CFAES Give Today
Office for Research and Graduate Education

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES

Logic Models

A logic model (also known as a logical framework, theory of change, or program matrix) is a tool used most often by managers and evaluators of programs to evaluate the effectiveness of a program. Logic models are usually a graphical depiction of the logical relationships between the resources, activities, outputs and outcomes of a program.

While there are many ways in which logic models can be presented, the underlying purpose of constructing a logic model is to assess the "if-then" (causal) relationships between the elements of the program; if the resources are available for a program, then the activities can be implemented and if the activities are implemented successfully then certain outputs and outcomes can be expected. Logic models are most often used in the evaluation stage of a program; they can however be used during planning and implementation.