Developing your Results Framework means saying in a few words – using an “if…then” design – what the result, intermediate results, and sub-intermediate results will be for your program.  It immediately reveals that if we change this, then this will happen, and we will achieve our goal.  A behavior-led framework shows that if you address these critical factors (sub-intermediate results), then it will change your priority behaviors (intermediate results), which will allow you to achieve your goal (result).

It’s important for you to reflect these different levels – result/goal, intermediate results, sub-intermediate results – in behavioral terms.  You want your program to stay true to the behavioral basis on which you built it.  You have all the behavioral decisions you have made.  Now, you just need to put them in terms that your potential donor will understand and that you can use to guide your narrative writing and work plan development.

Let’s look at an example.

Here’s traditional wording of some intermediate results:

• Increased prompt care seeking and treatment for children under five.
• Increased adoption of healthy home-based care.

While behavior-oriented re-wording of the same intermediate results looks like this:

• Caregivers seek prompt care and treatment for children under five. (*Note: It directly reflects the priority behavior and adds a primary actor.)
• Caregivers adopt healthy home-based care practices - complementary feeding, feces disposal, ITN use, and newborn care. (*Note: It reflects four, grouped priority behaviors and adds a primary actor.)

Just a few more examples, to help you get the hang of it.

Below is traditional wording for some sub-intermediate results:

• Expand products on the market.
• Increase in materials on the value of healthy behaviors.

And here are behavior-oriented wordings of the same sub-intermediate results:

• Increased affordable access to needed commodities, products, and materials. (*Note: It reflects the critical factor “Insufficient access to and affordability of needed commodities, products, materials, e.g., diverse foods, water”.)
• Enhanced knowledge on and perception of value of healthy behaviors. (*Note: It reflects the critical factor “Lacking knowledge and poor perception on value of healthy behaviors.)

Remember!  What is called an intermediate result in behavior integration guidance (BIG) is a priority behavior.  What is called a sub-intermediate result is a factor that needs to be addressed.  That’s what keeps this social and behavior change (SBC) method behavior-led, rather than intervention-driven.  Strategies or activities are work to be done and are not usually expressed in the results framework, but are, broadly, in the narrative and specifically in the work plan. 

However, if you need to include outputs or inputs because it is a solicitation requirement, you would reflect your critical strategies as follows:

• Output: Technical and interpersonal provider training on select topics developed and conducted
• Input: Develop and conduct technical and interpersonal provider training on select topics

When you’re done, your behavior-led results framework could look something like this.

When you want to see more examples of behavior-led results frameworks, check out the crosswalks under Resources.

Once your Results Framework is in place, let’s use it to hash out your strategy narrative.

Still have questions on Step 7 before completing your Results Framework?  Head over here!

Or drop us an email and let’s talk.

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