My Communities

of the pitfalls, of concern to my organization is putting the context into perspective. This is important because we are a governemnt agency and are therefore not immune to the ever changing political environment

Confusing accountability with hope
Failing to take the external context into account
I will create learning agenda

Might fail to take external content into account, because we are not familiar with all the external influences. To avoid this a deep understanding should be developed.

It would probably be creating a mirror instead of a target because we seem to know already that we are doing what needs to be done, and to avoid this we will need to examine ourselves critically and answer the question of what we want the outcomes to be.

I worry that my organization might not meet and take all external context into account, because it might be possible not to see all contexts to be happened, seeing the political state in my country. The political situation causes so much effects on the project that it is so difficult to track and define all external context. To avoid this, I will propose to keep in touch constantly with stakeholders, to get more information and deeper understanding of the situation

I worry that my organization might fall victim to creating a mirror instead of a target because the majority mindset is that there isn't a problem. Most of our organization is white male, age 50-75. Opportunities to engage in mindful dialog, to recognize pain points of fellow colleagues, etc. have been unsuccessful. To avoid this, I am working with our Director to execute unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, and Outward Mindset training and sensing sessions prior to the deployment of our baseline study and strategic planning workshops. My Director is working, daily, with our leadership to set the tone for change to an equitable and accessible workplace.

Your interest in further research will be helpful. I suggest establishing a baseline study that captures the current state of action items identified in the previous strategic plan (if one exists.) If a prior strategy with defined goals isn't available, I suggest research and surveys to detail where your intended goal-sets stand at this point. Doing this will help identify areas that are doing well with current practices as well as pain points that require attention.

I worry that my organization might not take into account the external context because we do not have sufficient understanding and data on factors outside of our control which could impact/delay change. To avoid this, i will propose a context analysis to be done to identify the key program stakeholders and factors which could impact/delay change.

Failing to take the external context into account is the most worrying pitfall because some organisations undermine their inputs into the process and decide to develop TOC internally only.

I worry that my organization might Confuse accountability with hope, because their current thinking is that TOC is a pictorial representation of what the organization is already doing and not what it will hold itself accountable for achieving. to avoid this, I will create a 15mins slide on these identified pitfalls and discuss with members of my team, before we commence the design of my organization's TOC

I worry that my organization might Confuse accountability with hope, because their current thinking is that TOC is a pictorial representation of what the organization is already doing and not what it will hold itself accountable for achieving. to avoid this, I will create a 15mins slide on these identified pitfalls and discuss with members of my team, before we commence the design of my organization's TOC

I worry that my organization might Confusing accountability with hope because there are so many goals that don't related in our mission statement . To avoid this, I will try to run ToC process in my organization.

In my organization, some of the key pitfalls that are very hard to avoid are:

• Lack of proper measure of the impact in the community served

• Lack of will to invest in the human capital development

• Lack of funds

• Lack of will to go with changing world

• Structure of the program

• Staff migration

I worry that my organization might "Not confirming the plausibility of your theory" because the plausibility of the strategy is not frequently verified. To avoid this, I will run a focused review of the market and customers interests.

confusing accountability with hope, this can be avoided by defining our results and goals

I worry that my organization might create a theory that's not measurable because we are still new to establishing indicators and determining the ability to measure the indicator. To avoid this, I will have the pillar leads develop logframes that force an understanding as to if the TOC has the appropriate level of specificity

pitfalls include confusing accountability with very broad , hopeful goals rather than focusing on what the organisation wants to do and be accountable for. To do this better, we have to remind ourselves it is not a vision statement that we're after here, it's a practical, workable process to hold the organisation to real goals, outcomes and interventions.

I worry that my orgainzation might pitfalls becouse of confusing accountability with hope to adovide this I will create accountabiltiy pillars.

I worry that my organization might fall because of activities and resources. To avoid this, I will Change my strategy to work.

My organization might fail to avoid creating a mirror instead of a target because the field planners tend to repeat the same routine interventions for the sake of finding easy results. To avoid this, I will arrange a participatory approach involving not only the field staff but also the members of the communities to find real needs and problems

Who are you seeking to influence or benefit ?

2. What benefits are you seeking to achieve ?
3. When will you achieve them ?
4. How will you and others make this happen (activities, strategies, resources, etc.)?
5. Where and under what circumstances will you do your work (context)?
6. Why do you believe your theory will bear out (assumptions)

I worry that my organization might confuse accountability with hope because we don't have an effective M&E department to hold the program department accountable. To avoid this, I will involve the program department in defining clear results for all our programs.

