reasonsprogress

Reasonsprogress is a theoretical framework that describes the alignment of progress with the underlying reasons driving actions. It treats progress not merely as completing tasks but as the coherent advancement of outcomes justified by a set of articulated motives. The framework emphasizes making explicit the causal connections between why actions are taken and what results are observed, and it promotes documenting these connections over time.

Core components include reason elicitation, where motives, objectives and constraints are gathered; causal mapping, which links reasons to specific actions and outcomes; justification and evaluation, which assess whether observed progress supports the stated reasons; and progressive refinement, wherein reasons are updated as new information becomes available. Metrics are assigned to each reason to trace progress to its justification.

Applications span organizational planning, policy design, and personal development. In organizations, reasonsprogress can guide project scoping, risk assessment, and accountability by ensuring milestones reflect the underlying aims. In policy contexts, it helps disclose rationales behind interventions and measure alignment with stated goals. Individuals may use it to track whether routines translate values into tangible gains.

Critiques point to potential overemphasis on justification at the expense of practical constraints, the risk of rationalizing poor choices, and the difficulty of measuring subjective reasons. Maintaining up-to-date reason maps can require substantial effort, and different stakeholders may disagree about which reasons should count.

See also: justification; logic of action; theory of change.