A Practical Guide to Program Logic Models
Designing and running programs in the health and social services sectors is complex. You might be delivering community mental health supports, housing services, carer programs or place-based initiatives, and find it's easy to get caught up in the detail of doing.
We get busy and don't often step back to take a moment to clearly articulate what we’re trying to achieve, how we expect the change to happen, and how we know if we’re getting there.
Program logic is a tool that helps you map how your program is intended to work, linking your resources and activities to short and long-term outcomes. It’s not just a diagram for a funding application if you use it right!
When done well, a program logic becomes a practical resource for program planning, service delivery, stakeholder communication and evaluation. As we progress, we'll discuss how and why you should use program logic, breaking it down into practical steps for teams in the health and social services landscape.
Follow Along and Build Your Own Program Logic
As you read through the sections below, you can complete each part of your own program logic. The blog is structured to explain each component step-by-step, using examples and prompts to help guide your thinking.
Whether you’re designing a new program or reviewing an existing one, by the end, you’ll have a working draft of your logic model, ready to use for planning, stakeholder engagement, or evaluation.
What is a Program Logic Model?
A program logic model is a visual representation that outlines how a program is intended to function, illustrating the relationships between its resources, activities, and the anticipated changes resulting from them.
It delineates the connections between inputs, goals, activities, organisational resources, techniques, practices, and the expected outputs and effects.
This model helps to clarify the cause-and-effect relationships within a program, serving as a roadmap that links the program’s components to its desired outcomes. It is a practical tool for planning, implementation, and evaluation, ensuring that all stakeholders have a shared understanding of the program’s objectives and the means to achieve them.
By employing a program logic model, organisations can more effectively plan their programs, monitor progress, and evaluate outcomes, leading to improved program design and delivery.
Why Use a Program Logic Model?
You don’t need a logic model to run a program. But without one, it’s much harder to explain your program clearly, evaluate its impact, or improve it over time. Here are six reasons to use one.
1. It visualises change
A program logic makes clear how the pieces of your program fit together. It can be hard to explain the full scope of your work — logic models simplify complexity and show how action leads to outcomes.
2. It builds shared understanding
Program logic helps you get on the same page with staff, funders, partners and participants. It supports a common language and a shared picture of what success looks like.
3. It improves planning and delivery
Logic models help you spot gaps, test your assumptions and make informed design decisions. They’re especially great in the early stages of program planning or when refining an established service.
4. It supports meaningful evaluation
A good logic model lays the groundwork for an evaluation plan. It guides the development of evaluation questions, data collection methods and success indicators.
5. It identifies risks and dependencies
Articulating assumptions and external factors helps you understand what might support or limit your program’s success, and plan accordingly.
6. It enables continuous improvement
Logic models are not fixed. They can be updated as your program evolves, helping you stay focused on what matters and adjust when needed.
Understanding the Building Blocks of a Program Logic Model
Key Elements of a Program Logic Model
Before you jump straight into building a logic model, it helps to understand the typical elements you’ll be working with. These components form the backbone of the model, each one representing a different part of the program’s structure or intended pathway to change.
Impact goal – the long-term change your program contributes to (often societal or community-wide)
Program goal – the specific aim or purpose of your program that links to the broader impact
Inputs – resources you invest (funding, people, infrastructure, partnerships)
Activities – what your program does to create change (services, sessions, outreach)
Outputs – the tangible things delivered by the program (e.g. number of sessions, people reached)
Short-term outcomes – immediate effects on participants (changes in skills, knowledge, confidence)
Long-term outcomes – sustained or broader changes (behaviours, health outcomes, community impacts)
Assumptions – what needs to be true for the logic to work (e.g. engagement, service quality)
External factors – things outside your control that can affect success (e.g. policy changes, stigma)
Bringing It to Life: A worked example using a hypothetical mental health program – MindConnect
To make program logic feel less abstract, it helps to work through a real-world scenario. Below is a worked example built around a fictional community-based mental health program we’ll call MindConnect. We’ll step through each component of a logic model, define what it means, and offer tips and questions to help you develop your own.