I believe my organisation might create a theory that is not measurable. The goal is to combat global land degradation. To avoid this , it is best to create intermediate outcomes that are predictive of the long term goal

I worry that my organization might Confuse accountability with hope, because their current thinking is that TOC is a pictorial representation of what the organization is already doing and not what it will hold itself accountable for achieving. to avoid this, I will create a 15mins slide on these identified pitfalls and discuss with members of my team, before we commence the design of my organization's TOC

I worry that my organisation might have the pitfall of meeting target. To avoid this, I will ensure that the organisation program plan is flexible to change.

I worry that my organisation might develop a theory of change that will create a mirror instead of a target. To avoid this my organisation should develop a theory of change that articulates the problem to be solved and also identify necessary activities, strategies, resources and the like.

Assuming you've figured it all out is kind's like trap there always capture use. Usually, we have expended too much energy and thought at the beginning of the facilitation process, assuming that the process has been completed. even though we work in quite dynamic social conditions, where changes often occur.

I worry that my organization might creatt a mirror instead of a target, because people might not be open to change. tTo aviod this, I will use a a participatory approach where they will own the suggested changes.

I worry that my organization might fail to take the external context into account because we may not be expecting changes in the economic climate, and other factors. To avoid this, I will take in consideration that a coalition is soon forming to triage and coordinate the activities of providers and deliver what results are achievable. A deep understanding of the external context will help me create a more realistic theory of change.

theory of change helps us identify where our company is heading

theory of change helps us identify where our company is heading

I worry that my organization might fail to take the external context into account because we may not be expecting changes in the economic climate, and other factors. To avoid this, I will take in consideration that a coalition is soon forming to triage and coordinate the activities of providers and deliver what results are achievable. A deep understanding of the external context will help me create a more realistic theory of change.

I worry that my organization might have challenges confirming the plausibility of our theory due to scarcity of context specific literature and data . To avoid this, I will leverage data from other countries with similar characteristics.

I agree that analysing and keeping an eye on the external environment is key. One question I have is, how do we do this with minimal resources to ensure that it does not become a strain on the organization (especially start ups)?

I worry that my organization might creating a mirror instead of a target because there is no strategy to identify necessary activities, strategies, resources, capabilities and culture. To avoid this, I will try communicate with my executive director to identify the concrete target.

I worry that my organization might find it difficult to avoid Creating a mirror instead of a target because it is very easy to simply reflect what an organization is already doing; rather than having it work backward to identify necessary activities, strategies, resources, capabilities, culture, and so on. In order to avoid this, I will simply work hard to make sure that my theory of change has led my team to propose changes to those elements.

I worry that my organization might create a theory that isn’t measurable because at times it’s difficult to determine if an activity has achieved the intended results. For example, when offering mentorship or training to the youths it’s up to them to decide how relevant or irrelevant the information is and how best to implement the strategies discussed.
To avoid this pitfall, I think we need to be specific on the input, output, and the outcomes we hope to achieve. We need to determine what’s working and operationalize the theory of change to achieve both intermediate and long term goals

Confusing accountability with hope is one most organizations make when developing theory of change

I worry that my organization might be assuming we’ve figured it all out because we have a lot of years of experience in the area. To avoid this, I will propose making a learning agenda.

My organization might experience a pitfall of creating a theory that isn't measurable as no clear predefined measures are provided for us . To avoid this, I will communicate with all stakeholders to agree on realistic measures to define success.

I worry that my organization might not be able put a good theory of change rather because we are focussing on what has already been done than articulating what the organization wants to be held accountable for, and works backward to identify necessary activities, strategies, resources, capabilities, culture, and so on. To avoid this, I will make sure we stay away from the pitfalls of writing the theory of change.

I worry my organization might create a mirror instead of a target because it has not lead to the changes we want to see in some of our activities and strategies, to avoid we will articulate what the organization wants to be held accountable for, and work backward to identify necessary activities, strategies, resources, capabilities. thats needs to be put in place.

I'm afraid the last pitfalls "Assuming you have figured it all out" is the most difficult one to avoid in our organization as many of the board members have been engaging in the cause and the organization for long enough that they keep thinking they know it inside out. To avoid it from happening in the future, I would suggest to strengthen points 3 and 4 in the organization to help alerting them of the external environment and landscape that surrounding our organization and help them to realize the reality.

I worry that my organization might fail to take the external context into account because it does not have a strong culture of collaboration and networking, and is often focused on its own activities and programs only. To avoid this, I will gather information about the context and have clear examples to give about cases when external context is not taken into account.

