We need to understand the situation to be able to make strategic choices that increase the chances of success.

The situation analysis describes the context in which you operate. It identifies the nature and extent of the opportunities you may be able to build upon, as well as the problems to be addressed by your organisation. It also describes the forces at play, using for example stakeholder analysis and power analysis.

What evidence is available about the size of the problem, its history, and whether it is changing over time with respect to its nature and extent?

In fact, this may lead to reframing a perceived problem as an opportunity.

DESCRIBES CONTEXT

Situation analysis…

DESCRIBES VARIOUS
FEATURES

MOTIVATES THE TOCâ€™SÂ
VISION OF SUCCESS

It identifies the nature and extent of the opportunities you may be able to build upon.

IDENTIFIES STRENGTHS
& OPPORTUNITIES

The situation analysis describes the various features such as who is affected by the problem directly and indirectly? What evidence is available about the size of the problem, its history, and whether it is changing over time with respect to its nature and extent? How good is the evidence? What cultural factors play a role? How strong are institutions and what position do they take? The situation analysis also identifies the known causes and consequences of the problem (why the situation is problematic and worth addressing).

The situation analysis motivates the ToCâ€™s vision of success, but the vision of success also guides the situation analysis. A sound analysis of context, actors and factors that influence the situation we would like to change, is the foundation for a relevant initiative. We need to understand the situation to be able to make strategic choices that increase the chances of success. And we need to keep a close eye on the context in order to learn from what emerges, and respond or adapt to any changes in the environment.

A sound situation analysis not only analyses the problem to address but also identifies strengths and opportunities in the operational setting that could be drawn on. In fact, this may lead to reframing a perceived problem as an opportunity.

What to Analyse?

Issues and situations are affected by the interplay of local, national, regional and international dynamics, so we need to think about ‘systems’. Lasting change requires system change. This means engaging with a multitude of influencing factors, interacting, pushing and pulling in different directions. System change is always contested: there are many actors with stakes in both the status quo as well as in changing it, and who have different interests and perspectives. Their positions and relationships are characterised and conditioned by power and possibly gender inequalities.

Setting Boundaries

It can be difficult to set boundaries for a situation analysis. You may be tempted to throw the net too wide or to go on for too long. How deep the analysis needs to be depends on your purpose. Therefore, ask yourself what you want to get out of it, and what questions you want answered. So make your situation analysis purposeful and focused.

Dimensions

A situation analysis generally consists of the following:

Questions to ask

Tools

Critical issues need to be identified, i.e. external and internal environmental factors, events or trends that are likely to have a significant impact on the initiative and/or project organisation.Â

Rich Picturing

Appreciatve
Inquiry &
Appreciative Storytelling

A stakeholder is an agency, organisation, group or individual who has a (direct or indirect) interest in the project / programme, or who affects or is affected positively or negatively by the implementation and outcome of it.

Dimension 3:
Context / Institutional Analysis

Problem
Definition

Context and institutional analysis incorporate social, political, economic, ecological and other dimensions. Institutions are influential organisations, rules and regulations, mechanisms, policies, social norms and values, behavioural patterns, etc. Such institutions are essential in determining efficient, sustainable and equitable development outcomes and their functioning helps in creating trust and confidence in joint potential.

Dimension 1:
Picture / Description
of the Current Situation

Identifying Opportunities for
Change

Analysis of The External Macro Environment

Framings

SWOT Analysis

Dimension 2:
Stakeholder Analysis

Journey of Life

Dimension 4:
Analysis of Issues / Problems and Visions / Opportunities

An often used tool to describe/illustrate the current situation is â€˜Rich Picturingâ€™. A rich picture is a drawing of a situation that illustrates the main elements and relationships that need to be considered in trying to intervene to create improvement of a certain situation. It consists of pictures, text, symbols and icons that should all be used to graphically illustrate the situation. It is called a rich picture because it illustrates the richness and complexity of a situation.
A rich picture is a way of thinking holistically. It helps us to see relationships and connections that we may otherwise miss. It is considered as â€˜a picture tells a thousand wordsâ€™. Developing a rich picture is a good exercise to do with several stakeholders as everyone can add to it and use it to explain their particular interests or perspectives. Besides, a rich picture can also be a non-threatening and humorous way of illustrating different perspectives and conflicts.

Analysis of the External
Macro Environment

There are many such models, one of which is PEST. This method looks at the Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors and is often extended with other factors as well.

