of this element provides insight into how these adverse effects can be managed.
4. Reuse: This concept offers the opportunity to reflect on which existing resources or knowledge can be reused. An example of this is a project that builds on existing infrastructure to save costs, such as reusing existing technologies within an organization.

The strength of the Evidence Planning Tool therefore lies in the application of these concepts in the context of a specific project. By analysing these thoroughly, it becomes possible to take a holistic view of both the positive and negative impacts, as well as ways to leverage existing value.

The Evidence Planning Toolkit gives some examples of how the Evidence Planning Tool is applied in practice. For example, UNDP Kosovo used the Evidence Planning Tool to evaluate the social and economic impact of new development programmes. For example, under Enhance, it looked at how the project created new jobs and skills for young people, thereby strengthening the local community economically. Under Replace the team analysed how outdated working methods within the community were being replaced by more sustainable and innovative practices, such as adopting green energy solutions. Under Limit they focused on the possible negative effects, such as a temporary slowdown in employment, while under Reuse they investigated how existing knowledge, and infrastructure could be used to reduce costs and increase impact. The use of the Evidence Planning Tool by UNDP Kosovo helped identify key factors for engagement, such as art students’ interest in aesthetics. In addition, it emphasized the need for a well-structured process to effectively leverage the voluntary commitment of participants.

This can be done in different ways. you could for example organise an internal work session with the team, or you can organise an external meeting, where you retrieve information from the environment. The figure below shows the format of the model you fill in for this.

What is the origin of the Evidence Planning Tool?

The Evidence Planning Tool evolved from Nesta’s Creative Enterprise Toolkit, developed in 2009 to support creative entrepreneurs in developing viable businesses. Nesta is a British non-profit organization that focuses on innovation to tackle major societal problems. An important part of the toolkit was the so-called Evidence Modelling. This model helped users to define project outcomes, test assumptions and map out the possible impact of their innovations. Through evidence modelling, different methods, including structured interview were applied to identify direct influences on knowledge, policy and practice. This process helps define impact chains, carefully examining the connections between project activities and their outcomes. Evidence modelling and the resulting Evidence Planning Tool was inspired by methods such as Marshall McLuhan’s Tetrad Model, which explores how innovations can improve, replace, limit or build on existing systems.