My organization may not be able to avoid the 3rd and 6th pitfall, that is, failing to take the external context into account and assuming that everything has been planned. To avoid these pitfalls, the ToC will be constantly revisited in case any change is noticed in the external world

creating a mirror instead of a target is costing organizations a lot of incomplete projects, this could be avoided if the organizational theory of change specifically mention the target they need to achieve as concrete as possible, and work toward achieving such target.

goal is the ultimate in the theory of change for its the campus that activates all the players and urge them to achieve it. creating one will be helpful for your organization.

I worry that my organization might be unable to avoid the pitfall of failing to take the external context into account because it is largely beyond the control of my organization. Attempts to avoid this, I will recommend effective communication among peer organizations.

The pathway of change is an important feature of the theory of change, but it is not the whole thing. This stage of the theory of change is so important because it shows the overall of the theory. However, details of each stage within the theory are not revealed by the pathway of change.

First of all, I will let the planning team knows that the focus of the team is to produce workable and impactful theory of change tailored at the long-term goals of the program at the end of the day. In the process to produce such theory, every hand must be on desk and sincerity should be our watch word. I will create a safe space for difficult conversations by making sure they maintain decorum when the conversation is going on. There should not be any interruption when anyone is talking. If anyone when to talk, he/she should signify by rising her/his hand up.

The goal of the program is to reduce physical abuse of children. This indicates that children is the target population. However, there is need to sensitize parents and guidance on the effects of physical abuse of children. However, the program is not sure of the school teachers where those children attend.

Necessary precondition for providing clean, safe, and drinkable water to all of the residents in their region including making water available by digging well or borehole. The sufficient precondition is make sure the water is clean by providing chemical to residents to treat the water always.

Identification of assumptions may be difficult when creating the theory of change. In order to make sure participants are honest, I will first work on their mindset. I will let them know that honest opinion about assumption is very important. I can start by starting reasonable assumptions why they are part of the planning team. Moving further by letting them to know that, this organization is in existence because of some reasonable assumptions. I believe with this approach, they will able to give honest opinion on assumptions towards the implementation of the theory of change.

After beneficiaries view my theory of change, they should understand what they program entails and specifically what they are going to benefit as well as their responsibilities towards the implementation of the program.

I attempted to compare Fiver Children’s Foundation theory of change with that of the Hunger Project global theory of change's pathway of change diagrams. From my perspective, Fiver Children's Foundation pathway of change diagram is easy to understand compare to that of Hunger Project global. This is because the hunger project global is to wordy and some of the information in the diagram can go to the narrative document. Also, the direction if the pathway of change diagram of the Fiver children's foundation is well understood compared to that of Hunger project Global.

Children group of people will be most important to speak to as you refine your Theory of Change. The kind of question we will like to ask them include:
How frequent do they experience physical abuse by their parent(s), guidance or any other person?
Which forms of physical abuse do they always experience?

I worry that my organization might fail to take the external context into account because we often work in our own bubble without fully undersatnding the communities we are expending into. To avoid this, I will reach out to community organizations and stakeholders to form collaborative partnerships and listen to their needs.

I worry that my organization might assume that we’ve figured it all out. Considering the project delays caused by the pandemic and other operational challenges, the project team might be more focused on catching up with the implementation and achieving targets in the remaining project life. This may result in deprioritization of regular reflection of our ToC’s assumptions. To avoid this, I will ensure that this sessions are integrated as regular agenda of the project’s M&E related learning activities.

I worry my organization might be too optimistic, to avoid this I will assist in critically thinking

The Pitfall my organization may encounter is assuming they have figured it all yet the environment is ever changing and complex and people's needs are diverse.

I will address it by working in our team to ensure that we regularly brainstorm on different assumptions, correct more information and assess how they affect intermediate outcomes

I fear that my organization may be able to achieve the goals because the target. To avoid this, I will instead propose to work with the targets of the formal: elementary schools, colleges and high schools

ToC should be realistic and measurable. Since we should not only mention our hopes but also we should mention the results, all the subways, and asumptions.

I worry that my organisation is not taking the external context, policy and decision-makers, into account, at least not enough. This because the research and evidence we generated need to be considered by decision-makers and converted into policy actions for the expected changes to occur in societies. To avoid this, advocacy needs to be included into our activities.

I worry that my organization might not receive the benefits that it seeks because I am targeting the help and support of small businesses or people in the community. To avoid this, I will create a LARGE network of supporters outside of our target audience.

