Module 6.3: Using a logic model to plan and track

Using a logic model to plan and track

In this module, you’ll learn how to use a logic model to bring structure and clarity to your project planning. It’s a simple but powerful tool that maps what you’re putting in, what you’re doing, and what you’re hoping to achieve, making it easier to stay focused, communicate your purpose, and track your impact.

Introduction video

Introduction to logical models

When planning your community project, you know what you want to achieve, but explaining how you plan to get there can be challenging. That’s where a logical model comes in.

A logical model, also known as a logical framework or logframe, is a simple but powerful tool that helps you describe your project clearly, from start to finish. Think of it as a simple roadmap that links your inputs to the activities you do and the changes you expect to see. It’s especially helpful when talking to funders, supporters, and team members about your plans and progress.

There are five steps in a logical framework that help you map out your project.

1. Inputs = What we need: Resources like funding, staff, equipment, and partnerships
2. Activities = What we do: Actions such as planning, promoting, and delivering your program.
3. Outputs = What we get: Measurable results like the number of sessions delivered or participants reached.
4. Outcomes = What we change: The benefits or changes experienced by your participants, like improved confidence or increased activity.
5. Impact = What we achieve: The long-term, broader changes in your community.

Luckily, you’ve done the planning part of the first two components and thought about some of your project goals in Module 4!

Why use a logic model?

Logic models are useful for many reasons:

• They help you plan your project step-by-step.
• They make reporting easier, especially when funders like the Heart Foundation ask what you’ve achieved.
• They keep your team focused by showing how everything connects.
• They support your monitoring and evaluation by helping you track the right things at the right time.

As the United Nations Development Programme highlights in their 2009 report, logic models are essential tools in effective M&E because they provide a clear structure that links resources to results.

Output vs Outcome - What’s the difference?

This is a common area of confusion. Here’s a simple way to remember it:

• Outputs are what you did
• Outcomes are what changed

For example, printing 100 brochures is an output. But people using the information in the brochure to get active - that’s an outcome.

As a M&E enthusiast David Hearle says in his 2021 video, outputs show the effort you put in, but outcomes prove it made a difference - and that’s what funders really want to see.

Now that you’ve got a feel for what a logic model is, let’s break it down step-by-step using a real-world example. This will help you see how each part, from inputs to impact, connects to tell the story of your project.

Example: An Inclusive Community Fitness Program

Imagine your organisation is running a community fitness program designed to get more people with disabilities moving in a safe, welcoming, and social way. We will now work through the five steps of a logical framework for this type of project.

Detailed logic model

Here’s what a detailed logic model of the Community Fitness Program looks like. This level of detail helps you when planning your project, reporting to funders, or tracking specific results.

And then we make it simple

Whilst you can map out everything in detail, it often helps to simplify things into something you can comprehend quickly. Below is a simplified version of what the Community Fitness program’s logical model looks like.

Using logic models in practice

Let’s say your team is halfway through delivering your AAIC-funded activity. You are running sessions, people are attending, and you are collecting data. But you notice that even with high attendance (an output), not many participants are becoming more active (an outcome). What next?

This is where your logic model becomes a handy diagnostic tool. You might ask:

· Are the sessions too advanced, or not enjoyable?

· Is something stopping people from being active outside the sessions?

· Are we engaging participants in ways that build confidence and routine?

By going back to the steps in your logic model, you can spot where adjustments are needed and explain those changes clearly to your team and stakeholders.

Now it’s time to try this yourself! Use this template to create your own logic model.

Click to download the Develop your logic model worksheet (PDF)

Additional resources

Watch this video by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (2019) to learn more about developing logical frameworks.

Watch this video, where Michael Quinn Patton describes the difference between outputs and outcomes in the form of a children’s story.