What are the challenges of using bricolage, and how might these be overcome?
Content type:
Articles / Papers
Author(s):
Richard Smith and Mahesh Krishnan Ramesh
Theme:
OM Resources: Key Community Documents
Language:
English
Published:
9 October 2026
This brief explores the challenges of using bricolage in monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), and how practitioners might overcome them. Drawing on discussions from the OMLC Learning Lab 2025, it examines practical constraints such as time and resources, limitations in methodological knowledge and competencies, resistance to unfamiliar approaches, and difficulties combining methodologies, data and indicators.
It considers possible responses, including strengthening collaboration and practitioner capacities, reducing methodological redundancies, building shared understanding among stakeholders, and creating institutional support for adaptive MEL approaches. It also recognises that some challenges, particularly those involving power dynamics, rigid institutional requirements and uncertainty, may not be fully resolved.
This series of think pieces explores six learning questions discussed by participants of the OMLC Learning Lab in December 2025. For more details, visit https://www.outcomemapping.org/bricolage.
This brief explores the challenges of using bricolage in monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), and how practitioners might overcome them. Drawing on discussions from the OMLC Learning Lab 2025, it examines practical constraints such as time and resources, limitations in methodological knowledge and competencies, resistance to unfamiliar approaches, and difficulties combining methodologies, data and indicators.
It considers possible responses, including strengthening collaboration and practitioner capacities, reducing methodological redundancies, building shared understanding among stakeholders, and creating institutional support for adaptive MEL approaches. It also recognises that some challenges, particularly those involving power dynamics, rigid institutional requirements and uncertainty, may not be fully resolved.
This series of think pieces explores six learning questions discussed by participants of the OMLC Learning Lab in December 2025. For more details, visit https://www.outcomemapping.org/bricolage.
