Tip Sheet:

8 Tips for Using Logic Models (Theories of

Change and Logframes) to Improve Project
Design, Monitoring and Evaluation

Good project monitoring and evaluation (M&E) starts with ensuring that there
is clear logical causality between the activities you do and what you hope to
achieve, and that, where possible, projects are informed by existing data and
evidence. It also involves developing appropriate M&E plans and making
sure that monitoring activities are adequately resourced. Logic models can
help with this process.

Tip #1: Understand the terminology
A logic model is a graphic representation of all
building blocks required to bring about a given
long-term goal. The change process depicted in a
logic model (whether implicit or explicit) should be
possible to articulate using “if… then” statements.
Developing a logic model is a way of visualizing the
logical causal relationship between activities
implemented and the change a project or program
seeks to make in a specific environment.
Both theories of change and logical frameworks
(logframes) can be considered types of logic
models, which may contribute to the fact that the
term logic model is often used interchangeably
with both terms.
However, each of these types of logic model
serves a different purpose:
Theories of change
A theory of change is a type of logic model that
explicitly illustrates the causal pathways
between activities, outputs, outcomes, and
objectives.
Theories of change may be simple, as shown in
Diagram 1 (which may also be referred to a
results chain). Or, theories of change can be
more complex, as shown in Diagram 2 (next
page).

Diagram 1: A simple theory of change or “results chain”

Activities Outputs Outcomes Objectives Goal

 Diagram 2: A more complex theory of change

Goal

Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3

Outcome Outcome Outcome Outcome

Output Output Output

Activity Activity Activity

Logframes 3. Where you will find the data or information

A logframe is a table or matrix that summarizes needed to calculate your indicators.
the key elements of a project strategy: the project
You can find a few example logframe templates
objective, intended outcomes, planned outputs,
here or via the Tools and Guidance page of the
and major activities. It outlines indicators that will
META website at www.metasupport.org.
be used to measure progress, the source of data
(means of verification), and assumptions
necessary for project success.
Diagram 3: A project logframe
Logframes are a project management tool. They
help you and your project team articulate (and
Means of
remember) what you intend to achieve and what Description Indicator Assumptions
Verification
you will measure to determine whether you have
achieved it. A good logframe is the foundation of
your team’s monitoring and evaluation plan. Objective

Different donors may have different logframe Outcome

templates and use different terminology, but all
logframes should outline at minimum: Output

1. What you will do and what you hope to see

Activities
as a result.
2. Indicators that you will use to gauge
whether you have done what you said you
would do and achieved what you wanted to
achieve.
Tip #2: Develop a theory of change
before developing a logframe to
make sure that the causal
relationship between your
activities, outputs, outcomes and
objectives is logical.
While both theories of change and logframes
should depict the project logic, theories of
change make the causal pathways visually
explicit and can help teams identify where they
are making assumptions or leaps of faith, or
missing key steps in the change process.
When staff skip the theory of change step and
begin the design process by drafting a logframe,
or worse, by writing the program narrative, the
causal pathways between activities, outputs,
outcomes, and objectives are too often unclear.
Mapping out a project’s theory of change is a
process of working backwards—starting with the
goal you want to achieve rather than thinking first
about what activities you will do. It is ideally a
collaborative process that engages staff at different
levels of the organization. Creating a theory of
change helps encourage discussion, as shown in
Diagram 4, not only about how to best achieve what
you want to achieve, but also about assumptions,
risks, and how success would be measured.
Once your theory of change is illustrated, you should
be able to fill in the outputs, outputs, outcomes, and
objectives of your logframe. Note that because a
logframe is linear and sometimes a theory of change
is not, not all relationships depicted in theory of
change may be possible to depict in a logframe. For
example, some activities may lead to multiple
outcomes, or some outcomes may influence other
outcomes, but this would not be possible to indicate
in a logframe. You could, however, describe these
relationships in your proposal narrative.

Diagram 4: Discussion prompted by a theory of change

What assumptions are we making about how activities and

outputs lead to outcomes, about how outcomes lead to
objectives, or about the context? If this assumption doesn’t
hold true, would the project be derailed? If so, should we add
some activities or make contingency plans to make sure the
issue is addressed from the start?

