
What’s the use of running if you are not on the right road? -German proverb
Imagine again that you’re planning a road trip from Chicago to Portland to see a group of friends. You take some time and outline a strategy for a successful trip. You plan your route and pick your hotels, you prepare your car for the trip, you find sites to visit along the way. You get to Portland safely and ready for your get-together.
The logic model is like this roadmap to your destination. It is a visual representation of the transformation your project hopes to create in your community. The strategy designed to treat the problem will take you to your vision.
[Defined Problem] => [Strategy] => [Vision for the Future]
[How to get to Portland] => [Good Planning] => [Enjoying reunion in Portland]
Thoughtful design of the logic model with your collaboration will create the system change that the group defined during the root cause analysis. Logic models may use words or pictures to help define the collaboration goals and shape planning, design, management, accountability, and communication. It is a roadmap or blueprint that describes how elements of a project, including planned activities and expected outcomes, work together. They also help measure success and accountability. A solid logic model will also provide a strong foundation for future evaluation of your work. Logic model components include:
- Problem statement
- Project goal
- Resources
- Activities
- Outputs/results
- Outcomes (immediate, intermediate, and long term)
Using the analogy of our trip to Portland, the logic model provides a visual of the big buckets required to get us to our destination. The work plan is your management tool built from the logic model that ensures we complete the tasks necessary to achieve each strategy. The components of a work plan include:
- Problem Statement
- Project Goal
- Project Objective
- Activities
- Person Responsible
- Timing
- Products/Results
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