Definition of impact

Definitions

Impact is the ultimate effect of the program on the problem or condition that the program or activity was supposed to do something about.

In a general sense "impact" is the change occurring in the environment (physical, social, economical, cultural ... depending where we measure it) of certain activities or operations that are aimed at specific targets and objectives, but also that have a consequence (i.e. "impact") on a the wider context as the environment reacts and integrates  in the systems the changes occurred at a specific level. 

Impact may be intentional or unintentional, desired or undesired, positive or negative.

In the development sector the "impact" is the adaptation of the socio-economic system to the achievement of the programme overall objectives.  An organization by itself will implement a project/programme that will produce certain results and achieve certain objectives; but because it works in partnership and subsidiarity with other stakeholders, that will be able to avail of the products and results achieved, there will be further consequences on a wider scale of those achievements. This is the expected impact obtained by a programme/project designed and implemented through a network of alliances within a spirit of subsidiarity.   (see how programmes achieve an impact)

Sometimes the word impact as a more limited scope just meaning the changes resulting from the accomplishment of a work.  In such a case by impact it is meant the consequence of something done at a lower level on a higher level: so we have the impact of a task on a project; the impact of a project on a programme; the impact of a provincial programme on a country-wide programme; or the impact of a sectorial program on other sectors, etcetera.  (See the 3 level hierarchy of project/programme objectives).

The expected project outcomes are beyond the direct reach of the project activities performed by the project team and will be reached by the usage of project final outputs by project beneficiaries and other project stakeholders.

However an important part of project implementation is managing the acceptance of project final outputs so as to facilitate beneficiaries and other stakeholders to avail of project results and be empowered for easier solution of the identified problems (thereby for achieving the project results)

 

In even a more limited sense (and somehow improperly) impact is used to mean the "concrete result" obtained by an action. So for instance an impact assessment  is a review of a programme/project (or policy or procedure, etc.)  which establishes whether the action or procedure had the intended effect or impact on the target social groups.  (see impact assessment)

 

 

 

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Definitions of impact on the Web:

• Information Management Program and Case Tracking
  www.usdoj.gov/ag/annualreports/summary2001/01gloss.htm

   

• The degree of success of a campaign; the reaching of consumers.
  www.motto.com/glossary.html

   

• Broad, societal-level changes or improvements that typically occur beyond the immediate influence of program activities. Given their scope, they fall outside NIDRR's concept of "accountability for results."
  www.ncddr.org/du/researchexchange/v09n02/2_terms.html

   

• The ultimate effect of the program on the problem or condition that the program or activity was supposed to do something about. FOR EXAMPLE, a 10% reduction in drug activity as a result of increased drug enforcement and investigation. (There also may be unexpected or unintended impacts.)
  www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/evaluation/glossary/glossary_i.htm

   

• Any change to an ecosysten either natural or made by humans, either harmful or beneficial.
  aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/mcdef.html

   

• Broader, higher level, long-term effect or consequence linked to the goal or vision.
  www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/cida_ind.nsf/0/b83025bcf2da296785256c6b001a1b36

   

• A project's impacts consist of: all changes that the project causes to the environment; all changes that the environment causes to the project; and all cumulative impacts to which the project contributes. Impacts of the Regional Plan are defined in terms of the difference between the future-with-Plan (FW) situation in 2015 and the future-without-plan (FWO) situation in 2015.
  bicn.com/wei/resources/nerp/iee/02-glossary.htm

   

• A change in the status (eg, health, standard of living) of individuals, families, or communities as a result of a program, project, or activity. For example, the impact of an immunization program might be the reduction in infant mortality by 15 percent.
  www.qaproject.org/methods/resglossary.html

   

• The force of impression of one thing on another.
  www.merrea.org/glossary%20i.htm

   

• When the club strikes the ball.
  www.mygolfrecord.com/modules.php

   

• number of people seeing an advertisement, multiplied by number of times advertisement is seen
  www.davidgent.com/Television/TVGlossary.htm

• A study of the potential future effects of resource development on other resources and on social, economic and/or environmental conditions.
  www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/glossary/I.htm

   

• Based on its experience, expertise and knowledge in the delivery of programs and services, the voluntary sector can play a valuable role in assessing the impact of policy at both the national and local levels, and in making recommendations for change.
  www.projectvoice.ca/English/glossary.html

   

• Phase of LCA aimed at structuring, organising, translating and analysing the inventory input and output data to arrive at a better understanding of the magnitude and sugnificance of the encviro,mental loadings and resources uses of a product system (see definition of life cycle impact assessment). [ISO 97b]
  www.uni-weimar.de/scc/PRO/GLO/env.html

   

• (life cycle impact assessment) Quantitative and/or qualitative process to characterise and assess the effects of the environmental interventions identified in the inventory table. The impact assessment component consists in principle of the following three or four elements: classification, characterization, (normalisation,) and valuation.
  www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/01-02/sus_buildings/glossary.htm

• A type of evaluation that focuses on the broad, longer-term impact or results, whether intended or unintended, of a programme or outcome. For example, an impact evaluation could show that a decrease in a community's overall infant mortality rate was the direct result of a programme designed to provide high quality pre- and post-natal care and deliveries assisted by trained health care professionals. See also "country-level impact assessment".
  stone.undp.org/undpweb/eo/evalnet/docstore3/yellowbook/glossary/glossary_f_I.htm

   

• Impact evaluations assess program effectiveness in terms of end results (eg, Is the water swimmable? Why or why not?), including intended and unintended results. They may also assess the net effect of a program by comparing impacts with an estimate of what would have happened in the absence of the program.
  www.epa.gov/evaluate/glossary/i-esd.htm

   

• A type of evaluation that determines the net causal effects of the program beyond its immediate results. Impact evaluation often involves a comparison of what appeared after the program with what would have appeared without the program.
  www.uwex.edu/ces/tobaccoeval/glossary.html