Why impact planning is important

During my time at CSIRO, I was very fortunate to pioneer a workshop approach to the planning for impact.

When organisations first implement an impact management approach, it is often in response to an accountability issue. Unsurprisingly, they tend to rush towards impact evaluation in an attempt to demonstrate to relevant stakeholders that funding and other resources are being utilised to good effect, and for the purposes intended.

However, rushing towards impact evaluation is problematic if there was no planning for the targeted impact in the first place! The key issue becomes one of evidence – relevant monitoring data has not been collected, baselines for KPIs weren’t determined, etc.; and on that basis, addressing the accountability issue by establishing robust and defensible claims about the impact that has been achieved becomes extremely difficult.

The need to facilitate effective evaluation is one reason why impact planning is important. Through working in this space for several years, Tractuum has identified a number of other key reasons why organisations must plan for their impact:

  • It increases the likelihood of achieving outcomes, at the very least. This is a result of identifying the logical pathway through the uptake and adoption space towards the targeted impact, and by encouraging early engagement with relevant stakeholders in that outcomes space to ensure the planned deliverables meet their requirements;
  • It is a growing requirement of government and other stakeholders for funding, as funders increasingly must provide evidence to stakeholders that their funds enable their desired effects, beyond the simple delivery of outputs;
  • It improves the ability of organisations to align relevant capabilities to end user and other key stakeholder needs, by requiring consideration of those needs in the context of impact delivery;
  • It enables teams and organisations to more effectively articulate and communicate the value of their work to key stakeholders. This in turn drives support for/assistance with the delivery of impact, the reputation of the organisation, and future funding opportunities; and
  • This improved communication of value provides greater confidence to clients, the government, the public, and/or other stakeholders that the organisation or team has a clear understanding of its targeted impacts, the pathway to their delivery, and the attributable role of the organisation/team in relation to the impact, evidenced through effective, fit-for-purpose KPIs set out in the impact pathway canvas.

When planning for impact, planners require a clear and detailed understanding of:

  • The purpose of the organisation, and how the proposed impacts advance this purpose;
  • The strategic objectives of the organisation, and how achieving the desired impacts will address them; and
  • The relevant stakeholders, and the value they expect from the organisation/program of work/project.

Does your organisation plan for its impact? If not, are you ready to commence your impact management journey through an impact planning process? Do our ‘impact health check’ to find out.

#Informative
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