The most significant change approach for monitoring an Australian extension project.

This article describes the Most Significant Change (MSC) approach to project monitoring across an Australian extension project whose aim was to enhance the viability of the dairy industry. The MSC approach is participatory, in that all the project stakeholders are involved in deciding the sorts of change to be recorded. The process involves collecting stories of change, emanating from the field level and the systematic selection of the most significant of these stories by project steering committees. This article highlights the experiences gained during a 12-month trial with the project. The authors suggest that this approach constitutes an appropriate and credible process for monitoring change, helps to promote organisational learning, and can be inspiring for those involved.