Citing Funnell and Rogers's account (2011),13 Joy A. Frechtling's (2015) encyclopedia article14 traces logic model underpinnings to the 1950s. Patricia J. Rogers's (2005) encyclopedia article15 instead traces it back to Edward A. Suchman's (1967) book16 about evaluative research. Both encyclopedia articles and LeCroy (2018)17 mention increasing interest, usage and publications about the subject.
One of the most important uses of the logic model is for program planning. It is suggested to use the logic model to focus on the intended outcomes of a particular program. The guiding questions change from "what is being done?" to "what needs to be done"? McCawley suggests that by using this new reasoning, a logic model for a program can be built by asking the following questions in sequence:
By placing the focus on ultimate outcomes or results, planners can think backward through the logic model to identify how best to achieve the desired results. Here it helps managers to 'plan with the end in mind', rather than just consider inputs (e.g. budgets, employees) or the tasks that must be done.
Testing the logic of the logic model is an important step in development. If you there is something the program wants to include, how will they do it? That should link to an earlier step in the logic model.19
The logic model is often used in government or not-for-profit organizations, where the mission and vision are not focused on achieving a financial benefit. Traditionally, government programs were described only regarding their budgets. It is easy to measure the amount of money spent on a program, but this is a poor indicator of outcomes. Likewise it is relatively easy to measure the amount of work done (e.g. number of workers or number of years spent), but the workers may have just been 'spinning their wheels' without getting very far in terms of ultimate results or outcomes.
However, nature of outcomes varies. To measure the progress toward outcomes, some initiatives may require an ad hoc measurement instrument. In addition, in programs such as in education or social programs, outcomes are usually in the long-term and may requires numerous intermediate changes (attitudes, social norm, industry practices, etc.) to advance progressively toward the outcomes.
By making clear the intended outcomes and the causal pathways leading to them, a program logic model provides the basis upon which planners and evaluators can develop a measurement plan and adequate instruments. Instead of only looking at the outcome progress, planners can open the "black box" and examine if the intermediate outcomes progress as planned. In addition, the pathways of numerous outcomes are still largely misunderstood due their complexity, their unpredictability and lack of scientific / practical evidences. Therefore, with proper research design, one may not only assess the progress of intermediate outcomes, but evaluate as well if the program theory of change is accurate, i.e. is successful change of an intermediate outcomes provokes the hypothesized subsequent effects in the causal pathway. Finally, outcomes may easily be achieved through processes independent of the program and an evaluation of those outcomes would suggest program success when in fact external outputs were responsible for the outcomes.20
Many authors and guides use the following template when speaking about logic model:2122232425
Many refinements and variations[which?] have been added to the basic template. For example, many versions of logic models set out a series of outcomes/impacts, explaining in more detail the logic of how an intervention contributes to intended or observed results.26 Others often distinguish short-term, medium-term and long-term results, and between direct and indirect results.
Main article: Intervention mapping
The intervention mapping approach of Bartholomew et al.27 makes an extensive use of the logic model through the whole life-cycle of a health promotion program. Since this method can start from as far as a vague desired outcome (author's example is a city whose actors decide to address "health issues" of the city), planners go through various steps in order to develop effective interventions and properly evaluate them. There are distinguishable but closely interwoven logic models with different purposes that can be developed through the process:
Evaluators thereafter use the logic model of the intervention to design a proper evaluation plan to assess implementation, impact and efficiency.
The Progressive Outcomes Scale Logic Model (POSLM) approach was developed by Quisha Brown in response to the racial wealth gap [exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic] to aid organizations in the immediate need to add a racial equity focus when developing program logic models. More testing and research is needed in order to verify the validity of this model.
The POSLM approach makes use of the logic model with a strong focus on tracking progressive improvement towards racial disparity outcomes. To measure the progress towards outcomes, this type of logic model states short, intermediate and long-term outcomes as "stage 1", "stage 2" and "stage 3". Each stage is uniquely defined and used to depict the percentage of KPIs achieved at each stage or the percentage of people who reach each stage as they progress on pre-identified Key Performance Indicators (KPI). These KPIs are specific to the racial disparity issues which the population served identifies with (i.e. low reading, financial literacy, unemployment, etc). In an effort to prevent the logic model itself from being cluttered with an overwhelming number of KPIs, the KPIs are arranged by category and only the category is displayed on the logic model. The extensive list of KPIs are an appendix to the logic model. Organizations identify the KPIs and corresponding outcomes by first conducting a needs assessment and/or community focus groups. This helps to ensure that the logic model remains focused on improving the real-time needs of people to remove racial barriers. The POSLM can help to make more clear the intended outcomes and the casual pathways leading to them; both of which help to connect and compose a logical companion "if, then" theory of change statement. Again, more research is needed and currently being conducted as more nonprofits, philanthropic and governments use this model.
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Frechtling JA (2015). "Logic Models". International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. Elsevier. pp. 299–305. doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-097086-8.10549-5. ISBN 978-0-08-097087-5. 978-0-08-097087-5 ↩
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Anderson LM, Petticrew M, Rehfuess E, Armstrong R, Ueffing E, Baker P, Francis D, Tugwell P (March 2011). "Using logic models to capture complexity in systematic reviews". Research Synthesis Methods. 2 (1): 33–42. doi:10.1002/jrsm.32. PMID 26061598. S2CID 34282960. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩
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Industrial Economics, Incorporated (IEc) Evaluation Team (2010). Evaluation of the WasteWise Program (PDF). EPA's Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/eval-wastewise-program.pdf ↩
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Hense J, Kriz WC, Wolfe J (February 2009). "Putting theory-oriented evaluation into practice: A logic model approach for evaluating SIMGAME" (PDF). Simulation & Gaming. 40 (1): 110–33. doi:10.1177/1046878107308078. S2CID 61673390. https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/12921/12/oa_12921.pdf ↩
Sitaker M, Jernigan J, Ladd S, Patanian M (April 2008). "Adapting logic models over time: the Washington State Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program experience". Preventing Chronic Disease. 5 (2): A60. PMC 2396971. PMID 18341795. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2396971 ↩
W.K. Kellogg Foundation (1998). W.K. Kellogg Foundation Logic Model Development Guide. Battle Creek: W.K. Kellogg Foundation. https://www.wkkf.org/resource-directory/resource/2006/02/wk-kellogg-foundation-logic-model-development-guide ↩
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