planning and logic models

Planning your program and how the evaluation will fit with it is critical to its success.  Mapping out in words and diagrammatically all the elements that will be involved can really help you think through and communicate how the program works and what the evaluation will do.  Logic models help program planners and evaluators do this. 

Logic models show the relationships between program goals, inputs and resources, activities, outputs and anticipated outcomes.  They can also outline the underlying assumptions of the program and theory of change (that is, if this happens, then that will happen).  They can indicate what the evaluation will assess and the performance indicators it will use. 

The following resources provide information about constructing and using logic models to plan projects and evaluations.

Child Welfare Information Gateway, What is a logic model?  

This information sheet provides  some basic information about logic models.

Child Welfare Information Gateway, Worksheet
Worksheet for planning your evaluation

Duignan P, Outcome Models Program Logics
This site provides a free to use collection of outcomes models, program logics, strategy maps, ends-means diagrams, results chains, theories of change etc, modeled in Doview outcomes software.

Holt L 2009, ‘Understanding program logic’, presentation, Victorian Department of Human Services, Melbourne

This power point presentation from the Victorian Department of Human Services provides basic information about constructing and using a logic model to represent your program, and how it translates into outcomes.

McCawley PF (nd),  The logic model for program planning and evaluation, University of Idaho

In this article, the author provides an introductory guide to logic models.  He details the key elements that go into building a logic model and discusses how they fit together to assist with program planning and evaluation.

Program development and evaluation, University of Wisconsin

This US web site provides a range of resources, including templates for building logic models, examples of logic models, self study module, teaching and training guide, a presentation on logic models and a bibliography.

WK Kellogg Foundation 2004, Logic model development guide, WK Kellogg Foundation, Battle Creek, Michigan

This guide book provides detailed information about logic models, including: defining a logic model, providing examples, developing a basic logic model for your program, using logic models to plan programs and evaluations, templates, establishing performance indicators and further references.