TC Outcomes

Overview

ISSMGE Technical Committees already deliver strong activities — conferences, publications, webinars, education, and international collaboration. The TAOC's goal is to help each TC translate these activities into tangible and lasting outcomes for its field, ISSMGE, the profession, and society. There is no single template: each TC defines outcomes that suit its own mission and community. The TAOC's role is to support and guide, not to prescribe.

A Bottom-Up and Flexible Approach

TC diversity is a fundamental strength of ISSMGE. Each TC brings a distinct scientific and professional identity, a different community, and a different sense of what matters most. The outcomes framework reflects this diversity: rather than imposing a uniform structure, it asks each TC to identify where its own greatest contribution lies during the 2026–2030 term.

Chairs are encouraged to discuss these questions with their leadership teams and members, and then share initial thoughts with the TAOC. The framework is a planning aid, not a formal reporting requirement — TCs may start with one or two priority outcomes and build from there.

From Activities to Outcomes and Impact

The key distinction the TAOC invites TCs to explore is the difference between activities (what the TC does — organises, publishes, convenes) and outcomes (what changes as a result — knowledge advanced, practice improved, capacity built, community strengthened). Impact is the longer-term evidence that those outcomes made a difference.

Proposed Framework: Five Planning Steps

Each step opens to show what it involves. Click to explore — the progress bar tracks how many steps you've reviewed.

• 1 Step 1 Mission & Priorities

  Identify the challenges or opportunities where your TC can contribute most during 2026–2030. What does your community most need from geotechnical expertise right now?

  Science frontiers Practice gaps Education needs Sustainability Research–practice links

  Guiding question In 2030, looking back, what would your TC most want to have contributed to the field?
• 2 Step 2 Time Horizons

  Set outcomes across different timescales so your TC has both early wins and a longer arc. Not every outcome needs to be completed within this term.

  Short / mid-term · 1–2 yrs End-of-term · ~4 yrs Legacy · beyond 2030

  On legacy outcomes Where a TC initiates an initiative intended to extend beyond the current term, document its scope and progress clearly so incoming leadership can continue or build on it.
• 3 Step 3 Nature of Outcome

  Choose the form or forms that best fit your TC's strengths and your community's needs. A TC may pursue outcomes in more than one category.

  Knowledge · reports, white papers Practice · guidelines, protocols Education Digital · databases, platforms Community Societal

  Keep it focused Two or three well-chosen outcomes are more impactful than a long list. Choose forms your TC can realistically deliver with its size and capacity.
• 4 Step 4 Key Milestones

  Define a small number of yearly checkpoints per outcome to track progress. This is a lightweight mechanism to stay on course — not an administrative burden.

  Annual checkpoints Realistic scope Flexible — adapt as needed

  Practical approach One or two milestones per outcome per year is enough. These can be revisited and adjusted; the goal is awareness, not bureaucracy.
• 5 Step 5 Success & Impact

  Show results using three metric types. Not all three are required for every outcome — use the ones that best reflect what your TC produced.

  Deliverable · what was produced Engagement · who participated or benefited Impact · evidence of adoption or influence

  On timing of impact Impact indicators — especially adoption and influence — may take time to materialise. For end-of-term reporting, document the evidence available at that stage. Fuller demonstration of impact may only be possible in the years following completion.