Concepts → Go Types¶
How each concept from the
research brief (§8 entity model, §9.8 UNDG
implications) maps to the Go model in pkg/impact. The
TRD §7 is normative;
this page is the index.
The model is one impact model. The methods the research brief describes are
projections of it, drawn by the report command:
| Method | Projection shows | Report kinds |
|---|---|---|
| Problem tree | The core problem, its causes (roots) below and its effects (branches) above, with the outcomes that address each | problem-tree, problem-tree-d2, problem-tree-json |
| Theory of change | Pathways of change, with the reasons and assumptions behind each link | pathway |
| Logic model | Inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes by level, for each pathway | logic-model, logic-model-layered, logic-model-d2 |
| Outcome map | Outcomes by level, with who is responsible for each | outcome-map |
| Logframe | A matrix of narrative, indicators, verification, and assumptions | logframe |
OKRs and outcome journeys are projections too, written by export okr and
export journey for the PRISM planning tools, and so is a V2MOM, written by
export v2mom (see the V2MOM guide), and a DMAIC metrics
document for pathways marked projections: [dmaic], written by export dmaic
(see the DMAIC guide).
Delivered by names the roadmap item (RMI-THEORYOFCHANGESPEC-NNN, shown
as NNN) that adds the type or field. Concepts not in v0 are listed under
Deferred.
Document and context¶
| Concept (source) | Go type / field | Delivered by |
|---|---|---|
| Impact model document (holds the theory of change of ActKnowledge and UNDG) | impact.Model (kind: ImpactModel) |
004 |
| Metadata, owners, status | Model.Metadata (prism-core Metadata) |
004 |
| Whose impact model it is (perspective) | Model.Perspective (actorId, role, futureRef) |
004 |
| Problem statement, target population, time horizon, narrative | Model.Context |
004 |
| Purpose: why the organization exists and what it works toward (a statement, not a causal element) | Context.Mission, Context.Vision |
064 |
| Ceiling of accountability (ActKnowledge) | Model.Ceiling |
004 |
| Revision / adaptive management, quality review (plausible, feasible, testable) | Model.Revisions[] (Revision, QualityReview) |
004 |
| Decisions requested | Model.Decisions[] |
004 |
| Problem tree: immediate / underlying / structural causes (UNDG), each contributing to others | Model.Causes[] (Cause, Parents) |
044, IMPACTMODEL-009 |
| Problem tree: effects of the core problem (branches) | Model.Effects[] (Effect); Outcome.AddressesEffects |
IMPACTMODEL-009 |
| Target groups (UNDG equity) | Model.TargetGroups[] |
044 |
| Validation and consultation trail (UNDG) | Model.Consultations[] (Consultation) |
052 |
| Glossary (shared vocabulary) | Model.Glossary[] (GlossaryTerm) |
033 |
Causal backbone¶
| Concept | Go type / field | Delivered by |
|---|---|---|
| Long-term goal, impact, outcome, precondition | Outcome with Level (impact, long_term, medium_term, short_term, output) |
004 |
| Sphere of control / influence / interest (Outcome Mapping, RBM) | Outcome.Sphere |
004 |
| AND / OR / k-of-n preconditions, ActKnowledge "cluster" | Outcome.Logic (Logic{Type, K}) and PreconditionGroup |
004 |
| Outcome category taxonomies (ORS, COM-B, MSD AAER) | Outcome.Category (open string), Outcome.ChangeType |
004 |
| Population that changes; co-owning actors | Outcome.Population, Outcome.ActorIDs |
004 |
| Responsibility: own / shared / partner / unaddressed (UNDG solution tree) | Outcome.Responsibility, Outcome.DeliveredBy, Outcome.AddressesCauses |
044 |
| Causal link, rationale | CausalLink (From, To, Type, Rationale) |
004 |
| Interventions placed on connectors (ActKnowledge) | CausalLink.InterventionIDs |
004 |
| Polarity, lag, feedback loops (reinforcing / balancing) | CausalLink.Polarity, Lag, Feedback, LoopType |
004 |
| Intervention, strategy, activity, outputs | Intervention (Targets, Outputs, Status, Resources) |
004 |
| Capability links (PRISM) | Intervention.Capabilities (prism-core CapabilityRef) |
004 |
| Pathways / program areas / products | Model.Pathways[] (Pathway, kind program or product) |
032, 064 |
| Nested ToCs (overarching vs outcome-level, UNDG) | Model.Parent, Pathway.ChildModel |
032 |
Assumptions, risks, context, evidence¶
| Concept | Go type / field | Delivered by |
|---|---|---|
| Assumption (if X then Y because Z) | Assumption (Statement, IfThenBecause) |
004 |
| Assumption types: causal, contextual, implementation, behavioral, external, partnership | Assumption.Type |
004 |
| Criticality, plausibility, needs testing, test method (UNDG three questions) | Assumption.Criticality, Plausibility, ExplainsFully, NeedsTesting, Test |
004 |
| Assumption status: untested / holding / at risk / invalidated / validated | Assumption.Status |
004 |
| Risk (likelihood, impact, mitigation) | Risk (embeds prism-core Risk) |
004 |
| Risk categories (UNDG) and assumption–risk inverse links | Risk.Category, Risk.RelatedAssumptionIDs |
004 |
| External factors (enablers, constraints, trends, shocks) | ExternalFactor |
004 |
| Evidence, strength, contradicting evidence, process-tracing tests | Evidence (Strength, Direction, ProcessTracingTest, Sensitivity) |
004 |
| Sources for public-information drafts | Evidence (URL, Excerpt, AccessedAt) |
004 |
| Stated vs inferred vs confirmed (provenance) | Provenance embedded on every element |