Not confirming the plausibility of your theory due to a lack of capacity to do researchon these topics and a lack of available data. Help create this capacity and advocate for its importance.

I think "creating a theory that's not measurable" will be most difficult to avoid. As it's important to check and improve the theory of change. To avoid this, I will create a logical model.

We much improve our learning agenda and not feel like we know everything

I worry that my organization might fail to take the external context into account. This happened in the past, with COVID and the results were that we had to add an extra effort to pay all our bills when the whole world was also suffering from it. To avoid this, we should understand that the whole world is connected, start following what is happening in different regions and discuss how things can impact our organization to create an action plan for those kinds of things.

I worry that my organisation has not taken into account all stakeholders in the project. To avoid this, I will have a brain-storming session to identify all the stakeholders, dividing them into directly involved and secondary stakeholders.

I worry that my organization might fail to avoid confusing accountability with hope because sometime it's not very easy to separate the mission from the long term impact we want to achieve. To avoid this, I will help my team to indicate measurable results that it wants to achieve.

To avoid this, I will ____________.

I worry that my organization might has difficulties on question 6) which consists in finding the circumstances in which we will do our work (context) because the context is very changing these days and it will be difficult to gather indicators at the right frequencies. to find out what works to within a degree. To avoid this, I defined intermediate results that predict longer-term results taking into account the aspirations of the beneficiaries, which will also be updated regularly according to the context.

i worry my organization might clarify because clarifying to avoid this i will research

Failing to take the external context into account.

You need to understand the process of indicator formulation more-so again there is need to take the context into play as it affects the achievability of the intent of the project pathways

Creating a theory that can't be measured is a very big vice in most of the nonprofit making organizations, where I work falls a suite.
Failing to measure progress means having nothing to report to your funders. Means failing to account well, failing to fulfill promises.
But can still be fought against if during designing the theory of change, all the experts can brainstorm and come up with measurable outcomes from activities.

A Theory of Change (ToC) of a project describes why change is needed and how it will happen. In simple terms, this involves identifying how you would like the current situation related to an identified problem to change, and how you think you can help that change to come about through your project.

we learn 6 kind of theory of change may use in the project

1. Who are you seeking to influence or benefit (target population)?
2. What benefits are you seeking to achieve (results)?
3. When will you achieve them (time period)?
4. How will you and others make this happen (activities, strategies, resources, etc.)?
5. Where and under what circumstances will you do your work (context)?
6. Why do you believe your theory will bear out (assumptions)?

I worry that my organization might not using the theory of change to communicate with stakeholders,because of limited resources To avoid this, I will ensure that everyone is aware of the change effort and is able to contribute to its success.

My orgnisation is using a different strategic planning concept that is a results frame work which is quite different from a theory of change

Moving good

I worry that my organization might "fail to take the external context into account" because it is hard to get the right external information, it is time consuming and complex. Most probably, investing time and money in research, and hiring an expert / consultant in the field to facilitate this exercise objectively might help the organization to create a tangible and relevant theory of change.

My organization has been using the log frame instead of theory of change. I believe theory of change approach is much better than the log frame approach.

I worry that my organization might not have done a deep analysis of the external context,to avoid this I will advise the director to conduct deep external environment scan

I worry that my organization might create a theory that is not measurable. This is because the indicators havent been developed. to avoid this i will develop SMART indicators.(Simple, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic,and time bound).

I worry that my organization would

worry that my organization might slow down because we are Creating a theory that isn’t measurable. To avoid this, I will be creating a good theory

worry that my organization might slow down because we are Creating a theory that isn’t measurable. To avoid this, I will be creating a good theory

I think the most important danger that threatens my organization is change. Ignoring external or environmental conditions. By using surveys and social studies, we can get out of this trap.

I worry that my organization might be struggling to have a clear theory of change across different programs because this has been a challenge in previous projects. To avoid this, I will work with program heads to come up with theory of change which are measurable with clear indicators to track progress.

I worry that my organization might avoid the third pitfall Ignore the external context.
Because the national Ministry of Education often brings reforms in the program and several partners intervene in our field (education).
To avoid this, we will first ask the Minister of Education about the establishment of a new program. Then we will get closer to the other partners to see how they adapt to the reforms in the educational program

In french
Je crains que mon organisation puisse éviter le troisième écueils Ne pas tenir compte du contexte externe.
Parce que le ministère de l’éducation national apporte souvent des reformes dans le programme et plusieurs partenaires interviennent dans notre domaine (éducation).
Pour éviter cela, nous allons dans une premier temps interroger le ministre de l’Éducation sur la mise en place d’un nouveau programme. Ensuite nous allons nous rapprocher des autres partenaires pour voir comment ils s’adaptent au reformes dans le programme éducatif

I worry my organization has not developed the TOC in a participatory manner. The pathway of the TOC has not been well understood by the relevant departments, as some of the activities delivered were not relevant to our TOC goals and project scope. I have learnt that the TOC has to be developed in a participatory manner, so that relevant departments are aware of the context and scope very well. As a result of the participatory approach non of the activities are deviating the TOC logic and the agreed pathways with the set results at different level.

