Issue Identification and Analysis

YOU 221 L 2024

 RECAP
State and power structures
 The state
 Three sectors of a nation- gvt, busines, third
sector
 The constitution
 National youth development policy
 Advocacy cycle
1) Problem identification
2) Research
3) Planning
4) Bulding alliances
5) Act
6)Monitoring and evaluation
 Designing an Advocacy Plan
Step 1: Describe the issue.
Step 2: Identify current strengths and
challenges.
Step 3: Identify expected allies and opponents.
Step 4: Be clear about your goals and objectives.
Step 5: Develop and implement strategies.
Step 6: Monitor and adjust
 Step 1:
Describe the Issue Research and identify the
issues, in written form, that you want to
accomplish.
Written plans often help you clarify your
thinking.
They also help maintain your focus when you’re
tempted to stray from your plans.
Identifying the issue may include parts or even
all of your organization mission statement.
 Step 2
Identify Current Strengths and Challenges
Current strengths and weaknesses
Use advisory groups to help develop this perspective
They can help you assess your current efforts, as well
what is and is not working
Additionally, gather information about currently available
resources to round out your planning
This will include what you have in terms of people,
organization, money, facilities, and allies
By analyzing your resources, you will obtain a better
picture of your strengths and weaknesses.
 Step 3
Identify Expected Allies and Opponents
It is important to know the “who” in terms of
community support and opposition
Targets of change may be either institutions,
groups, individuals, or “hybrids,” that is, people
who could switch from one side to the other
You will want to invest time listening to all sides in
order to plan your approach
It is likely that each group will have different needs
for information, and thus you may need to
develop different approaches for each of them
 Step 4
Be Clear About Your Goals and Objectives
You should have longterm, intermediate, and short-
term goals
Long-term goals are what you want to accomplish
over an extended period of time
Intermediate goals move you forward toward your
long-range goals, and
Short-term goals are achievable immediately and
set the stage for more successes ( compare with
process and outcome goals)
 Cnt…
One strategy for setting goals is to use SMART+C goals
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timed, and
Challenging
SMART+C
Specifi c —The more specific, the better the plan will be.
Measurable —Put your goals in measurable terms
Achievable —Set realistic goals that your group can achieve.
Relevant —Your goals must be relevant to your mission and
goals
Timed —A completion date should be set
Challenging —Your goals should be a stretch upward
 Step 5
Develop and Implement Strategies
Develop and implement specific strategies and tactics that
identify advocacy opportunities
Effective strategies: „ Carry out your strategy and are
appropriate for your goals
Fit your style (one out-of-control tactic can wreck a whole
campaign)
Are doable and cost-effective
Make your group feel good about themselves and about what
they are doing
„ Create a written time line for implementation of the
selected strategies
 Step 6
Monitor and Adjust
Finally, measure, monitor, review, and revise your
plan regularly
Always look for feedback on the six steps of the
plan
As you monitor and review, do not be afraid to
make changes in order to improve the odds for
success
Use ROI (return on investment) as a key indicator
for changes
 Problem Identification

Situation analysis
 Situation analysis
Gathering of information about the needs of
the youth and its resources that can support
efforts to redress the identified development
problem

What is a need?
A need is a discrepancy between what is in place
and what is desired
 Cnt…
i)Situation analysis entails understanding the
community through data
Eg :
Incidences
Factors
Comparison with other communities,
Evidence on the demand for a service,
Experts of the field
 Cnt…
ii)It also entail an understanding on data
collection methods- observation, interview,
focus group discussions, surveys

iii)It also entail an understanding on data

collection instruments – designing and
administering-interview guide, observation
schedule,
 Cnt…
iv)It also entail critical thinking - the art of
analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view
to improving it in order to help the community
members avoid circular reasoning
 Cnt…
Eg about a service
Availability
Accessibility
Acceptability
Appropriateness
Adequacy
 Cnt…
It is the most important step in planning with
the community
 Needs statement
We begin the planning process with an
understanding of the need or problem

Needs statement VS problem statement

 Cnt…
The need statement
Provides a convincing case regarding the extent
and magnitude of the need or problem

Describes the problem in terms of how people

directly or indirectly experience it
 Cnt…
The purpose of the needs/problem statement is:

To identify compelling conditions, problems or

issues that are leading you to propose a plan
of action
 Cnt…
It does not describe the approach to address the
need or problem , rather it provides a strong
rationale for why support should be provided
The need statement is based on factual
information
It provides the understanding of the
issues/need/problem at a community, state,
nation level
 Functions of Needs Statement
An effective needs statement does four things:
(i)It uses supportive evidence to describe clearly
the nature and extent of the need/problem
(ii)It illuminates the factors contributing to the
problem or the circumstances creating the
need
(iii) It identifies current gaps
(iv) Where applicable, it provides a rationale for
transferability of promising/best practices
 Cnt…
Why should a planner understand a need
statement?