Activities Outputs Outcomes Objectives Goal

How will we measure not How will we know

only that this output has
been achieved/ produced
but also that the output
is good enough quality to
produce the outcomes
we want to achieve?
that this outcome
has been achieved?
What will we
measure and how
will we measure it?
Tip #3: Where possible, make sure
that your theory of change is
based on existing evidence and
data.
When developing a theory of change, take stock
of what the available data (for example, from
needs assessments) show are the priority
outcomes or areas of intervention for your
clients. Also, where possible, review available
evidence to help you determine what types of
activities might be most effective at helping you
achieve the outcomes you hope to achieve.
Tip #4: Consider what you want to
learn from your project.
Before developing your logframe, it can be useful
to ask: What do we want to learn about this
project? The answers to this question will help
you define your monitoring and evaluation
plans—guiding which indicators you choose to
include in your logframe and how you plan to
collect the data required to calculate those
indicators.
Tip #5: Develop a logframe even if
the donor doesn’t require it.
Even if your donor doesn’t require a logframe,
having a logframe is good practice and can make
it easier for you to set up your M&E/performance
management systems to track progress, assess
the quality of services provided, and assess
results.
A logframe is a useful project management tool
that can help staff at all levels of the
organization understand what the project hopes
to achieve, how success will be measured, and
how data will be collected.
Tip #6: Make sure your indicators
are SMART and purposeful.
Once you have begun to develop your logframe,
you will need to identify indicators/measures
that you will use to determine whether or not you
have done what you set out to do and achieved
what you wanted to achieve. You can find some
examples of indicators in the example logframe
provided in META Case Study 2.
Indicators should meet the SMART criteria. The
SMART criteria are well-accepted in the field of
M&E as standards against which to measure the
quality of an indicator. However, the letters of the
acronym have been defined in different ways.
Common terms used when explaining the
SMART criteria include: Specific; Measurable;
Attainable, Appropriate or Attributable; Relevant,
Realistic, or Reliable; and Time-bound. META’s
SMART Indicator Checklist and Case Study 3 can
help you to determine the quality of your
indicators.
Indicators should also be purposeful. Just
because something can be counted or measured
doesn’t mean it should. Focus on defining
indicators that serve a programmatic purpose,
helping you to learn what you want to learn
about your project. Thinking during project
design about how indicators will be used (that is,
what should be measured to monitor the quality
of services and allow program staff to shift
course where needed) can lead to more efficient
use of staff time and better use of project data.
NOTE: to make sure that indicators are
measurable, realistic and purposeful, it can be
useful to take the time to think about what data
will be required to calculate each indicator.
Using an indicator matrix can be helpful. See
the META Indicator Matrix Template as an
example.
Tip #7: Make sure you plan
appropriate resources (human and
financial) required to carry out
your M&E plans.
Well-defined plans for what you want to learn
about your project, what you will measure, where
you will find the data needed, and what M&E
activities you will conduct can help clarify the
resources you will need for monitoring and
evaluation. A general rule is that M&E activities
should make up 10% of your project budget.
A few things to consider when planning what
resources will be required to carry out your M&E
activities:
1. Factor M&E responsibilities into staff
time and ensure that you have an
adequate number qualified of staff to
carry out the responsibilities of
collecting, entering, and analyzing data
on a regular basis, as well as staff to
provide oversight of data quality and
M&E activities.
2. Include any budget for training needed
to equip staff with the capacity to carry
out their M&E responsibilities (including
data collection, entry and analysis).
3. Budget for any consultant fees and
expenses required for external
evaluations.
4. Remember to budget for any equipment
or software required for M&E activities
(including data management and
analysis). Examples include laptops,
printers, mobile phones, tablets, GIS
hardware, and software like STATA,
SPSS, ArcGIS, Salesforce, ETO, etc.
5. Don’t forget additional costs that may be
associated with project M&E. Budget
adequately for translation and piloting of
M&E tools along with any necessary
travel for routine monitoring activities or
specific surveys, assessments or mid-
term or end-of-project evaluations.
6. Budget for communication costs
including mobile data and copy editing,
formatting and printing of final
evaluations.
Tip #8: Developing theories of
change and logframes can be
useful for improving the design
and M&E of ongoing projects or
programs.
While developing theories of change and
logframes should ideally be done during project
design, efforts to improve project design,
monitoring and evaluation can happen at any
time--for example, during annual or strategic
planning, at the end of a program year, or in
preparation for new funding requests.
Mapping your project/program theory of change,
considering what you want to learn about the
project/program, developing a logframe, and
identifying the resources and operational
changes that would be required can be useful in
improving the monitoring and evaluation of
ongoing projects or programs, including those
with strict donor-determined activities and
reporting requirements. Such efforts can help
your organization to think beyond donor
requirements to what outcomes you hope to
achieve for clients, and what you would like to
learn about your programs on an ongoing basis
to enable you to make program improvements,
ensure equitable access, etc.
If you have feedback on this tip sheet,
questions, or examples of how your
organization is using logic models
(theories of change and logframes) to
improve project design, monitoring and
evaluation, please contact us at
META@rescue.or

META is funded through the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families,
Grant # 90RB0051-01-01. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the funders,
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