What is the difference between activities, outputs and impact?

These concepts are links in a chain: what you do produces something; what you produce changes people; that change leaves a lasting difference in the organisation.

• Activity: the work you do. For example, a five-day learning, teaching and training activity for teachers from two schools.
• Output: the tangible product left at the end. For example, a joint set of 12 lesson plans for reading activities.
• Result: the change observed in participants. For example, higher reading comprehension scores in classes using the set.
• Impact: the change at organisation or community level that lasts beyond the project. For example, the set entering the school's annual plan and being adopted by two other schools in the district.

“200 pupils will take part” is not impact; it is a participation figure. “A website will be created” is not impact either; it is an output. In the impact section, the evaluator looks for the answer to “what will have changed after the project, and how will we know?”.

Indicators can be quantitative (numbers, percentages) or qualitative (observation, interviews, pupils' work). A good indicator says what will be measured, for whom, when and with which tool.

• Activity indicator: activities carried out and number of participants
• Output indicator: scope and quality of the product, e.g. 12 lesson plans tested by partner teachers
• Result indicator: pre-test and post-test difference, teacher observation form
• Impact indicator: number of teachers continuing the practice, other organisations using the product

Make visible in the timeline which output each activity serves and which result each output serves. Adding evaluation and measurement moments (pre-test, post-test, monitoring meeting) as separate rows also strengthens your answer on monitoring and evaluation.