Understanding Results

There are many elements and attributes that can be used and not all may be needed. For organisations wanting to publish results data, IATI recommends first thinking about what the results are that they want shown and then looking at how they can be mapped onto the IATI Standard.

Results in IATI are generally one of three types:

• Output (1): A direct consequence of the activity, e.g. vaccinations delivered to X number of children.

• Outcome (2): A short term effect the activity has contributed to, e.g. lower rates of infection after a vaccination programme.

• Impact (3): A long term effect the activity has contributed to, e.g. improved life expectancy.

Each activity can have multiple results of each type, i.e. multiple outputs.

Measuring results

Each result is measured by one or more indicators. For example, the number of different types of vaccines provided and how many local staff were trained to give them.

Each indicator can have a given time period with a start and an end date. This is the time period in which the indicator is being measured, e.g. agricultural season or school term. A baseline value shows the progress at the beginning of the time period. Often, the baseline is 0 as no work has yet been carried out. A target value provides the progress that should have been achieved by the end of the period. The actual value provides the progress that was achieved during the given time period. You can track the progress of an indicator over time; to enable this an indicator needs to have multiple time periods. e.g. yearly time periods for 2018, 2019 and 2020.

The indicator description can be used to help explain what’s being measured and how. For example, whether the published values are aggregatable (the data user should add them up to get the total) or cumulative (the data user should look at the most recent value to get the total).

Please note: the indicators for different types of results (outputs, outcomes and impacts) will often be measured across different time periods, ranging from a few days to multiple years.

Each indicator must have a measure attribute; this describes what the indicator is being measured in. The three most common measure types in IATI are:

Numerical (quantitative) measures

• Unit (1): e.g. number of workshops delivered.

• Percentage (2): e.g. percentage of the population who have received a vaccine.

Indicators with these measures should have numerical baseline, target and actual indicator values. If a high number shows improvement, the ‘ascending’ boolean should be set to 1 (true). If a low number shows improvement, the ‘ascending’ boolean should be set to 0 (false).

Descriptive measures

• Qualitative (5): e.g. this is often a description, such as detailing more favourable attitudes towards gender equality amongst trained staff

Indicators with this measure type should have descriptive baselines, targets and actuals. This is captured within the comment elements; the value attribute should not be published.

Indicators can also be linked to existing results frameworks, e.g. the Sustainable Development Goal Indicators. For more information on how to do this please see: How to use the IATI Standard for publishing and using data on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Different donors have their own requirements when it comes to publishing results. Guidance from each donor can be found on the Donors Reporting Requirements page.

Example usage

An activity is working towards the outcome that ‘people to have access to independent media covering a diverse range of outcomes’ (title). One of the ways this is being measured is through ‘the percentage of journalists who feel free to express their opinion’ (indicator). This is measured through a bi-annual survey where they are asked to score how free they feel on a scale of 1 - 4.

The starting value (baseline) was 15% of journalists felt free to express their opinions. At the end of the chosen time period, the target was set at 50%. The activity did meet its target, as by the end of the period (actual) 53% of journalists felt free to express their opinions.

<result type="2">
  <title>
    <narrative>People who have access to independent media covering diverse options.</narrative>
  </title>
  <description>
    <narrative>Further explanation of the expected result.</narrative>
  </description>
  <indicator measure="2" ascending="1" >
    <title>
      <narrative>The percentage of journalists who feel free to express their opinion (scoring 3 or 4)</narrative>
    </title>
    <description>
      <narrative>
        1 = Not at all free
        2 = No, not entirely free
        3 = Yes, up to some level
        4 = Yes, entirely free
        This is measured through a bi-annual survey amongst journalists.
      </narrative>
    </description>
    <baseline year="2012" value="15">
            <comment>
        <narrative>Baseline measured in a survey amongst 1083 journalists in country x.</narrative>
      </comment>
    </baseline>
    <period>
      <period-start iso-date="2012-01-01" />
      <period-end iso-date="2015-12-31" />
      <target value="50" />
      <actual value="53" />
    </period>
  </indicator>
  <indicator>

    ...

  </indicator>
</result>

Results should include

• A publisher should only publish results about their own work. If working in an alliance or partnership, coordinating results publishing is highly encouraged.

• Each activity can contain multiple results, each of which can contain multiple indicators.

• Different types of results can be published e.g. outputs, outcomes and impacts

• Result indicators can be measured differently e.g. using units, percentages or qualitative measures.

• Every result must include an indicator, which in turn can detail a period of time, and then a baseline, target and actual measure.

• If possible, the period in which an indicator is measured should be meaningful to the activity e.g. agricultural seasons or school terms.

• Numerical (quantitative) baseline, target and actual measures should be published in the value attributes.

• The ascending boolean details whether high numerical values are good (1 = true) or if low numerical values are good (0 = false)

• Descriptive (qualitative) baselines, targets and actual measures should be published in the comment elements.

• Comment elements can also be used to help describe results and indicators. These can be published in multiple languages.

• Each indicator can have a reference, linking it to an external framework (for example, the SDG Indicators). It is recommended that publishers include this for each indicator, and not for each result.

Technical guidance summary

Publishing Indicators

Multiple indicators can be published for each result. These describe how the activity’s progress towards the result is measured.

Publishing baselines, targets and actuals

The values of each indicator are published in the following baseline, period target and period actual elements. The baseline is the starting point. The target is a result an organisation wants an activity to achieve in a certain period of time. The actual is what was achieved at the end of that period.

Publishing target and actual values in a given time period

The period element defines the period of time in which the organisation is measuring the indicator. Multiple periods and measures can be published.

The period element includes target and actual values. Target and actual contain the same elements and attributes as the baseline element. See the table above on how to publish on these.