The ‘Most Significant Change’ (MSC) Technique
The `Most Significant Change' (MSC) Technique
A Guide to Its Use
by
Rick Davies and Jess Dart
Funded by CARE International, United Kingdom Oxfam Community Aid Abroad, Australia | Learning to Learn, Government of South Australia Oxfam New Zealand | Christian Aid, United Kingdom | Exchange, United Kingdom Ibis, Denmark | Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke (MS), Denmark Lutheran World Relief, United States of America
Version 1.00 ? April 2005
Most Significant Change Guide
Table of Contents
Acronyms
Preface: The Structure of this Guide
Acknowledgements
Chapter One: A Ten Minute Overview of MSC What is MSC, in a nutshell? What's in a name? The MSC story Overview of implementation steps The kernel The purpose When and when not to use MSC Where to get further information
Chapter Two: Ten Steps to Implementing MSC Step 1: How to start and raise interest Step 2: Defining domains of change Step 3: Defining the reporting period Step 4: Collecting SC stories Step 5: Selecting the most significant of the stories Step 6: Feeding back the results of the selection process Step 7: Verification of stories Step 8: Quantification Step 9: Secondary analysis and meta-monitoring Step 10: Revising the system
Chapter Three: Troubleshooting Concerns expressed by participants Concerns expressed by others
Chapter Four: Building Capability for Effective MSC Building the capacity of MSC `champions' Building the capacity of the staff tp participate fully in MSC Considering resources and time required
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Table of Contents
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Most Significant Change Guide
Table of Contents
Chapter Five: MSC within a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework
58
MSC within the program cycle
58
MSC as monitoring and evaluation
58
MSC as a specific type of monitoring
58
MSC as program evaluation
61
MSC and organisational learning
63
Other uses of MSC within programs
64
Chapter Six: Validity and Voice in MSC
67
MSC: a valid technique
67
Purposive sampling
69
Bias in MSC
70
Issues of voice and power in MSC
71
Chapter Seven: How MSC Compares to Other Approaches and Epistemologies
72
Appreciative Enquiry
72
Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E)
72
Case studies and vignettes
72
Evolutionary epistemology and MSC
73
MSC under a constructivist lens
74
Chapter Eight: History of MSC
75
History as process
75
Types of MSC uses
75
The differences that make a difference
77
Chapter Nine: New Directions for MSC
81
Fine tuning
81
Combining with other approaches
82
Innovations
84
Future research areas
86
An invitation to innovate, review and communicate
87
Bibliography
88
Appendices
Appendix 1: Sample Story Collection Formats
92
Appendix 2: Sample Significant Change Stories
97
Appendix 3: Sample Story Reporting Format
103
Appendix 4: Facilitation Guide for Story Collection
104
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Most Significant Change Guide
Acronyms
Acronyms
ADB ADRA AKRSP BADSP CCDB CRS DFID IDSS M&E MSC NGO ONZB SC stories VSO
Asian Development Bank Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Australia Aga Khan Rural Support Program Brong Ahafo Rural District Support Project, Ghana Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh Catholic Relief Services Department for International Development, UK International Development Support Services, Australia monitoring and evaluation most significant change (MSC) technique non-government organisation Oxfam New Zealand Significant change stories Voluntary Service Overseas
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Most Significant Change Guide
Preface
Preface: The Structure of this Guide
This publication is aimed at organisations, community groups, students and academics who wish to use MSC to help monitor and evaluate their social change programs and projects, or to learn more about how it can be used. The technique is applicable in many different sectors, including agriculture, education and health, and especially in development programs. It is also applicable to many different cultural contexts. MSC has been used in a wide variety of countries by a range of organisations. By 2004, MSC had been used both by NGOs and governments in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and Australasia.
The structure of this Guide
The introductory chapter provides a quick overview of MSC. In Chapter 2 we focus on the practicalities of implementing MSC and divide the process into ten steps. Chapter 3 offers guidance on practical troubleshooting, and Chapter 4 looks at building capacity for effective use of MSC. In Chapter 5 we examine how MSC fits into the program cycle and how it can contribute to program improvement.
After Chapter 5, we delve more into the theory. We believe that MSC can be successfully implemented without a strong understanding of the theory. So if you just want to know about the practicalities ? stop there! But for those readers who enjoy a foray into theory, Chapters 6 and 7 examine validity in MSC and how it fits with other approaches and epistemologies. The final two chapters outline the evolution of MSC: where it came from and where it might be heading next.
The structure of this Guide reflects our attempt to cater for different types of use. We want the Guide to be of practical help to those choosing to implement MSC for the first time. But we also want to provide information and analysis that will be of use to those who are already experienced in using MSC yet want to extend their knowledge of the technique or refine the way they use it. As well as addressing the needs of practitioners, we also hope to address the interests of those doing research on MSC and related methods of participatory and qualitative research.
Notes about the terminology
We struggled at times in writing this Guide to find language that worked equally well in the development sector and the public sector of developed economies. We have made a few choices in the name of consistency and we encourage you to consider translating these terms to ones that makes sense for you.
Firstly, we had to decide how to refer to the people who are targeted by social change programs. In the development sector, these people are often referred to as beneficiaries. In the public sector context of developed economies, they are referred to as clients, service users or participants. In this publication we used the term `participant' where the meaning is clear, and `beneficiary' as a second resort.
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