052 |
Actors¶
| Concept | Go type / field | Delivered by |
|---|---|---|
| Stakeholders, boundary partners, beneficiaries, champions, competitors | Actor (Type, Roles, Stance, Influence, Interest) |
004 |
| Contact person | Actor.Contact (prism-core Person) |
004 |
| Shared actor registry across documents (UFM) | ActorRegistry document; Model.ActorRegistry |
005 |
Measurement¶
| Concept | Go type / field | Delivered by |
|---|---|---|
| Indicator (definition, unit, direction) | Indicator |
004 |
| Population, target, threshold, timeline (ActKnowledge) | Indicator.Population, Targets[].Value, Targets[].Threshold, Targets[].Date |
004 |
| Baseline, milestones | Indicator.Baseline, Targets[].Milestone |
004 |
| Quantitative / qualitative / progress markers (expect / like / love) | Indicator.MeasurementType, Levels |
004 |
| Data source, method, frequency, owner, disaggregation | Indicator.DataSource, Method, Frequency, OwnerActorID, Disaggregation |
004 |
| Indicator subject: outcome, output, or assumption | Indicator.Measures |
004 |
| Shared metric definitions with formulas | Model.Metrics[] (Metric); Indicator.MetricID, RollupFrom |
033 |
| Attribution vs contribution | Indicator.Claim, Caveats |
033 |
| Metric tier: activity, output, outcome, impact (input, output, and driver metrics) | Model.IndicatorTier (derived from what the indicator measures; never stored) |
063 |
| North Star, one metric that matters, guardrails, for a program or product | Pathway.Focus (NorthStarID, OneMetricID, GuardrailIDs, Rationale) |
064 |
| Headline metrics: the few numbers an audience leads with, in its order and wording | Audience.Headline[] (HeadlineMetric: IndicatorID, Label, Note) |
064 |
| A metric worked out from others, such as cost per outcome | Indicator.ComposedOf (Composition: Op ratio, product, sum, or difference, and IndicatorIDs) |
067 |
| Data availability | Indicator.DataAvailability |
052 |
| Metric selection, collection burden, budget | SelectionCriterion, Indicator.Selection, Indicator.Collection, MeasurementBudget |
034 |
| Observations (time series, data quality) | ObservationSet.Observations[] (Observation) |
005 |
| Assumption assessments over time | ObservationSet.Assessments[] |
005 |
| Most Significant Change stories, theme codebook | ObservationSet.Stories[], Model.Themes[] |
035 |
| Learning reviews (MEL) | ObservationSet.Reviews[] |
035 |
| Computed status, diffs between periods | Status, StatusDiff |
005 (types), 017–020 (computation) |
Alignment and integration¶
| Concept | Go type / field | Delivered by |
|---|---|---|
| Links to OKRs, Balanced Scorecard, V2MOM, capabilities, maturity SLIs, market entities, VSEM, USM, UFM, SDGs | Alignment with ExternalRef |
004 |
| Cross-repository references | pkg/ref (model:<doc>#<element>) |
003 |
| Audiences for reports and stories | Model.Audiences[] |
035 |
Deferred¶
| Concept (source) | Reason | Reserved name |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution claims (Mayne's Contribution Analysis) | Needs evaluation workflow beyond v0 | contributionClaims |
| Substantiated observed outcomes (Outcome Harvesting) | Stories cover v0; substantiation workflow later | observedOutcomes |
| Weighted precondition logic | at_least k-of-n covers v0 |
— |
Glossary¶
| Term | Meaning in this specification |
|---|---|
| Impact | The highest-level change, usually above the ceiling of accountability; contribution is claimed, not achievement |
| Long-term outcome | The goal the initiative holds itself accountable for |
| Outcome | A condition that must exist for the theory to work and does not yet exist, phrased as a state, not an activity |
| Output | A direct product of an intervention, within the organization's control |
| Core problem | The problem the impact model responds to, context.problemStatement; the middle of the problem tree |
| Cause | A condition that leads to the core problem, directly or through other causes; a root of the problem tree |
| Effect | A consequence of the core problem, directly or through other effects; a branch of the problem tree |
| Precondition | An outcome that must hold for a higher outcome; incoming links to an outcome are its preconditions |
| Precondition group | An explicit AND / OR / k-of-n combination of preconditions |
| Causal link | A directed claim that one outcome (or intervention) contributes to another, with a rationale |
| Intervention | Something the actors do to bring about outcomes (program, product, policy, advocacy, partnership…). The logic model shows interventions as activities, and the V2MOM projection shows them as a method's projects. An initiative is the organizational effort that delivers one, linked through initiativeRefs |
| Assumption | A condition believed to hold for a link or outcome to work, which the initiative does not bring about |
| Indicator | Measurable evidence that an outcome, output, or assumption is changing |
| Ceiling of accountability | The line above which outcomes are tracked but not owned |
| Pathway | A named grouping of outcomes, interventions, and indicators, such as a program area |
| Provenance basis | Whether an element was stated by a source, inferred, proposed as a hypothesis, confirmed, or rejected in review |
| Observation set | A separate document of measured values, assumption assessments, stories, and learning reviews for a period |