The third step in Systematic Outcomes Analysis is to identify indicators which can be used to measure some, or all, of your outcomes (the Not-Necessarily Attributable Indicators Building Block - Indicators[nn-att]). When working on the first step (the Outcomes Model) you did not need to worry about measurement. Now is the time when you can start thinking about it. In Systematic Outcomes Analysis, outcomes (or more correctly, their indicators) can be either attributable or not-necessarily attributable. An attributable indicator is a routine measurement which, by the mere fact of its measurement, establishes that the outcome has been caused by a particular player. Outputs (e.g. the number of books published or the number meetings arranged by a player) are good examples of attributable indicators. Not-necessarily attributable indicators (the type dealt with in this step) are ones which, even though they are able to be measured, do not definitively show which player caused them to change. For instance, improved health outcomes for a population may be influenced by a number of parties and other external factors. Not-necessarily attributable indicators are sometimes called environmental, state, shared or common indicators.
Remember when you are identifying these indicators that they are just not necessarily attributable. In other words, it is fine if some of them are attributable to particular players while others are not. If you are working with the relatively high levels of an outcomes model, most of the indicators are likely to be not attributable in many cases. However, the lower you go down an outcomes model, the more likely it is that the outcomes are attributable to particular players. For further information about attribution and the features of outcomes see here.
Step 3.1 Identify any not-necessarily attributable indicators and map them onto the outcomes model
3.1.1 Identify any not-necessarily attributable indicators. It is likely that in developing your outcomes model you have already thought of some measures for some of the outcomes in the model. Now think further about the outcomes in your model and the ways in which they could be routinely measured. At this stage, note that others may be measuring, or wanting to measure, some or even all of these not-necessarily attributable indicators. Since they are not just attributable to you, a range of other players are likely to be interested in measuring them.
3.1.2 Map not-necessarily attributable indicators back onto your outcomes model. An un-mapped list of indicators is very difficult to interpret because it does not show which outcomes in the underlying outcomes model are being measured and which are not. There is a danger when using an un-mapped indicator list that your strategic direction ends up being driven by what you can measure rather than what is the most sensible thing for you to do in your particular circumstances. Remember that you are unlikely to have indicators for every every outcome in your model. If this is so, then that is just the reality of the area in which you are working.
Step 3.2 Decide on further indicator measurement
3.2.1 Decide on which indicators to continue measuring and which to not measure. Having mapped your indicators back onto your outcomes model you now have a clear idea of which outcomes are, and which are not, being measured. You can now start to make strategic decisions about which indicators to continue measuring and which you may not need to measure in the future. For instance, there may be many indicators for outcomes in one part of your outcomes model because it is relatively easy to measure the outcomes on that side. However, in another part of your outcomes model, there may be few indicators. You may decide to move some of the resources currently being used to measure indicators on the easy-to-measure side to the hard-to-measure side. When making decisions about not-necessarily attributable indicators, you need to also take into account your priorities for attributable indicator measurement which are discussed in the next step.
3.1.2 Identify any 'joint indicator' projects you can undertake with other stakeholders. Since you are looking at not-necessarily attributable indicators in this building block, you may find that there are other stakeholders who also have an interest in measuring some of the same indicators you want to measure. You may be able to work with these other stakeholders to develop joint projects to develop new, or to improve old, indicators. When discussing this with other stakeholders, having your indicators all mapped back onto the underlying outcomes model, will help clarify the discussion for them and for you.
Step 3.3 Identify any issues and turn them into indicator projects
3.3.1 Identify what needs to be done regarding developing not-necessarily attributable indicators and turn them into indicator projects. These projects will need to be prioritized alongside the other possible projects arising out of your Systematic Outcomes Analysis.