Scaling Up and Scalability: Concepts, Frameworks and Assessment

Effective scaling up is a key measure of success for an innovation or intervention. A new approach is typically tested in a pilot project that has limited reach. With monitoring and evaluation (M&E), the lessons learned from the pilot can be used to scale up the model to create larger socioeconomic and developmental impacts. The decision to scale up, however, is often made with incomplete information. Given the high cost of scaling up, it is important for governments and development partners to carefully decide which innovations are ready for further investment. A good understanding of the scaling-up process and a framework for analysing scalability is critical for informed decision-making.