Plan and design a gender mainstreaming strategy STEP 2: DETERMINE THE DESIRED OUTCOMES AND RELATED INDICATORS On completing the gender audit, you will have: • Established a baseline of information about the extent to which gender equality is built into the NHRI’s activities • Identified what the NHRI does well and what it could be doing better • Recommended actions to address the gaps • Documented good practices across the organisation • Strengthened the capacity of the NHRI to apply a gender perspective to its activities • Gained organisational ownership and support for further development. Before the gender mainstreaming plan can be developed, the NHRI needs to know the outcomes it is anticipating as a result of the strategy. The second step in the planning stage involves agreeing on these outcomes and developing indicators to measure how well the outcomes are being achieved. Outcomes-based planning is different from other planning in that it focuses on results and measuring those results. The focus is not on what the NHRI aims to do (objective) but what the NHRI is aiming to achieve (impact/outcome). Outcomes define what the NHRI will look like if the gender mainstreaming strategy is successful. Writing effective outcomes can take time, particularly if they are being written collaboratively with others in the NHRI and with external stakeholders. A tool for developing quality outcomes is “SMARTA”, which identifies six key elements to consider. SPECIFIC Is the particular impact or result you are trying to achieve, clear? MEASURABLE Is it possible to assess whether you are making progress toward the outcome and whether you have reached the outcome? ACHIEVABLE Is the outcome realistic with the available resources, expertise and time? RELEVANT Is the outcome appropriate and acceptable to, and shared by, priority stakeholder groups? Will it achieve the result/impact sought? TIMEBOUND Does the outcome include a realistic and achievable timeframe? ACCOUNTABLE Have those responsible for achieving this outcome been identified? Outcomes can be short-term, medium-term or long-term. • Short-term outcomes are usually measured at the end of a program, plan or strategy. They refer to changes in knowledge, attitudes, or behaviours, including those behaviours that participants intend to change. Section 2: Developing an NHRI gender mainstreaming strategy | 23