PYB300 Chap.5 Program Logic Models
Program Logic Models
The writing guide calls the program logic an essential component of the prospectus. This chapter follows the Week 5 workshop: what a program logic is for, the PYB300 template read as a left-to-right pipeline, what belongs in each column, and the test each column must pass.
It works through counting outputs for a twelve-month logic and closes with the two rows students most often leave thin, assumptions and external factors.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Why programs use a logic model
- 02
The pipeline model read from left to right
- 03
Situation: a succinct problem statement
- 04
Inputs: key resources only
- 05
Activities and their sequence
- 06
Outputs as activity data over twelve months
- 07
Outcomes sorted short, medium and long term
- 08
Assumptions and external factors
Worked example · free
Count outputs for a twelve-month logic
- 1Count groups: 0 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 4 groups in the first 12 months.
- 1Count sessions and completions: 4 groups × 10 sessions = 40 sessions; 4 × 12 = 48 participants completing a group.
- 1Write the cell as delivery, not change: 4 ten-week groups (40 sessions) delivered and 48 participants complete the program over the first 12 months.
Key terms
- Pipeline model
- A program logic drawn as a linear results chain, read from inputs on the left to outcomes on the right.
- Inputs
- The material and non-material resources an organisation invests in a program, including existing resources and new ones the program needs.
- Outputs
- Activity data: the countable products of delivery, such as sessions run, participants enrolled or materials distributed.
- Assumptions
- Beliefs about the program, its participants and its operation on which success depends, made explicit in the logic though not yet proven.
- External factors
- Conditions outside a program's control, such as economic change, policy shifts or funding changes, that may influence its outcomes.
- Situation statement
- A succinct paragraph at the top of the logic stating the problem, its causes, who it affects and what research says.
Program Logic Models FAQ
Can we use a program logic template from the internet?
The writing guide asks teams to use the PYB300 template, keeping its columns and headings even if you redesign its appearance. It warns that industry uses many variations of program logic, so follow the guidance given in the workshop and tutorial rather than a model found online.
What is the difference between outputs and outcomes?
Outputs count what the program delivers, such as the number of workshops run or participants attending. Outcomes describe the change that results for the target group. The Week 5 workshop warns that a program can be good at delivering outputs without achieving outcomes, which is why the two must never share a column.
How many inputs should we list?
Only the key ones. The workshop warns against noting everything and asks which inputs will convince a funding provider that the program is achievable and of high quality. Because you will not know exactly what the partner can offer, logical assumptions are acceptable, such as program management expertise or staff from existing services.
When should a program logic be written?
In the planning stages of a program, which is exactly where a grant prospectus sits. The Week 5 workshop notes that a fuller program plan can be developed from it later, that the rest of the prospectus adds detail the logic cannot hold, and that the logic can be tweaked during the semester as the team's program develops.
Exam move
Draft the logic from right to left first, starting with the long-term outcome that mirrors your aim, then fill the columns left to right to check that each step really produces the next. Write outputs as numbers for a twelve-month period and make sure the same numbers appear in your implementation plan and process evaluation.
Spend a separate session on the assumptions and external factors rows, asking what success depends on and what the program cannot control, and keep only the key items in each.
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