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In Part 1 of this series, I explained what a Theory of Change is and why it can be useful for changes on a personal and organizational level. In this post, I’ll explain how to create a theory of change, using the following format:

For this example, let’s say that I am overweight and out of shape. I want to improve my health, so I decide to construct a theory of change and action plan that will help me in that process.

Step 1: Desired Change Assumptions. In this step I look at all of the underlying causes of my less-than-stellar health and why I think I got that way. For this example, I’ll say that I want to change because I haven’t been feeling well and I want more energy. The underlying causes of my health problems are poor eating habits and a lack of exercise. Ideally, I would like to be fit enough to run in a 5k and want to eat at least 5 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day.

Step 2: Actions. This is the traditional action planning step that most of us are familiar with. In this step I’ll brainstorm all of the things I need to achieve my desired outcome. Because I think I need more exercise, I decide that I’ll join a gym and work with a trainer. I also need to learn more about nutrition, so I’ll go to the library and research good eating habits. In working with my trainer, we come up with a 5 times per week workout plan and an eating schedule of 5 small meals per day. I’ll continue in this plan for 3 months.

Step 3: Results & Reflection. Some changes can take place quickly, but many are an ongoing process - such as my health improvement example. When this is the case, it’s helpful to pause occasionally and assess the progress that you’ve made so far. Then you can determine if you want to continue doing the same actions, take a break, or rework your assumptions and actions for better results. After my 3 months of improved diet and exercise, I’ll assess my fitness by running in a 5k race. I’ll review my food logs to see if I’ve been eating better. Then I will decide if I want to work toward more improvement or come up with a maintenance plan.

The real power of a Theory of Change is that it forces you to really examine the assumptions behind your thinking. My example is a pretty simple one, but in a more complex situation, this 1st step is very helpful. It is also a continuous improvement type of process that requires evaluation and at least thinking about ways to make your processes and plans better.

I think the Theory of Change tool is great for planning, but I’m always interested in learning about other tools. If you know of a good one, please share it in the comments.

Do you have parts of your life that you want to change? Do you know exactly what you need to do to change them? Do you go to bed every night knowing you did nada to make that change happen?

I’ve been there. I’ve watched others get there. I even developed a model to explain what happens and why. And the best part is, this model can help you go from a good idea to a lasting life change.

From Data to Knowledge to Action

Most of the mental “stuff” of the world starts out as raw data. These are things like our personal observations, scientific research, financial reports, political speeches and lots of other collections of “bits.” Most of it is meaningless noise that our brains naturally filter out. For example, if you live in an urban area, you probably see thousands of advertisements every day . Yet, at the end of the day you may remember one or two.

For data to become knowledge (What I Know) it has to go through some processing and contextualization. The good news is that there are many sources that do this for us automatically. The nightly news, doctors, the Federal Reserve and even this blog are all examples. The bad news is that you have to decide if you trust what those sources have to say. Even so, let’s assume that most data aggregation and reporting sources are 75% reliable. That means that the majority of your data to knowledge transformation work is already done for you.

For knowledge to become action (What I Do) well, YOU actually have to DO something. This could mean performing an action once, or it could mean establishing a life long habit. No one can do this for you.

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My thanks to Cindy Posey for this guest post. Cindy is the author of Go Workout Mom, a blog for mothers to find time to make physical fitness a priority in their lives. By providing knowledge and tips, moms gain support and motivation to live a fit life. Cindy is a mom to two toddlers, wife to a fantastic husband and a certified personal trainer (CI-CPT).

Raising a family is a business where family dynamics are relationships among members and home dynamics are responsibilities to keep the home functioning. Because of the complexities of schedule management, church commitments, school, practices, chores, finances and more, a family benefits from applying successful entrepreneurial systems. The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris is a complete system on how to establish a lifestyle through effective use of time. Here are my thoughts on applying Tim Ferris’s system while managing family and home dynamics.

Step I: D is for Definition

Tim outlines 10 Prominent Rules which help define mindset. His illustrations may focus on business, but we’re going to replace that concept with family. I felt that five rules worked well with family and home management.

Rule #4, Timing is Never Right urges us to not wait for the perfect moment. Do parents have to sacrifice personal ambitions and desires because they have children? Why do moms wait until children are in school or go to college before focusing on themselves? These questions are typical with parents of young children. Children do require work, but the excuses made to not seek personal improvement are unnecessary. Tim states, “Someday is a disease that will go to the grave with you.” (33). Self reflection and analysis of the current lifestyle will help break the mold of someday thinking.

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Scenario planning is a tool that can be used to forecast large scale societal changes and determine appropriate organizational responses to those changes. It was developed by the United States military in the 1960’s and was adopted by large corporations in the 1970’s. Shell Oil’s use of scenario planning to deal with the energy crisis of the 1970’s is probably the most famous corporate example. By using scenario planning to predict changes in the energy market, Shell was able to out-maneuver its competitors and stay profitable during the first major challenge to their market.

In recent years, the full-blown scenario planning process has fallen out of favor with large corporations. However, I have seen simpler adaptations of the tools of scenario planning applied successfully in the nonprofit sector. As I explained in What is Adaptive Capacity?, scenario planning can be used as a way of building up an organization’s ability to respond to external changes. Also, I’ve begun to use a version of the process in my personal planning. Let’s dive into the mechanics of scenario planning and see if it may be a good tool for you.

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Have you ever been to a conference, convention or training event? Do you remember how excited you were to learn new things and meet new people? Did you walk away with about 800 new ideas? How long did that last and how many ideas did you actually implement?

If you’re anything like me, chances are you came back to office with a ton of handouts and great ideas, put them in a pile… and promptly forgot about everything you learned!

After doing this too many times, I’ve developed a few key steps for keeping the momentum going after an event.

1. Book a spot at the conference next year. If you feel energized by attending the event this year, chances are you’ll get the same motivational boost next year. Sign up as soon as you can so you have something to work toward.
2. Subscribe to the newsletter or email list. Most organizations that hold conferences have a mailing list of some sort. Keep connected to the group and the source of new ideas by subscribing.
3. Read all those handouts. Do it ASAP - on the plane ride home, if possible. Take lots of notes and pull out any action items that you would like to pursue.
4. Follow up with contacts ASAP. If you read this before you go to a conference - remember to make notes on business cards! Write down something to remind you of who the person is and what you talked about. Back at the office, send an email follow-up. Include any information you promised to exchange and give them at least one action item for their own follow-up.
5. Choose one thing to work on. I often feel overwhelmed with the amount of ideas I can generate over a 2 or 3 day conference. The key to moving forward is to find one project you can take concrete action on. It can be as simple as doing some follow-up reading or as complex as changing your career! Just pick the thing you most want to work on.
6. Share with others. The best way to learn is to teach, so find a way to share your learnings with your co-workers or supervisor. I’ve done short presentations at staff meetings and found that it helped me sort through all my material and get it straight in my head.
7. Slow and steady wins the race. Just because you learned a lot in a short period of time doesn’t mean that you have to act on it all at the same time. Try to plan out the changes that you can implement over a reasonable time period, then stick to your project plan. I aim to implement one small idea per week.

Conferences and conventions can be a great motivator over the short term. Keeping the buzz going takes some planning and work, but it’s a great way to keep your career moving forward.

If you have other suggestions for taking the next step after a conference, please tell us all about it in the comments.