Contribution story worksheet

A template for the 6 steps. Complete sequentially and honestly assess evidence strength.

When to use this worksheet and what completion involves Fictional completed example

EvalCompass Worksheet

Contribution story worksheet

Method: Contribution Analysis

A template for the 6 steps. Complete sequentially and honestly assess evidence strength.

Basic information

Enter evaluation basics

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Program name: Evaluation training
Contribution evaluation question: How did training contribute to workplace plan adoption?
External/internal evaluators: Internal staff and external discussant (fictional)
Creation date: July 1, 2026 (fictional)

Reason for this entry: Ask contribution pathways, not shares.

Program name

Contribution evaluation question

External/internal evaluators

Creation date

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Enter evaluation basics

Ask contribution pathways, not shares.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Follow each field’s heading to record the program name, focus, period, and other details. Leave undecided matters clearly marked as unresolved.

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Theory of change steps

Enter activities → outcomes → impact pathways

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Expected change step	Supporting evidence	Refuting evidence	Strength: strong / medium / weak / not collected
Training draft discussed at a meeting	Training/meeting items correspond (fictional)	Meeting version also reflects funder forms (fictional)	Medium: correspondence visible, adoption-reason interviews needed

Reason for this entry: Correspondence does not establish a sole cause.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Expected change step	Supporting evidence	Refuting evidence	Strength: strong / medium / weak / not collected

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Enter activities → outcomes → impact pathways

Correspondence does not establish a sole cause.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Keep the information in each row aligned. Scroll wide tables horizontally to see every column.

Read the full fictional example

Alternative explanations

Examine important factors from theory and context

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Explanation outside the program	Supporting evidence	Refuting evidence	Retain / reject
Funder form changes encouraged adoption	Pre-training change notice (fictional)	Training-specific items also remain (fictional)	Retain as a joint contributor

Reason for this entry: Rejecting every alternative is not the goal.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Explanation outside the program	Supporting evidence	Refuting evidence	Retain / reject

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Examine important factors from theory and context

Rejecting every alternative is not the goal.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Keep the information in each row aligned. Scroll wide tables horizontally to see every column.

Read the full fictional example

Remaining uncertainty

Honestly record unconfirmed matters and weak-evidence judgments

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Meeting adoption reasons and non-adopters remain unconfirmed. Draft similarity alone does not establish indispensability.

Reason for this entry: Link unknowns to further collection.

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Honestly record unconfirmed matters and weak-evidence judgments

Link unknowns to further collection.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Use the example as a reference and record what you have established about your own program. Distinguish assumptions and unchecked matters from confirmed facts.

Read the full fictional example

Contribution conclusion and evidence level

Conclude overall contribution with evidence strength

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Training may have contributed to drafting. Supervisors and funder requirements also influenced adoption; necessity and contribution shares remain uncertain.

Reason for this entry: Match conclusion strength to evidence.

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Conclude overall contribution with evidence strength

Match conclusion strength to evidence.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Use the example as a reference and record what you have established about your own program. Distinguish assumptions and unchecked matters from confirmed facts.

Read the full fictional example

Completion checklist

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

☑ Checked: Documented theory before implementation or early in evaluation, not conveniently afterward
☐ Not checked: Collected supporting and refuting evidence at each step
☐ Not checked: Examined evidence-based important alternatives and recorded residual explanations/unknowns
☑ Checked: Explicit strength: strong / medium / weak / not collected
☑ Checked: Honestly reported remaining uncertainty
☑ Checked: Stated contribution claims with evidence levels in conclusions

Reason for this entry: Designed to examine grounded alternatives, not invent 3 irrelevant explanations to meet counts.

Documented theory before implementation or early in evaluation, not conveniently afterward
Collected supporting and refuting evidence at each step
Examined evidence-based important alternatives and recorded residual explanations/unknowns
Explicit strength: strong / medium / weak / not collected
Honestly reported remaining uncertainty
Stated contribution claims with evidence levels in conclusions

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Designed to examine grounded alternatives, not invent 3 irrelevant explanations to meet counts.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Read each item and check those you have confirmed. Do not use the fictional example’s checkbox states as findings about your own program.

Read the full fictional example

Before writing, check when to use the worksheet and what completion involves

Contribution story worksheet is a worksheet for applying Contribution Analysis in meetings or individual work. For the overall duration of the method, use “Illustrative planning durations, not common standards: initial design 1–2 weeks, evidence collection/analysis 1–3 months” as a reference, adjusting for scale and resources. Fill in what you know provisionally and leave unresolved matters as questions to check next.

