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Outcome Tracking helps your organization define what success looks like, record whether participants achieve their goals, and report on the results—all within Casebook. Instead of relying on spreadsheets or custom workarounds, your team can consistently capture outcome data where they already manage their work.
Whether you're reporting to funders, preparing for a board meeting, or measuring program success internally, Outcome Tracking gives you the tools to demonstrate the difference your organization is making.
What is Outcome Tracking?
Outcome Tracking allows your organization to create standardized goals that represent the outcomes you want participants to achieve.
Think of it this way:
- A Goal is the outcome you want to measure, such as Obtain Employment or Complete a Training Program.
- An Outcome is the result you record after working toward that goal—for the initial release, either Yes (achieved) or No (not achieved).
Goals are created once by an administrator and can be reused across many participants and cases, giving your organization a consistent way to measure success.
Common Goal Examples
- Obtain Stable Housing
- Obtain Employment
- Complete a Training Program
- Obtain a Driver's License
- Obtain a Passport
- Graduate High School
Once these goals have been configured, case workers can assign them to participants, track progress, and record whether each goal was achieved.
This standardized approach makes it easy to measure outcomes across programs and produce meaningful reports without maintaining separate spreadsheets.
How Outcome Tracking Works
Outcome Tracking has two primary components:
Administrator Configuration
Administrators create a reusable library of organizational goals that staff can assign across multiple cases and participants.
Instead of creating the same goal repeatedly, staff simply select an existing goal whenever it is needed.
Each goal includes:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Goal Name | The name of the outcome being measured. |
| Description | Additional information about the goal and when it should be used. |
| Goal Type | Determines how success is measured. The initial release supports Yes/No goals. |
| Positive Outcome | Specifies which response represents a successful outcome. |
| Related Service Group (Optional) | Associates the goal with a specific Service Group for easier organization. |
Case Management
Once goals have been created, case workers assign them to participants and record outcomes as work progresses.
For each assigned goal, staff can record:
- Related Participant
- Start Date
- Target End Date
- Outcome (Yes or No)
- Outcome Date
When an outcome is recorded, Casebook automatically displays whether the participant successfully achieved the goal.
Tracking a Participant Goal
Let's walk through a real-world example.
Imagine your organization provides Transportation Assistance as part of a workforce development program. Many participants struggle to obtain employment because they do not have a valid driver's license.
To measure the effectiveness of your program, you want to know how many participants successfully obtain a driver's license after receiving transportation assistance.
An administrator creates a reusable goal called Obtain a Driver's License.
When staff records Yes, Casebook recognizes the goal as successfully achieved.
How the Goal Is Used
When a participant enrolls in the Transportation Assistance program:
- The case worker assigns the Obtain a Driver's License goal to the participant.
- The goal begins with no recorded outcome because the participant is still working toward it.
- Staff provide transportation coaching, assist with DMV paperwork, and help schedule driving tests.
- Once the participant earns their driver's license, the case worker records Yes as the outcome and enters the Outcome Date.
By consistently tracking this information, your organization can answer questions such as:
- How many participants obtained a driver's license this year?
- Which transportation programs produce the highest success rates?
- What percentage of participants achieved this goal after receiving services?
- How effective is our transportation assistance program at reducing employment barriers?
Instead of reviewing notes or manually compiling spreadsheets, Outcome Tracking provides a standardized way to measure program success, demonstrate impact to funders, and ensure staff record outcomes consistently.
Create a Goal
Administrators create goals that can be reused throughout the organization.
- Navigate to Admin.
- Select Goals.
- Click + Add Goal.
- Complete the goal information.
- Click Save.
The goal is now available for staff to assign to participants.
Goal Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Goal Name | A short, descriptive name such as Obtain Employment. |
| Goal Type | Determines how success is measured. The initial release supports Yes/No goals. |
| Description | Optional information describing when the goal should be used. |
| Positive Outcome | Select which response represents success for this goal. |
| Related Service Group | Optionally associate the goal with a Service Group. |
Manage Your Goal Library
After a goal has been created, it appears in the Goals data grid.
From here, administrators can:
- View goal details
- Search for goals
- Filter goals
- Pin frequently used goals
- Customize visible columns
- Edit existing goals
Maintaining a centralized goal library helps ensure everyone across your organization measures outcomes consistently.
Assign a Goal to a Participant
Once a goal has been added to your organization's goal library, it can be assigned to participants as they begin working toward that outcome.
- Open the appropriate case in Engage.
- Select the Goals tab.
- Click Add Goal.
- Choose either:
- A Service Group
- An Individual Goal
- Select the goal.
- Complete the goal details.
- Click Save.
Set Goal Details
Before saving the assigned goal, complete the following fields.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Start Date | The date work toward the goal begins. |
| Target End Date | The expected completion date for the goal. |
| Related Participant | The participant working toward the goal. |
Example
If a participant is working toward obtaining a passport, you might set the Target End Date for three months from today.
Record an Outcome
When the participant completes—or does not complete—the goal:
- Open the case.
- Locate the goal in the Goals grid.
- Click the Bullseye icon.
- Select the outcome:
- Yes if the participant achieved the goal.
- No if the participant did not achieve the goal.
- Enter the Outcome Date.
- Save your changes.
The outcome is immediately available for reporting.
Understand Goal Status
After an outcome has been recorded, the goal status updates automatically.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 🟢 Green | Goal successfully achieved |
| 🔴 Red | Goal was not achieved |
These visual indicators allow staff and supervisors to quickly review participant progress.
Reporting on Outcomes
Once goals have been assigned and outcomes recorded, the information becomes available for reporting throughout Casebook.
Because outcomes are standardized across your organization, you can compare results across programs, service groups, and reporting periods without manually reviewing participant records.
Outcome reports can answer questions such as:
- How many participants achieved each goal?
- Which outcomes are achieved most frequently?
- Which participants are still working toward goals?
- What outcomes were achieved during a specific reporting period?
- Which Service Groups produce the strongest outcomes?
These reports can support:
- Grant applications
- Funder reporting
- Board presentations
- Program evaluations
- Internal performance reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can create goals?
Users with Administrator permissions can create and manage organizational goals.
Can goals be reused?
Yes. Goals are designed to be reusable. Once a goal has been created, it can be assigned to any number of participants.
Can the same participant have multiple goals?
Yes. Participants can work toward multiple goals simultaneously.
Can I edit a goal after it has been created?
Yes. Administrators can update goal information at any time.
Can I associate goals with specific programs?
Yes. Goals can optionally be associated with a Service Group.
What happens if a participant never completes a goal?
The goal remains active until staff determines the final outcome. Once the participant completes the goal—or it is determined they did not achieve it—record either Yes or No, along with the Outcome Date.
Can I track progress over time?
The initial release of Outcome Tracking supports recording whether a participant achieved a goal using a Yes/No outcome. Additional goal types and longitudinal progress tracking are planned for future releases.