Prep Logic Model Ts - 0
Prep Logic Model Ts - 0
Sheet
Logic Models Overview
Logic models are effective tools to assist in program planning, implementation, management, evaluation,
and reporting. They help define a program’s intended impact and goals; the sequence of intended effects;
which activities are to produce which effect; and where to focus outcome and process evaluations. Experts
in the field agree that there are connections between program success and using logic models.
• Inputs are the various resources available to support the program (e.g., staff, materials, curricula,
funding, equipment)
• Activities are the action components of the program (e.g. develop or select a curriculum, write a plan,
implement a curriculum, train educators, pull together a coalition). These are sometimes referred to as
process objectives.
• Outcomes are the intended accomplishments of the program. They include short-term, intermediate,
and long-term or distal outcomes.
There are several resources (e.g. step-by-step guides, templates, on-line training) available to assist in the
creation of logic model. A resources list is provided at the end of this tip sheet. Below are tips for writing
goal statements, activities (or process objectives), and outcomes (outcome objectives):
Goal Statement:
A program goal is a very broad statement of intended accomplishments or a description of a general
condition deemed desirable. A well-defined goal statement will establish the “overall direction and focus for
the program, define what the program will achieve and serve as the foundation for developing program
strategies and objectives” (CDC Evaluation Brief, No. 3a, 2008). Sometimes goals are not always achieved
during the duration of the program. Goal statements do not state what will be implemented; rather, they are
statements that reflect the results of what will be implemented. They should be specific to the population,
setting, and problem to be addressed.
Sample Goals:
• To reduce HIV rates among adolescents in X community.
• To reduce obesity rates in young adolescents in X state.
• To improve cardio-vascular fitness in youth participating in X program.
Sample Activities:
• Conduct RFP process
• Develop and pilot training materials
• Conduct training of trainers
• Provide technical assistance
Process objectives provide more detail for the narrative. A well-written process objective is SMART…
Outlines how much change is expected and how will that change
Measurable will be measured
Can be realistically accomplished given current resources and
Achievable constraints
Addresses the scope of the health program and proposes
Realistic reasonable programmatic steps toward goals
Outcomes:
Outcome statements specify the impact or specific intended results of the program. It is often useful to
identify short-term and intermediate outcomes. Short-term outcomes are the immediate results of the
program. These are the intended knowledge, awareness, attitudes, skills, intentions, etc. Intermediate
outcomes specify what individuals do with the short-term outcomes. They are the intended behaviors,
practices, and actions. Sometimes long-term outcomes are also identified. Typically, but not always, these
mirror the goal statement. It is important to identify the order in which outcomes are expected to be
attained—which will come earlier and which later.
Narrative Description:
Once a model is created, confirm that the model is ‘logical.’ Check this by conducting the ‘if-then’ test. Ask,
“If we use all our resources/inputs and do these activities, then will we achieve our short-term outcomes? If
we achieve our short-term outcomes and continue our activities then should we achieve all our intermediate
outcomes?” For each activity, ask why it is being done and if it is absolutely necessary. Make sure there are
no logical gaps – that all required inputs and activities are included.
Finally, explain the logic model in a narrative. A logic model should convey its information on a single page.
It is intended to be a quick snapshot. The narrative provides the detail including the process and outcome
objectives discussed above. It also describes how inputs and activities will lead to intended outcomes. It
often lays out the theory of change.
California STD/HIV Prevention Training Center: Youth Social Marketing Tool Kit (Goals and Objectives):
http://www.stdhivtraining.org/YSMT_goals.html
Centers for Disease Control Division of Oral Health Workbook – Logic Models:
http://www.cdc.gov/OralHealth/state_programs/pdf/logic_models.pdf