1. Impact Goal
What is it?
The impact goal describes the long-term change or societal outcome your program contributes to. This is the big-picture vision — the kind of transformation that might take years to influence and typically sits beyond the program’s direct control.
Example (MindConnect):
“Enhance mental wellbeing across the community.”
Prompts to help define it:
What broader change are we contributing to?
If the program is successful over a long period, what would be different in the community?
Are there community, health system, or population-level goals we align with?
2. Program Goal
What is it?
The program goal is the direct aim or purpose of the program. It reflects the key change the program is trying to achieve within its scope of influence. It should be specific, measurable over time, and achievable within the program’s resources.
Example (MindConnect):
“Provide psychosocial support to people experiencing mild to moderate mental health challenges.”
Prompts to help define it:
What is the core purpose of this program?
What problem are we aiming to address?
What do we want to see change directly as a result of our service?
3. Inputs
What is it?
Inputs are the resources invested in the program. This includes funding, staff time, infrastructure, tools, technology, and partnerships. These are the foundational elements that enable the program to function.
Example (MindConnect):
“Mental health funding, trained psychosocial support workers, consult spaces, outreach partners, digital platforms.”
Prompts to help define it:
What do we need in place to deliver this program?
Who are the key people, systems or supports required?
Are any partnerships or shared resources essential to delivery?
4. Activities
What is it?
Activities are the actions or services that will be delivered through the program. These are what your team does with the inputs provided, like facilitating sessions, providing resources, or engaging with participants.
Example (MindConnect):
“Deliver individual needs assessments, provide one-on-one support sessions, facilitate peer support groups, and offer online resources.”
Prompts to help define it:
What does the program do day-to-day?
What are participants engaging in or receiving?
Which activities are central to achieving the program goal?
5. Outputs
What is it?
Outputs are the direct deliverables or tangible results of your activities. They are usually measurable and help you track what has been produced or delivered.
Example (MindConnect):
“Number of participants supported, number of sessions delivered, number of peer groups held, volume of resources accessed.”
Prompts to help define it:
What can we count or report on?
What gets delivered as a result of our activities?
What shows we are operating at the scale intended?
6. Short-Term Outcomes
What is it?
Short-term outcomes are the immediate changes experienced by participants. These might be shifts in knowledge, attitudes, skills, confidence, or social connection.
Example (MindConnect):
“Participants have increased awareness of mental health supports, improved emotional wellbeing, and stronger coping strategies.”
Prompts to help define it:
What should change for participants within weeks or months?
How will we know the program is starting to have an effect?
Are these outcomes meaningful but achievable within a short timeframe?
7. Long-Term Outcomes
What is it?
Long-term outcomes are the sustained changes that occur after the program has been in place for a long time. These often relate to behaviour, lifestyle, health, or wellbeing and may take months or years to observe.
Example (MindConnect):
“Reduced social isolation, fewer avoidable hospitalisations, improved life satisfaction.”
Prompts to help define it:
What does meaningful, lasting change look like for participants?
How will this program affect their quality of life over time?
What outcomes are we hoping to contribute to at the community or system level?
8. Assumptions
What is it?
Assumptions are the beliefs or conditions that need to hold true for the program logic to operate as intended. These are often taken for granted — like people participating, services being available, or resources being sufficient — but if they fail, the logic may break down.
Example (MindConnect):
“People will engage with the program; support provided is high quality; referral services exist and are accessible.”
Prompts to help define it:
What are we assuming about how and why change will happen?
What needs to go right for the program to be effective?
Are there any risks if these assumptions don’t hold?
9. External Factors
What is it?
External factors are conditions outside the program’s control that can affect delivery or outcomes. These could include policy changes, economic conditions, stigma, or workforce shortages.
Example (MindConnect):
“Stigma related to mental health, capacity of referral services, broader economic stress.”
Prompts to help define it:
What’s happening in the external environment that could impact this program?
What risks or opportunities are outside our control?
How might these influence our activities, reach or outcomes?
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