Project results are the changes or effects expected to take place after implementing the project. The results are generally positive improvements to the lives of the beneficiaries.
Results are divided into three types:
- Outputs
- Outcomes
- Impact
Outputs are immediate results achieved soon after the completion an activity. For example, in a project training locals on human rights, the output might be “20 community workers trained in basic human rights concepts.”
The outcomes are the results achieved after a period of time. These are the short-term effects of the immediate outputs. If after some time a change occurs because of the project activity, it can be called an outcome. Continuing the above example, the outcome might be: “the participants used their training to inform other community members about their human rights.”
The impact is the long-term result that came about because of the activities undertaken in the project. For the above example, the impact of the project might be that one year later, the whole community is aware of human rights issues and in the next election the community largely voted against a leader with a history of human rights violations.
Related articles:
- What’s the Difference? Project Outputs vs. Outcomes
- What’s the Difference? Project Objectives vs. Activities
