Academic advising, if done effectively, can play a significant role in supporting student retention. However, as a relatively new field in South Africa, there is limited locally contextualised research into advising interventions and their effectiveness. So, there is a need for evidence-based approaches that will lead to more intentionally structured, and shareable practices that meet the needs of the South African context. Accordingly, this article outlines a methodology for designing an evidence-based advising programme that is both effective and academically rigorous. The article shows how the principles of action research, supported by grounded theory analytical techniques, were used to develop a programme for students facing exclusion at a South African university, the University of Cape Town (UCT). During the implementation of the programme, feedback was collected in cycles, with the student 'voice' from one cycle (n=352) informing the design of the next cycle. Programme evaluation data (n=122) from a third cycle was then used to assess the effectiveness of the approach. The results indicated a positive association between the new capabilities developed in students and the designed learning activity, which suggests that this approach to developing an advising programme was effective. The method described to design this programme has application across a wide variety of student development initiatives and could be used to support effective, intentionally designed initiatives and the sharing of effective, evidence-based practices.