Outcome mapping progress marker worksheet

Develop progress markers from desired boundary partner behavior. Stages express deepening change. Do not use timing fields to impose fixed deadlines; record checking frequency where appropriate.

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

EvalCompass Worksheet

Outcome mapping progress marker worksheet

Method: Outcome Mapping

Develop progress markers from desired boundary partner behavior. Stages express deepening change. Do not use timing fields to impose fixed deadlines; record checking frequency where appropriate.

Basic information

Basic program and boundary partner information

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: Improve consultation coordination (fictional)
Boundary partner name and type: Desk B, a directly collaborating local agency
Period covered: Fiscal year 2026
Date and author: September 13, 2026 / coordination staff

Reason for this entry: Identify whose change to track.

Program name

Boundary partner name and type

Period covered

Date and author

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Basic program and boundary partner information

Identify whose change to track.

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.

Read the full fictional example

Outcome challenge

Describe ideal behavioral changes expected of this boundary partner in behavior, relationships, activities or policies, not knowledge or attitudes.

Completed example for this section (fictional)

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

Desk B considers users' consent and burdens, collaborates with referral destinations to improve procedures, and shares learning with other desks.

Reason for this entry: Record partner behavior rather than program implementation plans.

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Describe ideal behavioral changes expected of this boundary partner in behavior, relationships, activities or policies, not knowledge or attitudes.

Record partner behavior rather than program implementation plans.

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

Progress markers

Specify markers at 3 levels. Write each as “The boundary partner does...” or “becomes...”

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

Stage	Specific behavioral progress marker	Indicative achievement timing	Monitoring method
expect to see	B participates in reflecting on interrupted referrals.	Check monthly without a fixed deadline.	Meeting records and B's account
like to see	B incorporates advance contact into procedures and proposes improvements.	Examine as deepening change.	Revised procedures and proposal records
love to see	B independently shares learning with another desk.	Do not impose an achievement deadline.	Records of sharing organized by B

Reason for this entry: Use the original form's timing field for checking frequency rather than imposed deadlines.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Stage	Specific behavioral progress marker	Indicative achievement timing	Monitoring method

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Specify markers at 3 levels. Write each as “The boundary partner does...” or “becomes...”

Use the original form's timing field for checking frequency rather than imposed deadlines.

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

Monitoring record

Record each marker's progress during periodic reviews, such as quarterly.

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

Record date	Achievements or changes, including evidence	Notes and issues
End of September 2026	B brought an interrupted referral case and proposed consent-checking methods, fictional minutes.	Independent sharing with other organizations has not yet been confirmed.

Reason for this entry: Distinguish progress from unobserved behavior.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Record date	Achievements or changes, including evidence	Notes and issues

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Record each marker's progress during periodic reviews, such as quarterly.

Distinguish progress from unobserved behavior.

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

Progress marker quality check

Completed example for this section (fictional)

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

☑ Checked: Expect to see describes foundational behavioral change desired at a minimum
☑ Checked: Love to see describes ideal or innovative change, not activities
☑ Checked: All markers describe boundary partner behavior, not program activities
☑ Checked: Monitoring methods are feasible

Reason for this entry: This design example describes B's behavior throughout.

Expect to see describes foundational behavioral change desired at a minimum
Love to see describes ideal or innovative change, not activities
All markers describe boundary partner behavior, not program activities
Monitoring methods are feasible

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

This design example describes B's behavior throughout.

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

Outcome mapping progress marker worksheet is a worksheet for applying Outcome Mapping in meetings or individual work. For the overall duration of the method, use “Illustrative estimate, adjusted to scale and staffing: 2–3 days for a design workshop plus monitoring throughout the program” 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

When pursuing long-term social change for which the program cannot take direct responsibility for impact
When monitoring behavioral changes among particular partners, such as government agencies, community organizations or researchers
When building theory with stakeholder participation from program design and integrating an evaluation framework

Participants and preparation

All program staff during design, boundary partner representatives where possible, and 1 external facilitator. 10–20 participants in the design workshop.

