Most significant change

Most Significant Change (MSC) was originally developed by Rick Davies in 1993 as a means of participatory impact monitoring. The first use of MSC on a large scale was by the Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB), a Bangladeshi NGO. The MSC approach involves the collection and "systematic participatory interpretation" of stories of change. This method of monitoring is a qualitative approach that does not rely on quantitative indicators. It has been widely used in the monitoring of aid projects throughout the developing world but its use is also expanding into government and corporate areas as the value of a dialogue based technique becomes appreciated.

A description of the first use of MSC is available in Davies' . A more in-depth description of the theory behind the method is available in his 1998 Ph.D thesis. The use of MSC was also the focus of a PhD thesis by Jess Dart, who has widely promoted the use of MSC in Australia.

In 2000 a global MSC email list was started, to encourage sharing of information and experiences about the uses of MSC. By 2007 the MSC email list had a membership of 700+ people, and more than 600 postings. The website associated with the mailing list has a file repository of about 30+ folders with documentation of the use of MSC by a range of organisations in various countries around the world since 1993.

In 2005 the [http://www.mande.co.uk/docs/MSCGuide.htm The ‘Most Significant Change’ (MSC) Technique: A Guide to Its Use] was produced by Rick Davies and Jess Dart. The MSC Guide incorporates lessons learned from the use of MSC in Africa, Asia, Australia, Latin America and Europe, since the early 1990s. The Guide is available fee online, in .pdf format (1.2MB. The MSC Guide has also been translated into Spanish, French, and Hindi and other translations are planned.

Zahmoo is developing software tools to support the use of MSC via the internet.

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