P01
Harbor Skills
85%completed the program
102 of 120 enrolled
- People
- Jobseekers aged 18–24
- When
- End of a 12-week placement
- Definition
- Placement plus exit assessment
Completion measure
Year-end register · p. 3
Prova Deliverables
See what you could bring to your next decision.
A clear map of your claims and sources. A plan for what to measure. A brief that helps your team weigh the next move.
See how your records, research, and questions can become work you can examine, share, and use.
Claims & sourcesIllustrative
Same program.
Different levels of support.
85% of enrolled participants complete the program.
SupportedEmployer partners value the placements.
LimitedThe program leads to lasting employment.
Not establishedYour claims. Their sources. A clearer view of what holds.
Find the work your question needs.
Six illustrative examples. Each engagement has an agreed question, scope, and form.
01Claims and Sources Map
Know which claims you can stand behind.
See your important claims alongside the sources supporting them, the limits of that support, and the language the evidence allows. Use the map to prepare a report, answer a board question, or decide which gap is worth investigating.
You receive
- Your material claims, examined one by one
- Source references you can follow
- Clear reasons for each judgment
- Usable wording and priority next questions
What the current material supports
Harbor Skills · Four statements proposed for the annual report
- C01Supported
85% of enrolled participants complete the program.
102 of 120 is 85%. The register supports completion for this cohort and period.
Year-end registerp. 3 · Cohort totals
Enrolled: 120 Completed the placement and exit assessment: 102 Reporting period: January–December
In this cohort, 102 of 120 enrolled participants completed the program.
- C02Limited
Employer partners value the placements.
The interviews describe the views of three partners. They do not establish a view shared by all eight.
Partner interview notespp. 2–4 · Three interviews
Three of eight employer partners interviewed. All three described the placements as useful. The other five partners were not interviewed.
The three employer partners interviewed described the placements as useful.
- C03Thin
Participants leave with more confidence.
These are staff observations about a few people. They leave the extent of change and participants’ own views unresolved.
Staff reflection notesp. 6 · End-of-cohort reflections
Staff noted greater confidence in six participants. No common confidence measure was collected at entry or exit, and no direct participant account was recorded.
Staff described signs of greater confidence in six participants.
- C04Not established
The program leads to lasting employment.
Completion records do not establish later employment or whether the program caused a change.
Record inventoryp. 1 · Coverage and gaps
Records end at program exit. No employment follow-up or comparison evidence is included in the agreed record.
Later employment outcomes are not established by the current record.
What this changes
The completion claim can be used for this cohort. The employment claim needs a different evidence base. The next report can reflect that distinction now.
Follow a longer worked example from a finding to the files behind it
02Program Logic & Assumptions Map
See what has to hold for the program to work.
Connect what your program does to the change it is intended to create. See where research supports those connections, which assumptions depend on your setting, and what would be useful to test before the next redesign or expansion.
You receive
- A clear map from activities to intended change
- Evidence attached to the relevant connections
- Assumptions and operating conditions made explicit
- Priority questions to examine in your setting
The links matter as much as the steps.
Harbor Skills · A research-linked theory of change
- 01
Complete a training placement
Young people complete the placement and exit assessment.
Research support
The example research review supports skill gains from structured practice.
Evidence note 01 - 02
Gain skills employers need
Participants can demonstrate relevant skills.
A condition to check
Those skills need to match real vacancies and employers’ hiring requirements.
Local employer notes - 03
Move into steady work
Participants obtain and retain suitable employment.
Still an open question
Stable work may help household finances. Job quality and household circumstances still matter.
Learning question 03 - 04
Improve household stability
More dependable income supports the intended longer-term change.
The next useful question
Will the next placement cohort learn skills that local employers are hiring for? Examine vacancies and employer requirements before expanding the training offer.
03Measurement & Learning Plan
Put collection effort where it helps.
Connect each measure to a question your team needs to answer. See what is worth keeping, simplifying, adding, or retiring within your reporting obligations—and how the information will actually be used.
You receive
- A practical keep, simplify, stop, or add plan
- Collection burden alongside decision value
- Clear methods, responsibilities, and timing
- A defined use for the information collected
Which measures earn the time they take?
Harbor Skills · Four choices about the next reporting cycle
More useful to a decision ↑More collection effort →
1Monthly attendanceKeep
2Quarterly funder narrativeSimplify
3Weekly activity logStop
4Six-month follow-upAdd
Positions illustrate the team’s judgment of burden and usefulness. They are not measured scores. The follow-up is a possible addition.
| Measure | What changes | Who / when |
|---|---|---|
| KeepMonthly attendance | Use the existing register to spot interruptions early. | Program coordinatorReview monthly |
| SimplifyQuarterly funder narrative | Agree a shorter account that still meets the funder’s requirements. | Program leadAgree before next report |
| StopWeekly activity log | Retire the duplicate log once required fields are confirmed elsewhere. | Operations leadAt the next reporting cycle |
| AddSix-month follow-up | Pilot a feasible follow-up and record who could not be reached. | Learning leadTest with one cohort |
What this changes
Reduce duplication and make room for a useful missing question. Confirm reporting obligations and test the follow-up burden before changing the collection routine.