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

Suggested order

1. Basic informationBasic program and boundary partner information
2. Outcome challengeDescribe ideal behavioral changes expected of this boundary partner in behavior, relationships, activities or policies, not knowledge or attitudes.
3. Progress markersSpecify markers at 3 levels. Write each as “The boundary partner does...” or “becomes...”
4. Monitoring recordRecord each marker's progress during periodic reviews, such as quarterly.
5. Progress marker quality check

Signs the worksheet is ready for review

Outcome challenges
Progress marker register by boundary partner
Outcome journal: ongoing records

Cautions for review

Writing progress markers as activity lists. Always describe behavioral change in terms of what boundary partners do or become.
Listing too many partners makes recording unsustainable. Define tracking scope according to direct relationships and intended evaluation use.
Failing to monitor and update after design leaves an impressive document unusable for evaluation.

Guides to read before starting

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

Fictional example; not actual results

A fictional illustrative example in which a consultation support organization tracks referral practice changes at directly collaborating desk B.

Basic information

Program name: Improve consultation coordination (fictional)
Boundary partner name and type: Desk B, a directly collaborating local agency
Period covered: Fiscal year 2026
Date and author: September 13, 2026 / coordination staff

Reason for this entry: Identify whose change to track.

Outcome challenge

Desk B considers users' consent and burdens, collaborates with referral destinations to improve procedures, and shares learning with other desks.

Reason for this entry: Record partner behavior rather than program implementation plans.

Progress markers

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Stage	Specific behavioral progress marker	Indicative achievement timing	Monitoring method
expect to see	B participates in reflecting on interrupted referrals.	Check monthly without a fixed deadline.	Meeting records and B's account
like to see	B incorporates advance contact into procedures and proposes improvements.	Examine as deepening change.	Revised procedures and proposal records
love to see	B independently shares learning with another desk.	Do not impose an achievement deadline.	Records of sharing organized by B

Reason for this entry: Use the original form's timing field for checking frequency rather than imposed deadlines.

Monitoring record

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Record date	Achievements or changes, including evidence	Notes and issues
End of September 2026	B brought an interrupted referral case and proposed consent-checking methods, fictional minutes.	Independent sharing with other organizations has not yet been confirmed.

Reason for this entry: Distinguish progress from unobserved behavior.

Progress marker quality check

☑ Checked: Expect to see describes foundational behavioral change desired at a minimum
☑ Checked: Love to see describes ideal or innovative change, not activities
☑ Checked: All markers describe boundary partner behavior, not program activities
☑ Checked: Monitoring methods are feasible

Reason for this entry: This design example describes B's behavior throughout.

Common errors in judgment

Writing a marker as “The organization conducts 3 training sessions”

How to revise: Describe what partners do after training.

Reason: Partners' changes are central to monitoring.

Replacing 3 stages with compulsory short-, medium- and long-term deadlines

How to revise: Treat stages as deepening from expected responses to self-directed change.

Reason: Timing alone cannot represent the quality of behavioral change.

Editorial and checking information

Content updated: 2026-10-07Source 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

Outcome Mapping
BetterEvaluation
Section consulted
Key concepts in Outcome Mapping; Intentional design; Outcome and performance monitoring
How it relates to the text
Progress markers describe developments in partners' behavior, distinct from fixed percentage or deadline indicators.
Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)

How to cite this page

EvalCompass Editorial Team. “Outcome mapping progress marker worksheet”. EvalCompass, updated 2026-10-07. https://evalcompass.jun-nakatani.com/en/worksheets/outcome-mapping/

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 — Updated explanations to correspond with sources, and added method-specific fictional worksheet examples, judgment examples and revision history.
2026-10-07 — Made minimal corrections to assertions, fixed conditions or inconsistencies between worksheets and examples based on content check FW-01. Preserved field counts, order, labels and section structure. Did not change verification status of unchecked material.