How do you monitor and review the outcomes and impacts of your decision?

1 Define your criteria

Before you can evaluate your decision, you need to define what success looks like for you and your stakeholders. What are the goals, objectives, and indicators that you want to achieve or measure? How will you collect and analyze the data and evidence to support your assessment? How will you communicate and report your findings and recommendations? Having clear and relevant criteria will help you focus your monitoring and review efforts and avoid wasting time and resources.

2 Track your progress

Once you have your criteria, you need to track your progress towards them. This means setting up a system or a tool that allows you to capture and record the inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impacts of your decision. For example, you can use a dashboard, a spreadsheet, a logbook, or a software to track the activities, costs, benefits, risks, and changes that result from your decision. You can also use qualitative and quantitative methods to collect feedback from your customers, employees, partners, or beneficiaries.

3 Compare your results

Tracking your progress is not enough, you also need to compare your results with your expectations and standards. This means analyzing the data and evidence that you have collected and identifying the gaps, discrepancies, or deviations from your criteria. For example, you can use charts, graphs, tables, or statistics to compare the actual and planned performance, quality, efficiency, or effectiveness of your decision. You can also use benchmarks, best practices, or case studies to compare your decision with others in your field or industry.

5 Adjust your plan

Learning from your experience is not enough, you also need to adjust your plan and implement your improvements. This means revising your goals, objectives, indicators, or strategies based on your learning and feedback. For example, you can use a SMART framework, a PDCA cycle, or an action plan to update your criteria and actions. You can also use a change management, a risk management, or a stakeholder engagement plan to manage the implications and consequences of your adjustments.

6 Repeat the cycle

Adjusting your plan is not the end of the process, but the beginning of a new cycle of monitoring and review. This means repeating the steps above regularly and systematically to ensure that your decision remains relevant, effective, and impactful. For example, you can use a timeline, a schedule, or a checklist to plan and execute your monitoring and review activities. You can also use a continuous improvement, a quality assurance, or a evaluation framework to guide and support your decision making process.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?