Milestone Journals Overview
Adapted from Outcome Mapping http://www.outcomemapping.ca
What are Milestones?
Milestones are signs that denote movement along a change process. Milestones denote:
 Changes in outcomes: influential players taking actions toward a desired system
change; and
 strategic efforts taken by the project to sway influential players.
What is Milestone Journal?
A milestone journal is a tool for documenting credible evidence of a project’s strategic
contributions to outcomes along the system change process. Milestone Journals are recorded
for Outcomes and Strategy.
Milestone Journals
Outcome Journal
Tracks influential players’ actions towards a desired
system change (i.e., graduated progress markers).
Strategy Journal
Tracks strategies – actions taken by a project – to sway
influential players toward a desired system change.
Contribution is an intentional act of collecting credible evidence that weaves together a picture of
what outcomes are changing towards a system change and how the project’s strategies played a
role within the change process.
Credible evidence is verifiable information that allows a reasonable person to make a judgment.
Why use Milestone Journals?



Strategic learning: Milestone Journals collect credible evidence that allows a team to
systemically reflect upon the change process and make informed decisions about adaptions
to the strategy.
Communication: Milestone Journal data can be transformed into timelines and other
visuals to communicate with funders, board members, or partners about the system change
process.
Historical record: Milestone Journals serve as resource for orienting new staff members or
partners.
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How are Milestone Journals Created?
Step
❶ Identify uses and users
Guidance
 Review Table 1 on Page 3.
 Brainstorm how milestone data may be used (i.e., telling our
story, grant progress reports, strategic planning).
 Brainstorm who may use the milestone data (i.e., program
staff, board members, potential funder, partner
organizations).
 Identify when information is needed.
❷ Prioritize influential
players to track
 Review your strategy map for identified influential players.
 Use Table 2 on Page 3 to list identified influential players.
 Prioritize which are the most important to track.
❸ Assign responsibilities
 Review Table 3 on Page 3.
 Assign responsibilities for documenting and reflecting upon
data in Milestone Journals.

 Review Outcome Journal Template on Page 4.
 Customize an Outcome Journal for EACH priority influential
player.
 For each influential player, insert the progress markers already
drafted in the Progress Marker template into the Outcome
Journal.
 Refine progress markers so that each one is observable.
❹ Customize Outcome
Journal
❺ Customize Strategy
Journal
 Review Strategy Journal Template on Page 5.
 Customize a Strategy Journal for EACH priority influential
players.
❻ Collect and document
data into Journals
 Collect credible evidence and document at least quarterly in
the Milestone Journals.
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Milestone Journal Worksheet
❶ Uses and Users of Milestone Journal
Uses:
How do we expect the
milestone data to be used?
Strategic learning: Making
adaptations to our strategy
Users:
Who do we expect will use
the milestone data?
Our Team
Timing: When are milestone data
needed?
❷ Prioritize Influential Player to Track
Influential Player
Why do we think tracking outcomes (progress markers) for this player is
important for uses and users identified in Table 1?
Priority?
❸ Responsibilities and Commitments
For which influential players will we
commit to document progress in the
Outcome Journal?
Who will be responsible for gathering and
documenting information into the
Milestone Journals?
Who will be responsible for facilitating
team reflective meetings about data
documented in the Milestone Journals?
Who will participate in team reflective
meetings?
When and how often will our team meet
to reflect upon data documented in the
Milestone Journals?
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Outcome Journal Template
Document actions taken by influential players toward the desired system change
Influential Player:
Working Date from/to:
Contributors to Tracking Update:
Progress Markers
Progress Update
Source of evidence
What actions do we expect
the influential partner to
take?
What has happened?
What evidence documents this progress?
Status Assessment
√ - On track
○ - No progress
X - No longer relevant
Expect to see: Initial, minimum, easier changes
Like to see: More challenging changes
Love to see: Transformational changes
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Strategy Journal Template
Document actions taken by our project to sway influential players.
Influential Player:
Working Date from/to:
Contributors to Tracking Update:
WHAT action did we take?
WHO was the target of our
action?
WHEN did we take this
action?
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