Logic Model
Visualize the flow of resources, activities, and results from inputs to impact on a single sheet.
Overview
A Logic Model visually organizes the chain of “inputs → activities → outputs → outcomes → impact.” Popularized by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in the 1990s, it is widely used as a standard tool for program evaluation. Because its structure is clearer and simpler than a Theory of Change, it is well suited to project management and report writing.
When to use it
- When explaining a business or program plan to stakeholders
- When preparing grant or subsidy applications
- When setting indicators to monitor progress
- When translating a ToC into a more practical plan level
How to use it
List the resources put into the business (funding, people, equipment, partnerships, etc.).
Write out the concrete activities carried out using the inputs—at the level of “what we do.”
Define the direct products of the activities, expressed in quantities (how many, how often, to how many people).
Set the changes brought to beneficiaries and society, divided into short-, mid-, and long-term.
Set metrics and targets for each element, and build a mechanism for regular review.
◎ Pros
- ·Simple structure—easy to use even for organizations new to impact measurement
- ·A single diagram captures the whole, effective for sharing and building consensus
- ·Internationally recognized as a format for grant applications and reports
△ Cautions
- ·Often does not make the “why” (assumptions) explicit, so critical examination tends to be shallower than a ToC
- ·As a linear causal model, it has limits when applied to complex social systems
- ·Outputs and outcomes are frequently confused
