Michelle Molina
Outcomes Versus Outputs
Updated: Jan 7, 2020
Both outcomes and outputs are important. Outcome data helps you understand if you’re having an impact. Outputs help you understand your processes. If you’re doing Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), you’re probably collecting both outputs and outcome measures. Whether you’re interested in systems thinking or doing a collective impact approach, it’s important to understand if you’re having an impact. Knowing if you are making an impact allows you to course-correct. Course correcting is a key component of developmental evaluation. Understanding the difference between outcomes and outputs will help with your evaluation capacity building and nonprofit capacity building.