A SWOT analysis involves identifying your organisationâ€™s key strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats that its environment presents. It helps you to identify issues key to your organisationâ€™s success.

Problem Definition

Brainstorming, grouping and ranking exercise can be used in prioritising key problems. You can brainstorm up to eight key problems for example that those benefitting are facing and write each problem on a post-it. This would help to explore and map out issues easily. Stick up the post-its on the wall and sort them into similar groups. Then rank the top issues.

To help clarify and frame the problem you are working, five questions are asked:
– What is the key issue you are trying to address and why is it important?
– Who is it a problem for?
– What social or cultural factors shape this problem? Â
– What evidence do you have that this is worth the investment? Â
– Can you think of this problem in a different way? Can you reframe it? * Multi-Stakeholder Processes Knowledge Co-Creation Portal onÂ problem definition.

Identifying Opportunities for Change

– What changes would different stakeholder groups like to see the project bring about?
– Generally, what visions, hopes or dreams do different stakeholders have and are there implications for the project/programme?
– What opportunities do stakeholders see for realizing their visions?
– Is there recognition of the need for change? By whom?
– Are there different perspectives or alternatives for the dominant view in society? By whom are these held or promoted?
– What or who are drivers of change in the system? Where are opportunities for change?
– What gender-differentiated or gender-related opportunities are present?

A â€˜framingâ€™ is a lens or a perspective through which you (or others) view the situation or an intervention. Using different framings can help expand fixed mind-sets. There is no right or wrong about perspectives, they are equally valid. However, if too rigid, then the options for change and strategic prioritisation can be limited to what people know and which might not be the best options.â€¨How would someone look at this situation that is in a different position and has a different perspective on the desired change; on the relationships between actors; on the strategic options; on how change will become visible; or on the timeframe of the change process?

Ask yourselves:
– What framings might help in describing the current situation?
– What are the perspectives of different groups of stakeholders: how do they view the situation, and what do they think is needed and how it can be achieved?

Journey of Life

Map out the lives of individual people benefitting. Show the key ups and downs of their journey toward change. Discuss what has caused the ups and downs, and identify the organisationâ€™s activities and context elements that contribute to or obstruct change. Draw out from different groups the common strategies, activities, interventions and steps that contribute to this change. Rank these to get at least 3-5 core beliefs about how change happens. Discuss and note why we think these work. Draw out the context elements that hinder change and that we cannot influence directly to identify key risks.

Appreciative Inquiry
& Appreciative Storytelling

This is an approach to understand a social system through a search for the best in people, their organisations, and the relevant world around them. Traditionally we take problems as point of departure. But appreciative inquiry flips â€˜problem solvingâ€™ on its head and inquires into the positive of what is, and from that seeks to envision the social system as it could be. Appreciative storytelling is part of appreciative inquiry.â€¨

More information

Rich Picturing

* Oakden, J. (2014). If a picture paints a thousand words: The use of rich pictures in evaluation. Kinnect Group. Available here.

* Multi-Stakeholder Processes Knowledge Co-Creation Portal on rich picture.

* ‘Rich pictures’ at The Open University.

Analysis of The External Macro Environment

* Strategic Management Insight on PEST analysis.

SWOT Analysis

* What is a SWOT analysis? Tools to help improve your business.

* Community Toolbox on SWOT analysis.

Problem Definition

* Multi-Stakeholder Processes Knowledge Co-Creation Portal on problem definition.

Framings

* Community Tool Box on Framing.

Appreciative Inquiry & Appreciative Storytelling

* Appreciative Inquiry Commons of Case Western Reserve University.

* E.H. Kessler, The Appreciative Inquiry Model.

* Wikipedia on Appreciative Inquiry.

* Multi-Stakeholder Processes Knowledge Co-Creation Portal on Appreciative Story Telling.

More About Situation Analysis

Situation Analysis: Its Relationship with Other ToC development steps

Vision of Success: The situational analysis forms the point of departure (“where are we at now”?) for defining your vision of success. It shows the problems to address. Your vision of success describes the desired future situation (“where do we want to be”), and shows how life is different when solving the identified problems. Hence, the situational analysis and the vision of success are each other’s counterparts.
Scope: The scope defines the stakeholders taken into account in your analyses. Hence, you’ll add a stakeholder analysis on the page dedicated to the Scope of your ToC.
Context: As part of this step you define the most important influential contextual factors.
Opportunities and Threats: You can describe developing situational trends, relevant to your ToC, as part of the Strategy Narrative.

Step - Situation analysis