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The Success Case Method: Find Out Quickly What's Working and What's Not

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Finally! A simple, fast and credible evaluation tool that can be used to tell what is working in a new initiative, what is not working, and how the initiative could be more successful. This description sums up the evaluation technique described in The Success Case Method by Robert O. Brinkherhoff, a professor at Western Michigan University and an internationally recognized expert in evaluation and training effectiveness. If you are a manager trying to make things work better in your organization, this book will show you how to get compelling evidence that decision makers can actually use.

The Success Case Method is a simple book. Step by step, it takes you through the Success Case methodology, starting with planning the success case and creating an Impact Model. This model defines what success should look like. In completing the Impact Model, successful behaviors and results are listed that will happen if the initiative is working well. In leading up to successful application, the model includes the critical actions participants need to demonstrate to make success happen. It highlights the "line of sight," the linkage of an organizational initiative, to key business goals. The process is brief and concise, not strategic and comprehensive. It communicates the "business case" for the initiative -- how the capability produced in a new initiative can be used in actual performance to help achieve business goals.

The remaining chapters describe the process and tools used to search and identify the most likely success cases -- the stories that you need to understand and tell -- to figure out how well a new initiative is working. From the survey results, guidelines are then offered on interviewing respondents to determine what is really happening on the job as a result of application of the learned skills, what results are being achieved, the value of those results, and what could be done to get more people to use the skills.

Once the interviews have been completed, the author provides guidance in the creation and communication of Success Case study reports. Readers will learn how to create reports that are compelling and useful. Reports will drive not just an understanding of results, but help more people take action on those results. A Success Case study report also suggests changes that can be made to the initiative, the delivery of the initiative, or even the audience for whom the initiative is intended to strengthen the application of skills.

The methodology provides the means to combine storytelling with rigorous evaluation methods and principles to combine the credibility of scientific findings with the emotional impact of stories. The stories cite solid evidence and are backed by corroboration and documentation. The stories are verifiable accounts of the actions and results real people have experienced when applying learned skills in the workplace.

Overall, The Success Case Method is a must read for anyone involved in evaluating the impact of learning initiatives or anyone trying to get things to work better in their organization. The book presents simple tools, helpful illustrations, examples and checklists to use the Success Case Method constructively and easily. The end result of using this methodology is credible evidence that is believable, compelling and useful.

Harvard's MBA program is renowned for successfully defining and (usually) solving business problems through its case method.

In this book, the author discusses an approach that's similar to the case method employed by the Harvard program.

Judging the book on its own merits, the first thing I noticed was how lucid the explanation of the method was. One could tell that the content was edited scrupulously. There was no extraneous fluff or irrelevant material.

The second thing I noticed was how persuasive the author was in promoting this particular method. He presented both reasons and anecdotes to support each step.

The author succeed in demonstrating that the Success Case Method can be an effective tool before, during, and after undertaking any Business Process Improvement project. In truth, this method belongs in the toolbox of anybody tasked with any kind of Change Management initiative.

I'll close by paraphrasing the author.

What does this method do for you? It provides answers, that's what it does. In particular, the method helps you answer four key questions about any change initiative.

1. What is really happening?

2. What are the results?

3. Are the results of value to us, in other words, are these the results we want?

4. Can the situation be improved, and, if so, how?

These questions can be asked of an existing situation to diagnose whether that situation needs to be changed. These same questions should also be asked after the changes have been made. In the former, the answers will provide you with clues to decide whether the situation needs to be changed. In the latter, the answers will measure the effectiveness of the changes you made.

Dr. Brinkerhoff makes evaluating training tangible and easy to implement. I am a visual learner and the stories he tells about his experiences were very helpful to me. I also like the fact he found out what did not work in training classes. Many times he found out that the follow up or coaching was not done by the manager. This was a great reminder that implementation and how the coaches implement needs to be part of the training program. Coaches/managers need to be held accountable too.

As a result I have identified employees who I will interview to capture their successes.

This book was recommended to me by a colleague and mentor, Peggy, who adores quantifying and qualifying things. I'm not a numbers person; this is why I was picking her brain.

My goal was to figure the ROI of my newest training program. I wanted to be sure that I could speak to the more analytical client intelligently. (These are the folks who really don't appreciate gut feelings - they want data!)

I didn't need to read the book cover to cover. I was quickly inspired to create my first Sucess Case Method survey. [...]

Good luck with this book. I think you'll find it readable and user friendly.

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