Measuring implementation strength: Literature review draft report 2012

Measuring implementation strength (sometimes referred to as implementation intensity) is an important programme evaluation process which helps to understand why some programmes are successful and some fail, attribute outcomes to a programme, and anticipate outcomes of future programmes. Implementation data can also help in evaluating and improving progress toward specific outcomes and intervention strategies. In developing a new approach, the ‘District Evaluation Platform’, to evaluate large-scale effectiveness for proven interventions at a national level it is important to measure implementation strength as “insufficient implementation is a common reason for absence of impact”. Nevertheless, despite the importance of evaluating implementation strength of complex, multidimensional interventions, scientific evidence devoted to this issue is limited, especially in low income countries.