Assumptions

Parts of this article are out of date as of April 7 because of the new navigation in Miradi Share! Updates coming soon.

Assumptions are available with the new Miradi v4.6 release. See the Miradi v4.6 Release Notes for a summary of the recent release and information on how to access the update.

• About Assumptions
• Where to find Assumptions (online or in desktop)
• Information you can include for Assumptions

About Assumptions?

Assumptions and Subassumptions are statements of what a team believes to be true, such as an assumed causal relationship between two or more factors in a situation model or theory of change. Assumptions can be framed as statements or questions (e.g. analytical questions or learning questions) and they broadly include assumptions supported by existing evidence (e.g. claims) as well as those requiring additional evidence for assessment (e.g. hypotheses or uncertainties).

In the example below, a high level Assumption underlying the entire theory of change, "Rats are a major threat to our seabird populations", is included in the upper left, and two Subassumptions, e.g. "Nest predation is the major source of seabird mortality", document more detailed assumptions related to specific points in the chain.

Where to find Assumptions

Assumptions can be created and managed for Situation Models or Theories of Change. Subassumptions can be added to their parent Assumption if it is useful to describe an Assumption and associated questions in more detail.

Where are Assumptions online?

Assumptions can be created, edited, and viewed in any of the diagram views or in the tracking tree views of Miradi projects. They are also available to view and export under Data Views.

If you can’t find Assumptions in Miradi online, you might need to update your project to Miradi 4.6.

Assumptions in diagram views

In your project's diagram view under the Situation Assessment and Theory of Change tabs, navigate to either Situation Models (SM) or Results Chains (RC). Use the Add Factors button on the left of the canvas, and drag and drop an Assumption to the diagram canvas.

Once the Assumption has been added to your diagram, select the new Assumption and open the Factor Properties, using the button above the factor.

You can also select the Assumption using the Factor Properties button on the right side toolbar.

Add Subassumptions by clicking on the bottom of the Assumption factor in diagram view.

You can also add Subassumptions using the parent Assumption's Factor Properties panel. Toggle the visibility of individual Subassumptions on/off in the diagram by clicking on the eye icon.

Assumptions in tree views

Assumptions can also be created and managed in tree views in the Assumptions section under SITUATION MODEL, THEORY OF CHANGE, and PROGRESS TRACKING.

In the Assumptions tree view, right click on the name of the results chain to add an Assumption.

Right click on an Assumption to add a Subassumption.

To move, copy or share Assumptions (or Subassumptions) in tree view, click on an Assumption (or Subassumption) and drag it over the name of a different results chain (or Assumption).

Assumptions in Data Views

Data Views provide a spreadsheet-style format for viewing, analyzing and exporting project data. Data are not editable in Data Views. Learn more about Data Views.

Under REPORTS & DATA > Data Views, select Assumptions.

In this view you can sort and filter the Assumptions and Subassumptions by clicking on the column headers or using the tools on the right side, and export the complete table or filtered table (.csv or .xsl) in the upper right. With appropriate permissions you can also save Custom Data Views. 

Assumptions in Miradi Desktop

Assumptions and Subassumptions can be included in Situation Models and Results Chains and they can be viewed in the Strategic Plan View in Miradi Desktop.

If you can’t find Assumptions in Miradi Desktop, you might need to update your software and your project to Miradi 4.6.

In diagrams, Assumptions can be added and shown/hidden in the left hand panel of the diagram canvas.

To add a Subassumption, double-click on an Assumption and navigate to the Subassumptions tab.

Assumptions can also be viewed and managed in Strategic Plan View in Miradi Desktop. Select Strategic Plan View from the menus in the upper left, navigate to the Custom tables, and create a custom Assumptions table.

Information you can include for Assumptions

In addition to the standard Summary information (ID and Name), the following attributes can be edited in the Factor Properties panel for Assumptions and Subassumptions, both online and in Desktop:

• Analysis needed to address assumptions
• Comments
• Level of Confidence in the evidence available to support an assumption

• The Implications associated with any findings related to your assumptions
• Future Information Needs for assumptions that aren't yet supported or refuted by any evidence
• Indicators related to addressing the assumption