This post is one of a series linked to The Logic Model - getting a social return on investement?

I apologise from the outset to any experts in the field of Logic Modelling.  What follows is a very personal interpretation of the process. I recognise that it’s possible to have a multitude of feedback loops and additional stages within the model but having read them I don’t think they necessarily add anything to the basic concept - in fact I think in many ways they only serve to confuse.  To that end I’m going to try to describe the model in simplistic terms in an attempt to try to capture the “big picture”.

Why a Logic Model?

- Because it follows a logical sequence of events and represents a graphic model of a project, initiative, or change process (It must be remembered that this is a model and not reality)

What assumptions underpin Logic Modelling?

- A Logic Model assumes causal relationships, i.e. IF this happens, THEN this happens, e.g. IF I drink a glass of water, THEN I will feel less thirsty. However, we know from experience that that cause and effect are rarely that simple. Nevertheless, by at least trying to clarify and be explicit about our assumed causal connections we can begin to get closer to action which will result in a significant social return.

Do you have to plan in the linear order of the model, i.e. stage 1, stage 2 , stage 3 etc?

 - Surprisingly you don’t have to follow the order it’s possible to start at any stage in the model and work back or forwards within the model to end up with a final plan.

What are the constituent parts of the model?

- The most basic form of Logic Model can be represnted by 3 stages:

INPUTS —–Outputs——OUTCOMES 

This simple model can also be broken down further into 5 stages:

INPUTS - ACTIVITIES - OUTPUTS - OUTCOMES - IMPACT

Inputs are the resources you are going to invest in the plan of action, they can include, staff, time, money, equipment, support, materials, capital costs, etc.

Activities are the things you plan or intend to do, e.g. run courses, provide materials, implement a policy

Outputs are those things that you do and to whom, e.g the course was run for so many people over such and such a period of time.

Outcomes are those things that change as a consequence of the activities and outputs, e.g. learning, behaviour, attitudes, motivation, independence, etc.

Impact relates much more to the longer term outcome of the change you have initiated.

What’s different about this and how we currently plan?

In my experience of school and authority planning processes we have focussed - almost exclusively  - on activities and outputs, e.g. (activity) we are going to develop and implement a learning and teaching polic, (output) the policy was implemented.  Tagged onto these core elements came some consideration of the resources required or available and then a stumble around trying to work out “success criteria” - which were often no more than an expanded output e.g. the policy will be implemented.

I think the biggest difference between this traditional approach and the Logic Model is that activities - rather than being the first thing to go down on paper - is often the last.  In some ways this links to something I wrote about recently and our learned reflex to be action oriented - “dae sumthin”

Perhaps the current and future budgetary pressures will require us to make sure that we use what resources we have in the manner which are most likely to succeed?

As I write this I remind myself that whetever else we do in relation to applying the Logic Model, and Social Return on Investment that we don’t fall into the trap of:

 ”knowing the price of everything and value of nothing.”