The Results Chain

The results chain is central to RBM. It is a logical sequence that connects every project action ultimately to the intended impact.

It starts with inputs — the resources invested in a programme, things like funding, staff or materials. Imagine a water, sanitation and hygiene project with inputs like water pipes, tools, funding and skilled labour. Or an education project where inputs include teacher training materials.

These inputs drive activities — the actions that the project takes. Think of workers building wells in a community, or rural teachers receiving training.

When activities are carried out well, they produce outputs — the immediate, tangible, first level of results. For example, 10 wells built in a water-deprived area, or teachers' skills improved.

Together, these outputs lead to outcomes — the short-term and medium-term changes that the project aims to deliver for beneficiaries. These are typically shifts in behaviour, practices or conditions, such as 90% of households gaining access to clean water, or students engaging more in class after teacher training.

And outcomes pave the way for impact — the long-term, transformative change aimed for, such as reducing waterborne disease or boosting literacy rates across a region.

The results chain ensures that every step drives accountability, guiding your efforts from inputs to outcomes and impact.

Context Shapes the Results Chain

Context shapes how the chain is applied. In humanitarian settings like disaster response where speed is important, the focus is on rapid outputs — delivering clean water quickly to save lives. In development projects, sustainable outcomes and impacts take greater priority — creating lasting water systems to ensure healthier communities for years to come.

In both contexts, the results chain keeps efforts focused on results and accountable.

How RBM and MEAL Work Together

How do we know a project is achieving results, and when should we adjust our approach? Results-based management and monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) work together to keep efforts on track.

RBM establishes a clear results-focused framework, while MEAL provides the tools to measure progress and signal when adaptation is needed. RBM defines specific, measurable outcomes — like increasing school enrolment by 20%. MEAL assesses whether those outcomes are being achieved and tells us when adjustments are necessary, through four key components:

Monitoring tracks progress in real-time. It answers the question: are activities proceeding as planned? It also tracks progress towards results, serving as an early warning system to highlight where efforts need to increase or adapt.

Evaluation periodically assesses whether outcomes are being achieved, revealing if the work is making a difference.

Accountability ensures that efforts comply with agreed standards and results are reported openly to stakeholders like communities and donors. Sharing progress transparently builds trust and support.

Learning uses data and feedback to adapt. This might mean adjusting a project midstream so coverage improves. Learning also captures lessons about what worked, what didn't and why, strengthening your future interventions.

MEAL in Practice: Examples

Malaria prevention: Targeting a 30% reduction in cases. Monitoring counts how many mosquito nets have been distributed. Evaluation measures the actual percentage drop in malaria cases after nets are in use. Accountability gathers feedback on how people use those nets, ensuring efforts remain guided by community voices. And learning might reveal that some areas need better distribution, leading to adjusted coverage strategies.

Maternal health: RBM sets out a specific outcome — increasing the percentage of mothers attending prenatal clinics by 20% within two years. MEAL assesses progress through targeted tools. Surveys track clinic visits to measure attendance rates, telling us whether the target is on track. Learning processes then drive adaptation — for example, adjusting clinic hours to evenings or adding mobile clinics based on community input.

For those implementing RBM and MEAL, integrating these approaches ensures interventions are adaptive and responsive.

Stakeholder Engagement in RBM

How do we ensure that an intervention meets everyone's needs as well as delivering lasting results? Stakeholders include donors, local authorities and NGOs. RBM aligns their different needs to achieve results.

Each stakeholder group brings distinct expectations. Beneficiaries are looking for practical benefits. Local authorities want interventions to support local policies and community outcomes. NGOs aim for efficient collaboration.

Engagement begins with stakeholder mapping — identifying who to involve and how. Participatory workshops offer a powerful way to align stakeholders, allowing them to share and shape the expected results together.

Challenges will arise when expectations clash — such as donors prioritising sustainability while communities need immediate outputs. Structured interventions can help mediate conflicts, keeping everyone focused on shared outcomes.

Practical Steps in RBM

How do we turn an intervention's vision into measurable, achievable results? Practical, structured steps in RBM guide the process to plan, measure and deliver impact. Three steps make RBM effective:

1. Engage stakeholders. A sanitation and health intervention involves engaging community water committees, local health officials and funding agencies to understand their needs and expectations.

2. Define the project results and outcomes. Clear, specific outcomes are set, informed by stakeholder input and aligned with donor expectations.

3. Build the results chain. In a food aid intervention, inputs like supplies and logistics support activities such as food distribution. These produce outputs (reaching 10,000 households), which lead to outcomes (improved nutrition) and ultimately drive impact (food security). Tools like the results chain and the results framework clarify this relationship.

These steps ensure that interventions are built on clear and measurable results, laying a strong foundation for monitoring and evaluation. Stakeholder mapping templates and results chain diagrams streamline the process, keeping everyone aligned and focused on impact.

Exercise: Build Your Own Results Chain

Choose a project — it may be from your past experience or one you're planning to design — and apply RBM principles to link inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impact. Develop this chain step by step:

1. Define the impact — the long-term change your project seeks (e.g. reduced disease rates in a community health initiative)
2. Set the outcome — what your project will deliver by its end (e.g. 80% of community members adopting healthier practices within six months)
3. Specify the outputs — the tangible end states of activities that lead to these outcomes (e.g. community members trained)
4. Identify activities — the actions needed to produce these outputs
5. List your main inputs — things like medical supplies or trained staff, the things you need to make these activities happen

Write each step clearly, ensuring the chain flows logically from inputs to impact. Review your chain to confirm that each step supports the next, creating a pathway to results.