04Portfolio Learning Map
Learn across programs while keeping their differences visible.
Bring several programs or grants into a shared view. See what can be compared, what needs a different interpretation, and which patterns deserve closer attention before they inform learning or funding decisions.
You receive
- A shared view of the programs or grants in scope
- Definitions, populations, and periods kept visible
- Supported patterns and clear comparison limits
- Useful questions for your team and partners
Three results. Two different questions.
An illustrative foundation portfolio · Read the definitions before comparing the percentages
P02
Lakeside Pathways
74%completed the program
74 of 100 enrolled
- People
- Jobseekers aged 18–24
- When
- End of a 12-week placement
- Definition
- Placement plus exit assessment
Completion measure
Cohort report · p. 8
P03
Eastbank Job Coaching
70%of respondents were employed
56 of 80 reached; 160 enrolled
- People
- Adult jobseekers, ages 18+
- When
- Six months after exit
- Definition
- Self-reported current employment
Different outcome and population
Follow-up report · p. 4
A useful starting comparison
Harbor and Lakeside use the same completion definition and period. The 11 percentage-point difference is a question to examine alongside intake needs and delivery conditions.
A result to interpret separately
Eastbank reports later employment among respondents. Only half the cohort was reached. Its result answers a different question from the two completion measures.
What to take into the portfolio meeting
Ask what may explain the completion difference. Keep the employment finding in its own context, with the missing follow-up visible. These figures alone do not establish program effectiveness.
05Decision & Options Brief
Bring the choices and their evidence into one view.
Work through a renewal, redesign, expansion, or funding decision with the realistic options in front of you. See what supports each option, which uncertainties matter, and what information or condition could change the next step.
You receive
- A concise brief prepared from the agreed record
- Realistic options and their tradeoffs
- Evidence, constraints, and consequential unknowns
- Next actions for the decision and date ahead
Renew the service. Decide the extension on its own conditions.
Riverside Community Transport · A brief for the renewal meeting
Should we renew the current service and extend it to two new routes?
Purpose: service continuity and the next budget commitmentD01 / Trip register2,400 of 2,500
Booked trips delivered in the period reviewed.
D02 / Staffing plan2 drivers needed
The proposed expansion posts are not yet filled.
D03 / User feedback32 of 100 replied
The feedback leaves many users’ experiences unknown.
Proposed next step
Renew the core service and resolve the capacity conditions for one staged route. Before committing to the extension, name an owner to confirm staffing, vehicle availability, and a review date.
The trip register shows delivery. It does not establish improved access or health outcomes. The agency retains responsibility for the funding and service decision.
This deliverable is commissioned analysis of the agreed record. To organize your question before a conversation, prepare a free Decision Brief
06Signed Independent Review
Obtain a judgment from outside the work.
Before relying on a design, analysis, report, or consequential claim, have its support and limitations examined by an independent reviewer. The conclusion explains what holds, what remains uncertain, and how far the findings can responsibly be taken.
You receive
- A signed review with a defined question and scope
- A professional conclusion with its reasons
- Source references, limitations, and usable language
- Named responsibility for the judgment
A conclusion someone is responsible for.
Harbor Skills · Anatomy of a separately commissioned Evidence Review
“The program leads to lasting employment.”
Year-end register, partner interviews, staff reflection notes, and the record inventory.
Professional conclusionNot established by the agreed record.
The current materials establish program completion. They do not establish later employment or the program’s effect on it.
What holds
The register records 102 completions among 120 enrolled participants. It supports a bounded statement about this cohort.
Year-end register · p. 3What limits the claim
No employment follow-up or comparison evidence is included. Partner views and staff observations do not resolve those gaps.
Record inventory · p. 1“In this cohort, 102 of 120 enrolled participants completed the program.”
Signed professional judgmentNamed Prova reviewer
Illustrative signature blockScope · reasons · limitations · responsibility
Reviewing a design before collection begins?See an illustrative Design Review finding.
A six-month survey of participants, with no comparison group.
The survey can describe reported employment among those reached. A design intended to estimate the program’s effect needs a credible comparison and a plan for missing follow-up.
Agree the intended claim, test whether a comparison is feasible, and document how nonresponse will be examined.
An independent review covers work Prova did not create or substantially revise. See how independence is protected
A practical first step
Which of these would help your team?
Bring the question, the date, and a general description of the information you have. We can work out the smallest useful piece of work and what it should leave you with.
Discuss what you need