Causal link monitoring brief

Causal Link Monitoring (CLM) integrates design and monitoring to support adaptive management of projects.

CLM helps project planners and managers identify the processes that are required to achieve desired results, and then to observe whether those processes take place, and how.

This resource and the following information was contributed to BetterEvaluation by Heather Britt (Social Solutions International).

Authors and their affiliation

Heather Britt (Social Solutions International), Richard Hummelbrunner (ÖAR Regionalberatung) and Jacqueline Greene (Social Solutions International)

Key features of the causal link monitoring brief

This brief gives an overview of the Causal Link Approach (CLM) and outlines the steps involved. It also includes an illustrative example of how this approach could be applied in practice.

How have you used or intend on using this CLM brief?

Most recently, we used this resource for designing a project M&E system. Using the CLM approach, we conducted a 3-day participatory workshop with project and donor staff to refine the project’s logic model, identify monitoring and evaluation priorities based on the logic model and the staff’s information needs, then build out the basic elements of the M&E system.  

Why would you recommend it to other people?

CLM can add value throughout the project cycle – developing the initial project design, designing a monitoring system and planning an evaluation, and adjusting the project design based on monitoring data and evaluation findings. CLM produces a project design ready to adapt, and M&E data which will inform adaptive management.  

Sources

Britt, H., Hummelbrunner, R. and Greene, J. (2017) Causal Link Monitoring. Retrieved from: https://www.betterevaluation.org/tools-resources/causal-link-monitoring-brief

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