Participatory impact pathways analysis (PIPA) is an evolving tool that offers project managers a deeper understanding of the results that projects might attain with specific partners so as to help set priorities and support funding proposals. In a participatory manner, two groups of information are generated for each project. First, a problem tree is developed to represent the pathways by which research outputs are linked with outcomes and impacts. Second, network maps identify the key players and the roles they must play during and after each project to ensure its success. These two views of a project's impact pathways (IPs) are integrated in an outcomes logic model that describes what strategies the project will use to bring about the necessary changes, or outcomes, in project stakeholders to achieve the project vision. PIPA complements existing project management tools, such as the logical framework, by describing project strategies to bring about change, whereas traditional project planning instruments focus more on theactivities required to produce the research outputs. Only when research outputs are used do they contribute to change. Hence, together with traditional project planning, PIPA provides information to allow priority assessment on the basis of scrutiny of the plausibility and the size of the envisaged change. PIPA can help to design projects to achieve overall programmatic goals and can help select between competing strategies within a single project. In the latter case, by mapping out potential IPs with a range of stakeholders, all partners are informed about the potential options considered. This common understanding is informative even if the final decisions on what the project will actually do are made by the project staff/leader. © CAB International 2009. All rights reserved.