Practical Guidance on Developing a Projects Theory of Change

This short practical guide provides step-by-step guidance, tips and best practice to develop Theories of Change (ToCs) that reflect a project’s operating environment, assumptions and evidence base; are useful for adaptive management and learning; and are responsive to donor requirements. The document explains what a ToC is and how it relates to the project’s Results Framework. It discusses how the process of ToC development can help teams check their project’s means-to-ends logic and reveal potential underlying assumptions, to be monitored as part of the project’s MEAL system. The guidance outlines different donor approaches to ToCs and includes some simple illustrative examples.