It provides the underpinnings of the reminder

of the plan, it is the foundation of the entire
proposed advocacy programme
Characteristics of Needs Statement
The need statement
Is not the place to propose the particular solution rather
it lays the foundation for your particular solution to
emerge
i)Provides an understanding of the impact of the
problem to those affected directly, and the community
as a whole
ii) It provides a compelling case to the effect of
continued nonintervention
iii)Is comprehensive but not boring
iv)Use data of those you want to plan for
 Cnt…
v)Demonstrate that planners have a thorough
understanding of the problem
vi)Demonstrate that planners are knowledgeable about
the types of interventions that are successful in
addressing this problem
vii)Indicate that planners are aware of possible barriers
viii)Demonstrate that the problem planners are
addressing is the same issue that the decision makers
wants to address
ix)Lay the groundwork to lead the decision makers
conclusion that planners approach is client oriented
and one of the best possible approach
 A guide to write NS/PS
You cannot use all the information that you find

Scrutinize and make the best choice

The problem provides a condensing and editing

 Cnt…
Can be divided into four parts
1.The nature and extent of the need/problem
• What is the need/problem and who is
experiencing it?
2. Factors contributing to the problem or
conditions
• Address the causes of the problem (policies,
practices, laws, institutional and systemic
barriers, limited resources, physical limitations,
etc)
 Cnt…
Note:
Avoid circular reasoning (arguing that the
problem is the lack of service etc that one is
proposing)
Eg arguing that the problem is lack of vocational
training centers that the planner is proposing
instead of lack of skills, knowledge, etc which
can be addressed by access to the centers
 Cnt…
3.Impact of the need/problem
• Tell the impact of the problem/need if not
addressed and benefits to be derived through
intervention, treatment, prevention etc of the
need/problem
4.Promissing approaches for improved results
• Proved useful theoretical perspectives
• Successful approaches
• Barriers to resolving the problem
 Issue Analysis
 Getting to root causes
 Criteria for selecting strategic issues
 Stakeholder analysis
 Power mapping- key institutions, key
individuals
 Identification of the solutions and changes
needed
 Setting issue and Objectives
 Goals and objectives
Goals vs objectives
 Cnt…
Goals:
Respond to identified needs or problems

Are ultimate mission or purpose

They represent “ideal”/hoped for state of the

desired change

Are ambitious statements

 Objectives
Objectives:
Represent the immediate desired and
measurable outcomes or results that are
essential for achieving ultimate goals
(Discuss examples)
 Cnt…
Goals are ambitious statements; desired state of
things
They are not generally attainable over the short
term
To write the goal- go back to the needs/problem
you seek to address
• What ideal condition will exist if we eliminate,
prevent, or improve the situation?
• What is the overall, long term desired condition?
 Formulating objectives
Objectives are expected results of the actions
taken to attain the goal
Objectives are specific, achievable, and
measurable statements
Are derived from goals
Are defined narrowly
NOTE: It is wise to develop an objective for each
expected change for each target group
 Cnt…
For example- if the goal is to eliminate sex
corruption in higher learning institutions then
some objectives might target parents, some at
teachers, some at students themselves, and
some at the community
 Cnt…
Process objectives
 Describes the expected improvements in the
operations or procedures
 Quantify the expected change in the usage of
service/methods
 Identify how much service will be received
 Cnt…
Process objectives help to provide insight into
experimental, unique, and innovative
approaches or techniques used in a
programme
They are usually designed to increase
knowledge about how to improve the delivery
of service
 Cnt…
Examples:
Four sex corruption prevention groups formed
by school staff within the first 6 weeks of the
first university semester 2027/2028
 Cnt…
Outcome objectives
Are used to describe the expected benefits to
programme recipients
They specify the target group and what will
happen to them as a result of the
intervention/approach
May depict a change in one or more levels
(individual, programme, agency, system,
cross-system, or community)
 Cnt…
Changes may occur as:
 Improved behaviour
 Increased skill
 Changed attitudes, values, and beliefs
 Increased knowledge or awareness
 Improved conditions
 Elimination of institutional and systemic barriers
 More effective policies, practices, laws
 Cnt…
Well stated outcome objective provides:
 A time frame
 The target group
 The number of programme recipients
 The expected measurable results or benefits
 The geographic location or service locale
 Cnt…
Objectives use action verbs:
 reduce,
 increase,
 decrease,
 promote,
 demonstrate etc
Why?
In order to indicate the expected direction of the
change
 Cnt…
To develop outcome objectives- go back to the
needs of the programme recipients
What is the purpose of your programme?
To increase knowledge about something? Or
they have knowledge already but they
continue behaving in the same way and thus
focus on attitudes, values and beliefs?
What exactly do you hope to change???
At what level?
 Cnt…
Examples
1000 at risk youth in Morogoro municipality
attending peer counseling programme will
increase by 50% their knowledge about the
dangers of drug and alcohol use by January
31st, 2027
 Cnt…
One hundred parents will increase their
involvement with their youth by 20% by June
30th, 2027
 Cnt…
Outcomes can be categorized as :
1. Initial outcomes- is the first benefit (eg changes
in knowledge, skills or attitudes) They are not
the end in themselves as far as quality of
participant’s life is concerned
2. Intermediate outcomes- changes that happens
as a result of new knowledge, new skills and
new attitudes
3. Longer term outcomes- the ultimate outcome
that the programme desires to achieve
4. The meaningful change of life condition
 The end
Thank you for your participation
 Issue Analysis
 Getting to root causes- problem tree exercise
 Criteria for selecting strategic issues-
 Stakeholder analysis-
 Power mapping- key institutions, key
individuals-
 Identification of the solutions and changes
needed-
 Setting issues and Objectives