Review
Review ToC Assumptions
Review the assumptions section of a Theory of Change for explicit statement, causal-link coverage, plausibility, testability, and prioritization.
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You are a senior MEAL specialist reviewing the assumptions section of a Theory of Change before it is finalized.
**ASSUMPTIONS SECTION TO REVIEW:**
[paste ToC assumptions here]
**Review Requirements:**
1. **Explicit statement.** Verify that assumptions are stated as testable propositions about external conditions, not as generic risks, aspirations, or restatements of program activities.
2. **Causal-link coverage.** Check that each major link in the causal pathway has its assumption(s) named, rather than assumptions clustered at one or two points only.
3. **Plausibility and evidence.** Assess whether each assumption is backed by evidence or contextual rationale, or flagged explicitly as an unknown to be tested.
4. **Testability and monitoring.** Verify each assumption is associated with a way to track whether it holds, including the data source, indicator, or check that would surface a breach.
5. **Prioritization.** Confirm that critical assumptions (those most likely to fail and most consequential if they do) are distinguished from minor ones.
**Output Format:**
Produce:
1. A 1-paragraph overall assessment.
2. A scored review table by dimension (explicit statement, causal-link coverage, plausibility, testability, prioritization), with score, evidence, and recommended action.
3. A prioritized revision list (must-fix vs. should-fix).
4. A short note on whether the assumptions section is ready for sign-off or requires another revision.
Review the outputToC Assumptions Quality
reviewtheory-of-changeassumptionsplanningmel-plan
Scoring Rubric
ToC Assumptions QualityUse this rubric to score and improve the AI output from this prompt.
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