Using the Impact Planner
The Impact Planner
Understanding the systems you are working in
The Impact Planner
The Impact Planner is color-coded so you can work on sections easily as you progress your project. The colour coding is related to The Impact Planner Playbook and The Impact Planner Card Set which contain all the tools you need to work through the Planner and both will be available in our online store.
Where do I start?
Understanding the systems you are working in
The Impact Planner
The Impact Planner is designed to help you navigate the complexity of delivering your project and demonstrating its impact. It acknowledges that you will never have all the data you need and that data will not come in any specific order.
We do recommend that you start with the top layer so that you have a clear understanding of the context you are working in and the purpose of your project.
You can then populate the rest of the canvas as you gather, and produce the data.
The Impact Planner is a 'living document'. This means that as things change around, and within, your project, you can amend the corresponding parts of The Impact Planner.
Understanding the systems you are working in
Understanding the systems you are working in
Understanding the systems you are working in
Change & Impact projects are complex by nature. Sometimes they are referred to as addressing ‘wicked problems. Gaining an understanding of the context you are working in minimises the risk of negative impacts &
outcomes; wasting time & resources or project failure. Understanding context comes through research of the systems you are working in.
It is important to understand what influences these systems, and what aspects of them can impact your activities. It is also useful to understand what parts of the system can and can't be influenced by you.
The first layer of The Impact Planner focuses on understanding the systems you will be working in and what you are seeking to do.
It is all about the WHAT.
Our tools will help you define:
- the Opportunity or Problem you are addressing
- the context within which you are working (Systems and Ecosystems)
- what can impact your plans
- what you can influence to make change happen
- clearly articulate your Change Statement / Theory of Change
Assumption and Risk
Aligning Values & Expectations
Understanding the systems you are working in
When planning any project you need to make, test, and validate assumptions. You also need to identify and eliminate risks.
This section of The Impact Planner provides tools to:
- document your assumptions
- determine approaches to testing
- validating and turning assumptions into facts.
- determine, minimise, and/or eliminate project risks
Aligning Values & Expectations
Aligning Values & Expectations
Aligning Values & Expectations
Successful projects are all about people, and how they work together in teams, as partners, and in the relationships, we form with suppliers, distributors, etc.
This section of The Impact Planner deals with the 'WHO' and provides tools to:
- document your Team and Collaborators
- understand their Values and how to align them with the project
- define and assign the necessary Outputs for teams and individuals to achieve your project goals
Working with Indicators
Aligning Values & Expectations
Aligning Values & Expectations
Indicators are measurable markers that show whether progress is being made on a certain condition or circumstance. It's important to ensure you choose the best indicators to determine how much progress has been made
toward your goals, outputs, or outcomes.
Whether you are using an indicator bank such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or you have developed your own, The Impact Planner tools will help you to:
- understand the impacts you want to deliver
- select the best indicators
- work with embedding partner indicators
- match indicators to appropriate data collection and research methodologies.
Delivering Outcomes
Delivering Outcomes
Delivering Outcomes
Outcomes are the immediate deliverables of your impact project. They can be both the results/effects expected by implementing a program/initiative / strategy, and the changes that occur in attitudes, values, behaviors or
conditions.
Achieving outcomes is demonstrated through Outcome Measurement.
The Impact Planner tools will assist you to:
- determine the outcomes you wish to have
- understand what your outcomes will look like
- assist in aligning the outcomes to your Theory of Change
- match your outcomes to relevant indicators
- plan when you want the outcomes
- anticipate negative outcomes and plan to minimise these.
Delivering Impacts
Delivering Outcomes
Delivering Outcomes
Impacts are the longer-term social, economic, and/or environmental outcomes (effects or
consequences) of a program or project.
Achieving impact takes time & can be demonstrated through Impact Measurement.
The Impact Planner tools will assist you to:
- determine the impacts you want to have
- anticipate the timeframe for delivering impacts
- understand what your impacts will look like
- assist in aligning the impacts to your Theory of Change
- match your impacts to relevant indicators
- plan when you want the impacts
- anticipate negative impacts and plan to minimise these
- develop an Impact Statement
Measurement
Delivering Outcomes
Measurement
Measurement of Outcomes and Impact is the process of understanding how much change occurred that can be attributed to your activities.
The integrity of the process is usually bolstered by an impact statement and a clear impact-driven, stakeholder-focused strategy.
Shared measurement may be desirable if you are collecting, and measuring results consistently across groups and collaborators.
The Impact Planner will assist you to :
- determine what you should be measuring to
demonstrate your Impact
- establish a baseline
- identify appropriate assessment and measurement methods and tools
- plan when, and how often, to measure
- decide on processes or procedures
- identify ethical considerations
- explore Collective Impact needs
Evaluation
Modeling the Business
Measurement
Evaluation using systematic inquiry can inform
decision-making to improve programs through asking critical questions, collecting appropriate information, and analysing and interpreting, the
information.
The Impact Planner tools will assist you to:
- establish what you are evaluating
- select appropriate indicators?
- understand the who, what, why, when, and how of evaluating your project.
- identify any ethical issues
-develop an evaluation protocol that supports your decision making and impact making needs
- enact the protocol
- evaluate the data
- communicate the findings
- use the findings to inform future actions
- link to a long-term evaluation
Modeling the Business
Modeling the Business
Modeling the Business
This section of the planner is about developing your business model. Understanding who your 'customers' are, how you will deliver products and services to them, and how this will generate returns. There are many existing models you can use such as the Lean Canvas, Social Impact Canvas, Business Model Canvas. You may even have a bespoke one you like to use. No matter what one, you can insert it here,
Communicating Impact
Modeling the Business
Modeling the Business
It is useful for every impact project to have a story that can be used to engage stakeholders. One that explains the purpose of the project or organisation, and demonstrates tangible impacts and outcomes that have created value and benefit. The story must be genuine,
consistent and relatable.
The Impact Planner tools will assist you to:
- identify want to communicate and why
- understand who you need to communicate with
- clarify what you want to achieve through the
communication
- refine what information, data, evidence, you
need to collect to support your story
- create a database of materials
- develop a Communications Strategy and a Brand Strategy to help with delivering a consistent narrative and visual story.