In our agency, as part of the project development and management team, the "not confirming the plausibility of your theory" may be the one pitfall that is hard to avoid. The present management does not fully support the need to establish baselines in each and every indicator, hence, the interventions may not always be inter-related, and there may be a disconnect among interventions.

I worry that my organization might not be able to confirm the plausibility of our theory because it requires to first evaluate if every key point of our theory of change are feasible and viable. To avoid this, I will prepare more time ahead and throughout the theory of change exercise to be able to understand every key part of our theory of change.

-I worry that my organization might Confusing accountability because results were not clarify .what To avoid this, I will Defining results

I worry that my organization might not be able to confirm the plausibility of our theory because it requires to first evaluate if every key point of our theory of change are feasible and viable. To avoid this, I will prepare more time ahead and throughout the theory of change exercise to be able to understand every key part of our theory of change.

The likely pitfall is assuming that all is well figured out and nothing salient remains outside the theory of change process.

While you seem to aptly identify the pitfalls that your organization faces which is prioritization of goals, what if you roll back to the mission that sets your organization apart? Mission and vision can be very useful when a corporate entity does not clearly trace its pervasive goal.

Smart indicators would be useful in tracking progress. Its actually your compass to navigate around organisational or project specific challenges.

Many ToCs will face difficulties in proving the logic behind their actions, with various local context and assumption, while critical thinking is not embed in every single project individual (Pitfall 3-4). To avoid this, we should introducing and inspiring development sector to familiarize themselves with ToC

Assuming you’ve figured it all out.
To get the most out of your theory of change, you need to recognize and explicitly account for the uncertainties that underlie your plan.

I worry that my organization engaged in fostering sustainable start-ups among at-risk rural youths in Fundong, Boyo Division might not attain this objective because there are other complex issues that constraining their ability to set up and run successful small business such as an ongoing armed-conflict. To avoid this issue, my organization intends to delocalize this project to safer zones where all the elements of the project could be fully realized

To avoid this pitfall, we can start by clearly defining our program's goals and objectives and developing a logic model that outlines the inputs, outputs, and outcomes you expect to achieve. Then, identify the most critical indicators that align with our program's objectives and that we can realistically track. These indicators should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

It's also essential to have reliable data collection tools and processes in place to track your indicators effectively. This may require investing in technology or hiring staff with expertise in data collection and analysis. We can also consider partnering with external organizations or experts who can provide support in this area.

To ensure that your theory of change remains relevant and effective over time, it's essential to monitor and evaluate our program's progress regularly. This will help us identify any areas that require improvement and adjust our theory of change accordingly. By regularly reviewing our program's progress and making necessary adjustments, we can continue to refine our theory of change and increase the likelihood of achieving our program's objectives.

I worry that my organization might fall into the 5th pit (creating theory that isn't measurable) because our target audience is too wide and we can only reach them out through internet. To avoid this, I will specify the target audience and try to narrow them, and also plan to do some offline based activity so we can actually measure something out of it.

I worry that my organization might fall into creating a theory that isn't measurable because the target population is too massive though we can reach them online. To avoid this, I will try to come up with evidence-based solutions to narrow down and specify our target population so that we can measure results.

I worry that my organization might fall into creating a theory of change that isn't measurable because our target audience is too broad and our goals are too vague. To avoid this, we will specify the target audience so that we can relate with the target audience and communicate with them more effectively. We also need to set goals that will be truly impactful for this specific audience on a deeper level, not just an assumption that they're impacted but only on a surface level.

I worry that my organization might have all of these pitfalls because we just identify about this. To avoid this, I will learn about these.

I worry that my organization might fall into the 1st, 5th, and 6th pitfalls because there are some external factors that are outside of our control. To avoid this, I will invite the team to regroup, reasses, and restrategize.

I worry that my organization might fall into the 1st, 5th, and 6th pitfalls because there are some external factors that are outside of our control. To avoid this, I will invite the team to regroup, reasses, and restrategize.