PHASE ONE
Discovery
STEP 02
Understanding Your Program Using Logic Modeling
In Step 02: Understanding Your Program Using Logic Modelling, you will describe your program components and intended outcomes. A logic model is a visual representation of your program and how it is intended to work.
Evaluations of youth programs are better when they are grounded in a clear program theory. A youth program can more effectively learn from their evaluation when they have clear goals, objectives, and expected outcomes.
A logic model clarifies all the components and intended outcomes of the program so the evaluation of your program can focus on the most central and important questions.
Whether reviewing an existing logic model or creating a new one, accurately characterizing the program through logic modeling is important because it ensures that all stakeholders involved in designing the evaluation fully understand the program.
While there are a variety of templates to draw from, most logic models include the following five components:
What is your program theory?
What are your program components and your intended outcomes?
KEY TAKEAWAY
A logic model illustrates the relationship between your program's activities and intended outcomes, helping you clarify what you aim to accomplish, how, and for whom. It serves as a roadmap, detailing the program's theory, the sequence of activities, and how desired outcomes are achieved.
01.
Answer the question, What is your program trying to accomplish? You need a good program description with clarity and agreement on the following six areas:
- The “big need” your program addresses.
- The key target groups(s).
- The outcomes you hope to achieve with your program.
- The activities your program needs to undertake: the program activities that your program offers to youth participants that will bring about change.
- The program logic or program theory: the causal relationship among activities and outcomes.
- The context(s) of your program (that surrounds or bounds): what you start with, such as the inputs and assumptions.
02.
Prepare and develop/assemble the information you need for your logic model.
- Prepare and Identify: determine the purpose of your logic model (who will use it? for what?) and set the boundaries (level of specificity; understand your situation).
- Sources of Information: for example, program stakeholders, written program descriptions, work plans, previous logic models, funding proposals, research, knowledge base, what others are doing/have done.
03.
Identify and list both activities and intended effects or outcomes.
- Activities: what a program does with its inputs (resources); program activities result in outputs. (For example: providing adult mentors for youth.)
- Intended Effects or Outcomes: outcomes are more specific statements about what the program intends to accomplish, what change it helps to achieve for the youth in the program; outcome evaluation is about showing this change.
04.
Ask the question, Is there a logical sequence to the activities and outcomes?
- Divide the activities into two or more columns based on their logical sequence. Which activities must occur before other activities can occur?
- Do the same with the outcomes: which outcomes must occur before other outcomes can occur? This could involve developing a series of “If, Then” statements: “If 1 then 2, if 2 then 3, if 3 then 4, if 4 then 5…”
05.
Use causal arrows to enhance a logic model.
Arrows can go from:
- Which activities feed which other activities?
- Which activities produce which intended outcomes?
- Which early outcomes produce which later outcomes?
06.
Review and revise for completeness, logic, and presentation.
01.
Did you know that there are two important parts to program theory?
The first is the program’s theory of change, which is the way in which the desired change comes about.
The second is the program’s theory of action, which refers specifically to what actions need to happen, at what level of success, for the program to reach its intended outcomes.
02.
YouthREX believes that a logic model that is a summary of an underlying theory is a much more powerful tool. Summarize your program theory in ways that serve the purposes of your different stakeholders, such as youth, families, funders, boards, staff, and community members.
What is the difference between a logic model and a theory of change?
A logic model graphically illustrates program components with clearly identified inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes. A theory of change links outcomes and activities to explain HOW and WHY the desired change is expected to come about. Therefore, a theory of change has an additional explanatory function.
When should my youth program use a logic model vs. theory of change?
Logic models are great when you need to:
- show something one can understand at a glance
- demonstrate you have identified the basic inputs, outputs, and outcomes of your work
- summarize a complex theory into basic categories
Theories of change are great when you need to:
- design a complex initiative and want to have a rigorous plan for success
- evaluate appropriate outcomes at the right time and the right sequence
- explain why an initiative worked or did not work
What are the benefits of a logic model?
The top five benefits of a logic model are to:
- Build consensus and clarity among your staff and other stakeholders, including funders, about your essential program activities and expected (and realistic) outcomes.
- Identify opportunities for program improvements.
- Spell out the beliefs and assumptions that underlie your choice of activities and intended outcomes.
- Assess your program’s likelihood of success and identify factors that could impact success.
- Increase your understanding of program performance by clarifying the sequence of events from inputs through outputs through outcomes.
When should a logic model be developed?
A logic model should be developed in the program planning stage to develop activities for desired outcomes, and early in the evaluation process to serve as a resource for developing evaluation questions and performance indicators. Ideally, you should develop your logic model as soon as possible, even if the program is already up and running. If your program has a logic model but it hasn’t been reviewed or updated in a number of years, it’s time to do this!