Identify potential unintended results

Many evaluations and logic models only focus on intended outcomes and impacts - but positive or negative unintended results can be important too.

Use these options before a program is implemented to identify possible unintended outcomes and impacts, especially negative impacts (that make things worse not better) that should also be investigated and tracked.

Make sure your data collection remains open to unintended results that you have not anticipated by including some open-ended questions in interviews and questionnaires, and by encouraging reporting of unexpected results.

Once you have identified possible unintended consequences use options from the 'DESCRIBE' component to gather information about them if and when they occur.  Make sure your data collection remains open to the unintended and unanticipated by including some open-ended questions in interviews and questionnaires, and by encouraging reporting of unexpected results.

Methods

  • Key informant interviews

    Key informant interviews involve interviewing people who have particularly informed perspectives on an aspect of the program being evaluated.

  • Negative programme theory

    Most programme theories, logic models and theories of change show how an intervention is expected to contribute to positive impacts; Negative programme theory, a technique developed by Carol Weiss, shows how it might produce negative impacts.

  • Risk assessment

    Conducting a risk assessment involves identifying potential negative impacts, their likelihood of occurring and how they might be avoided.

  • Six thinking hats

    The Six Thinking Hats method encourages participants to cycle through six different ways of thinking, using the metaphor of wearing different conceptual “hats”.

  • Unusual events reporting

    The reporting of unusual events or incidents is important both for the sake of transparency and to improve policies and procedures.

'Identify potential unintended results' is referenced in:

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