Diagnostic Development Approach (DDA)

Abstract

The Diagnostic Development Approach (DDA) is a comprehensive framework for addressing diagnostic blindness in development programs. It identifies why development resources fail to reach vulnerable households and provides a practical system for making household-level outcomes visible, measurable, and actionable. The framework uses 32 binary variables across three domains—Food System Capacity, Economic Resilience, and Human Development—and introduces six action-triggering metrics (BCR, WAS, HHI, PQS, SI, SCS) with binding thresholds. It also proposes three temporal metrics (POP, MTFR, PIP) to track progress over time. The DDA includes an accountability mechanism through quarterly publication of ward-level triangles and community validation, and a 15-25 year research agenda with eight falsifiable hypotheses. The framework is designed to complement existing government systems by adding diagnostic sight, not replacing them.