Most logframes are decorative -- filed once, never used. This pack builds you a logframe that serves as a living management tool, with testable indicators, honest assumptions, and DAC criteria alignment.
A logframe with goal, purpose, outputs, activities, verifiable indicators, means of verification, and an honest assumptions column -- all mapped to DAC evaluation criteria.
A logframe is a causal argument laid out in a table. If we do these activities, they will produce these outputs. If the outputs are delivered, they will contribute to this purpose (outcome). If the purpose is achieved, it will contribute to this goal (impact). Each "if-then" link is a hypothesis -- and every hypothesis has assumptions that must hold.
| Level | Question it answers | Timeframe | Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal (Impact) | What higher-level change does this contribute to? | 5-10 years | Low -- many factors |
| Purpose (Outcome) | What change will beneficiaries experience? | 1-3 years | Medium -- programme + context |
| Outputs | What does the programme directly deliver? | Months | High -- programme controls |
| Activities | What does the team actually do? | Days/weeks | Full -- operational |
Goal: Reduced poverty and improved livelihoods for rural households in Jharkhand.
Purpose: 10,000 SHG women members have diversified income sources and increased household savings by Year 3.
Output 1: 500 SHGs formed and actively meeting monthly with >80% attendance.
Output 2: 2,000 members complete financial literacy training.
Output 3: 800 members access bank credit through SHG-bank linkage.
Activity examples: Conduct CRP-led community mobilisation meetings; deliver 12-session financial literacy curriculum; facilitate SHG-bank linkage applications.
Draft each level for your programme. Read bottom-up: "If activities, then outputs. If outputs, then purpose."
An indicator is the evidence you will look for to know if each logframe level has been achieved. Most logframe indicators fail the testability test -- they are vague ("improved"), unmeasurable ("empowered"), or unrealistic ("reduced poverty in 3 years").
Bad: "Women are empowered" -- unmeasurable, undefined, no target.
Good: "60% of women SHG members report making at least one major household expenditure decision independently in the past 3 months, by endline (March 2028), up from 25% at baseline." -- specific, measurable, time-bound, has a source (endline survey).
Every indicator needs a source. Where will the data come from?
Write one indicator + MoV for each logframe level.
The assumption column is the most neglected and most important part of a logframe. It makes explicit the conditions that must hold for each causal link to work. When assumptions fail, the programme fails -- even if activities are delivered perfectly.
For each assumption, ask: how likely is it to hold? If high risk of failure, you need either (a) a mitigation strategy, or (b) to redesign the programme logic.
Common assumptions that fail in Indian programmes: (1) "Government staff will be posted and present" -- vacancy and absenteeism rates are high in remote blocks; (2) "Bank branches will process credit applications within 3 months" -- actual turnaround often 6-12 months; (3) "Community meetings will have high attendance" -- seasonal migration depletes villages during harvest and lean seasons. If your logframe does not name these, it is not honest.
Name the key assumption at each causal link. Rate the risk.
The OECD-DAC evaluation criteria (revised 2019) give you six lenses through which any programme can be evaluated. A well-built logframe should map to these criteria -- so when the evaluator arrives, the logframe guides them directly to the evidence.
| Criterion | Core question | Logframe link |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | Is the programme addressing the right problem? | Goal and purpose alignment with beneficiary needs |
| Coherence | Does it fit with other interventions? | Goal alignment with national/state policy (e.g., NRLM, NEP 2020) |
| Effectiveness | Did it achieve its objectives? | Purpose-level indicators |
| Efficiency | Were resources well used? | Activity costs vs. outputs delivered |
| Impact | What broader change did it contribute to? | Goal-level indicators |
| Sustainability | Will benefits last after the programme ends? | Assumptions column -- what holds without programme support? |
Most Indian development logframes ignore sustainability entirely. The assumption is implicit: "the government will take over." But government adoption requires specific conditions (budget line, trained staff, political will) that should be named as assumptions and tracked as indicators. If your logframe has no sustainability indicator, add one.
Map your logframe to each DAC criterion.
Click Build my brief to compile your logframe.
Your module answers will be assembled into a structured logframe with assumptions and DAC alignment.