When this worksheet is useful

Answer causal contribution questions where RCTs/econometric methods are unsuitable
Explain mechanisms and context in complex social, development or multi-year policies
A theory of change exists/can be developed with evidence for each step

Participants and preparation

Led by 1–2 evaluators, collecting evidence/interviews from staff, beneficiaries and experts. Independent external evaluation strengthens credibility.

Bring the materials used for decisions, existing data, and differing stakeholder views to help complete the worksheet.

Suggested order

1. Basic informationEnter evaluation basics
2. Theory of change stepsEnter activities → outcomes → impact pathways
3. Alternative explanationsExamine important factors from theory and context
4. Remaining uncertaintyHonestly record unconfirmed matters and weak-evidence judgments
5. Contribution conclusion and evidence levelConclude overall contribution with evidence strength
6. Completion checklist

Signs the worksheet is ready for review

Theory of change diagram and narrative
Contribution story report with step evidence and alternatives
Evidence matrix: change steps × evidence types/strength

Cautions for review

Avoid tailoring theory to conclusions. State theory early with staff, include independent perspectives/refutation and retain changes.
Selective supportive evidence biases stories. Collect and present alternative evidence fairly too.
Hidden uncertainty undermines honesty and trust. State strong support versus weak evidence clearly.

Guides to read before starting

Read a completed fictional example (your entries will not change)

Fictional example; not actual results

A fictional illustration examining an organization's pathway into plan use.

Basic information

Program name: Evaluation training
Contribution evaluation question: How did training contribute to workplace plan adoption?
External/internal evaluators: Internal staff and external discussant (fictional)
Creation date: July 1, 2026 (fictional)

Reason for this entry: Ask contribution pathways, not shares.

Theory of change steps

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Expected change step	Supporting evidence	Refuting evidence	Strength: strong / medium / weak / not collected
Training draft discussed at a meeting	Training/meeting items correspond (fictional)	Meeting version also reflects funder forms (fictional)	Medium: correspondence visible, adoption-reason interviews needed

Reason for this entry: Correspondence does not establish a sole cause.

Alternative explanations

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Explanation outside the program	Supporting evidence	Refuting evidence	Retain / reject
Funder form changes encouraged adoption	Pre-training change notice (fictional)	Training-specific items also remain (fictional)	Retain as a joint contributor

Reason for this entry: Rejecting every alternative is not the goal.

Remaining uncertainty

Meeting adoption reasons and non-adopters remain unconfirmed. Draft similarity alone does not establish indispensability.

Reason for this entry: Link unknowns to further collection.

Contribution conclusion and evidence level

Training may have contributed to drafting. Supervisors and funder requirements also influenced adoption; necessity and contribution shares remain uncertain.

Reason for this entry: Match conclusion strength to evidence.

Completion checklist

☑ Checked: Documented theory before implementation or early in evaluation, not conveniently afterward
☐ Not checked: Collected supporting and refuting evidence at each step
☐ Not checked: Examined evidence-based important alternatives and recorded residual explanations/unknowns
☑ Checked: Explicit strength: strong / medium / weak / not collected
☑ Checked: Honestly reported remaining uncertainty
☑ Checked: Stated contribution claims with evidence levels in conclusions

Reason for this entry: Designed to examine grounded alternatives, not invent 3 irrelevant explanations to meet counts.

Common errors in judgment

Treat the entire theory as correct because outcomes occurred

How to revise: Check each stage and alternative pathways

Reason: Other factors may produce outcomes despite failed intermediate hypotheses.

Assign 70% contribution from impressions alone

How to revise: Describe which evidence supports which change

Reason: Pathway explanation and proportion estimation require different testing.

Editorial and checking information

Content updated: 2026-09-13Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)No documented human reviewIncludes fictional examplesEditorial policy and scope of checking Cite this page Report a correction

References and checked sections

Contribution analysis
BetterEvaluation
Section consulted
Steps in the process
How it relates to the text
Revise explanations using other contributing factors/alternatives, not only theory-consistent evidence.
Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)

How to cite this page

EvalCompass Editorial Team. “Contribution story worksheet”. EvalCompass, updated 2026-09-13. https://evalcompass.jun-nakatani.com/en/worksheets/contribution-analysis/

Add the date you accessed the page. Text created by this site is available under CC BY 4.0. Quotations, external materials, and bundled fonts have their own terms of use. When reusing content, credit the source, link to the license, and indicate any changes.

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Change history

2026-09-13 — Checked sources for definitions and conditions and added fictional examples, judgment rationales and completed entries for every field. Revised unsupported historical or uptake claims. Reviewed procedures and cautions, adjusting fixed counts, thresholds and institutional generalizations. Preserved field positions, types and counts while revising fixed conditions and thresholds.