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Logical Framework Approach: Overview and Application

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Posted by: Kultar Singh
Category: Research and M&E
Logical Framework Approach: Overview and Application

The Logical Framework Approach (LFA) was first designed by USAID (the United States overseas development agency) in the 1960s. It was employed for numerous bilateral and multilateral programs of the Government during the 1980s and 90s. It’s been utilized for quite a while and is used worldwide. LFA gives methods for planning, creating, implementing, and evaluating projects. Furthermore, it can be described as encouraging methodical thinking when planning initiatives. It provides an organized and logical method for organizing tasks and establishing the project’s desired outcomes and actions. 

The LFA contains intermittent principles that help plan projects, implement, and monitor phases. It is based on the concept of a matrix, which is then developed using a standardized definition and an established set of rules. The LFA matrix represents concepts used for project implementation and monitoring in a hierarchical manner. At the start, project inputs are integrated into activities. In the later stages, inputs are assessed against outputs through activities to achieve the desired objectives and, therefore, the end goal.  

In essence, the logical framework approach (also known as the log-frame approach) and the logical framework analysis (also called log-frame analysis) provide a way to think holistically, thoroughly, and specifically about: 

  1. project goals, 
  2. the linkages between various stages,
  3. the assumptions regarding other elements necessary to determine the credibility of relationships between levels, and  
  4. the best way to determine the measure of verification of the different levels.

There exist different terminologies, such as logical framework, log frame, and logic matrix. In the end,  it’s a management tool for projects that allows you to outline the various elements of a project, and it connects these parts using an underlying logic. It links project objectives, outputs, activities, and results to their causes and effects, providing the ability to comprehend and manage the entire project so that it is consistent regardless. It is built on the notion that any person can understand the relationships between different stages during the work. 

Definition of Terms Used in a Logframe Matrix 

A logical framework can be created as a 4-by-4 multi-dimensional matrix with cells that can interact with one another. Furthermore, it comes with three different logic, i.e., Horizontal logic, Vertical logic, and Zigzag logic. Managers of programs use LFA’s ‘vertical logic’ to formulate strategies for implementation, and academics and evaluators use its ‘horizontal logic’ to evaluate their initiatives’ effect. 

In representation, narrative summaries of activities, output, outcome, and goal are located in the first column. It is the most crucial because it’s our strategy’s base. It starts by establishing an order of objectives. The second column is “success indicators or objectively verifiable indicators.” We analyze every objective and explain how we’ll determine its success, what it is and how we can verify this. While doing so, we outline how we’ll track this, i.e., means of verification and, lastly, the assumptions. 

Building an LFA 

While coming up with an LFA, the first thing to ask is, what is our goal? You can have an outline with goals in the top column. The goal can be broken down into outcome, output, and activities the project will carry out to achieve the goal hierarchically. At the next stage, you must determine what you will do to gauge success effectively at every level. The first step is to define success indicators and their verification because when you don’t have the means to confirm that it is true, you cannot keep track of, monitor, or assess it.  

What other requirements are required to be fulfilled, and what assumptions do we make which are essential to this project? 

As described, in LFA, one can explore three kinds of logic, and the interplay of these three kinds makes the logical framework very robust. The first is vertical, where we define and set our goals. Another is horizontal, wherein we discuss how we’ll be able to tell if we’ve succeeded and how we’ll determine the results. We need to determine this ahead of time, so there will be no disagreement later on, and we’ll be able to reach a consensus on our goals. Planning is usually an exercise that is repeated between two places and evolves as you move closer and closer to your goal. The logic framework can support this perfectly, and the measures of success help us define where we’d like to go in the near future to ensure everyone is on the same page. There’s also a verification column that will help you check the procedures.  

Furthermore, assumptions are the cornerstone of the conceptual framework.  They demonstrate how risk factors and crucial conditions are linked. This is where the third logic, i.e., zigzag, comes in handy. It is here that we must be aware of If-then and causal connections. We must ensure that our various goals are connected, which is why we have to arrange them for one another. If logic is employed, it will assist us in accomplishing the result. We’ll create specific definitions since this will give us certainty and clarity when logic explains how things operate. 

References:  

THE WORLD BANK (2000): The Logframe Handbook: A Logical Framework Approach to Project Cycle Management. Washington DC: The World Bank URL [Accessed: 21.06.2019] 

AUSAID (2005): AusGuidelines 3.3 The Logical Framework Approach. Sydney: Commonwealth of Australia URL [Accessed: 21.06.2019] 

EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2004): Aid Delivery Methods, Project Cycle Management Guidelines. Brussels: European Commission – EuropeAid Cooperation Office URL [Accessed: 07.08.2010] 

Kultar Singh – Chief Executive Officer, Sambodhi

Author: Kultar Singh