What a logic model makes

Background

I ❤️ Logic Models!

In any project I have ever been on, especially if it involved evaluating an educational program, I absolutely at some point in the partnership asked, “Do you have a logic model?”

That usually follows up with looking for clarification on what that is. And full joy in my heart I begin to go on about what a logic model is - no shame here!

A logic model can be many things but is often considered a document that displays all the components in a program or intervention linearly from the resources available to make the program to your final goals if everything is successful. It holds all the highlighted details of what makes the program works and how you know when it is successful. At times, grant applications ask for this when people are looking for funding for a program they developed because it is an easy way to see the program’s purpose (and view the gaps if any).

Because the time and detail that goes into a logic model, once you have one it can be a great resource to so many people in various ways:

When you go through the activity of writing out a logic model, you are forced to think through all parameters instead of solely relying on word of mouth or what “generally” makes sense. These documents can be as straightforward or complex as you need them to be, but once you have it, you have a powerful tool for your team and anyone external who needs to understand what you are trying to achieve.

Things to know

Let’s dig into some good things to know when creating a logic model (before you invest the time and energy into it):

Logic Models ≠ Theory of Change

A mildly controversial statement to make, but I stand by it 😎. The terms “logic models” and “theory of change” are used interchangeably in other spaces, but I say they’re different.

A theory of change, in my opinion, is more like a word map of sorts. You visualize the purpose and flow to your ultimate goal, but it is not as linear or provides as many details as a logic model.

Figure 1: Visual representation of the difference between theory of change and logic model

Both of them are great! There are just different goals. I often start drawing out a theory of change and then organizing it into a logic model.

Logic models are a team activity

So, if you have concluded that you should have a logic model, that is fantastic!

But, don’t make the mistake of assigning this task to one just person to create on their own. The best and most useful, the logic model has more than one opinion and perspective. If you are working on extensive teams and it feels impossible to get everyone together to work on a logic model, have representatives in each role/division who will give their thoughts and collect ideas from other people on the team.

The last thing you want is to go through the effort of creating this document and the team feeling that is it is not representative or aligned with their thoughts, expectations, or values of the program.

The earlier, the better

Logic models are great whether your program is just an idea or has been around for a while. However, the earlier you create the document, the better it will suit your needs.

Because when you implement a program without any guidance and clear direction on purpose, you have inconsistencies, and your work won’t be living up to its full potential. It also makes it difficult to create structures or even know what data you should prioritize collecting and reporting on to evaluate your progress.

Keep it stable (only change when necessary)

Your logic model shouldn’t be a “living document” that you are constantly changing after creating it and settling on your final decisions. However, if you learned something new that is critical to the success of your program (e.g., a new policy that passed or an activity that is not meeting your end goals as expected), then go forward with making the change.

Do yourself the favor of making a note somewhere when someone made the change and why.

What’s in a logic model?

If you want to jump right into making a logic model, go right ahead. Here is a breakdown of the common sections in a logic model.

Most logic models include these sections:

• Mission Statement (sometimes “Vision Statement”)
• Resources
• Activities (sometimes “Inputs”)
• Outputs
• Outcomes (sometimes “Short-term Outcomes” and “Long-Term Outcomes”)
• Impact

Other additional sections include:

• Assumptions
• External Factors

I highly recommend the W.K. Kellog Foundation document that goes into deep detail and provides some resources as well.

If you are the kind of person that likes both cake and a good analogy, then continue 🍰 😄

Defining the logic model

Now that you have the right mindset and see why logic models are great, I’ll break down the definitions of the key columns in a logic model. Sometimes it can be confusing what you should put where, so I am using the analogy of baking a decadent multi-layered cake to help make the concepts similar.

Figure 2: Cake vision. Photo by Mads Eneqvist on Unsplash

Mission Statement (sometimes “Vision Statement”)

This is the one-liner at the top of your document that sets the tone for your logic model.

For our cake mission, we are here to bring joy, create memories, and satisfy the sweet tooth of all guests.

Resources

Think of resources as the ingredients and people needed to make a cake: Milk, eggs, sugar, chocolate chips, chef, bowls, spoons, baking pans, stove, etc.

Figure 2: Your ingrediants are your activities. Photo by Christian Bowen on Unsplash

List all of what you have available to make your program happen. Everything from the funding source, staff hired, and external partners. Once you have the detailed list, you can break it into categories if listing everything out might feel redundant.

Activities (sometimes “Inputs”)

Think of activities as the instructions you would see in the recipe: mix the wet and dry ingredients, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, etc.

Figure 3: Assembling the cake. Photo by Deva Williamson on Unsplash

Think of all the team’s actions to make this program happen. These activities are the heart of the program and what needs to happen to reach your ultimate goal of change.

Outputs

This is where the analogy might feel a bit awkward :upside-down-face:, but think of outputs as you describing what you baked in detail to someone else using numbers. If you are making a three-layered cake and each has distinct flavors, you might list it out as follows:

• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 double chocolate
• 1 orange marmalade

And perhaps you have goals on serving a certain amount of people:

• Serve 10 adults
• Serve 5 children

In your outputs, you want to describe the results of your activity in a quantifiable way. This doubles as a way to list out your success metrics and note the essential data points you should collect. If, after all of your activities, you didn’t create your three layers or only could serve five adults, you know you might need to investigate what is happening in the kitchen or adjust your goals.

Outcomes (sometimes “Short-term Outcomes” and “Long-Term Outcomes”)

Think of your outcomes as the abstract results of your activities.

Figure 4: Someone eats the cake. Photo by Dessy Dimcheva on Unsplash

You can break these out into short-term and long-term goals with defined timeframes. In this case scenario, your short term perhaps you want people to eat a slice of cake after their meal. In the long term, you want that cake to be the sugar rush people need to dance the night away.

These outcomes can be tracked and measurable but certainly might pose more of a challenge than your quantifiable outputs.

Impact

Lastly, the impact is the ultimate goal. It is the north star to why you are, in this case, baking a cake in the first place. Perhaps your goal is to convince all people that they should eat this exact cake for dessert every time.

Your impact guides why you are doing this work and will be the least measurable thing.

Additional sections

These other sections can be considered the appendix to your logic model. It is great to know and an excellent activity to list out biases about your program.

Assumptions

The assumptions are what you assume is happening or in place to make your program or goals possible. In the case of baking this cake, some assumptions could be that the ingredients are accessible, the stove preheats to the correct temperature, and there are enough pans to create a cake.

These are the things that are perhaps not entirely in your control but need to be in place for your plan to work.

External Factors

The external factors are the things that are out of your control and can impact the success of you reaching your goals. In the case of baking this cake, some factors could be the grocery store hours or a pandemic affecting the supply chain, and you can’t get some ingredients.

These things are good to note because there may be metrics that you don’t meet, and these external factors can be the reason. Knowing them helps keep them in mind and figure out some workarounds wherever possible.

Examples

There are plenty of ways you can design a logic model. You can create them in a sidedeck, excel sheet, or even get fancy in adobe.

Here are two examples of how I have approached both a logic model and theory of change.

• PERC Theory of Change
• IBM P-TECH Logic Model - This is a good example of how detailed you can get with your logic models.

Make it happen!

I hope you are now (if you didn’t before 😉) appreciate logic models as much as I do! Go forth and create logic models so your future self can thank you.