Developing your Logic Model
In this assignment you're going to consider the research you've been developing in response to your research questions and the recommendations you have been considering making in response in your final paper to produce a logic model and two indicators. Using the template attached to this assignment, complete a logic model of your proposed response to a business challenge or organizational dilemma. Using the SMART indicators framework, describe two indicators that will allow you to understand the impact of your suggestions.
Instructions
To complete this milestone, you need to:
- Provide a one-paragraph overview of your research questions and the solution you are proposing.
- Complete the Logic Model template, including inputs, actions, outcomes, and impacts
- Design and explain two indicators that will allow you to understand your program, including one operational and one outcome indicator. Make sure that they meet the SMART criteria.
Your assignment submission should include:
- A document (word, pdf or ppt)/text box entry containing the items listed above in a single document.
- Your source should be properly cited using APA 7 style.Setting your IndicatorsIf you completed the logic model discussed in the previous module, you'll be well-prepared to translate your inputs, activities, outcomes and impacts into indicators. Indicators are data points that track progress towards achieving your program goals. There are two main categories of indicators:
- Progress Indicators: Indicators that tell you about your progress in implementing the changes or program you've identified. They answer the question 'is this program being implemented as planned'. Common progress indicators address the reach of a program, or the achievements of particular stages in the process of change. The progress indicators that make sense for your program will depend on your implementation plan and the activities your program includes
- Outcome or Summative Indicators: These indicators tell you about the outcomes and impacts of your program or project. They tell you about the difference your work made to the environment, community, or your organization.
Developing High-Quality Indicators
Once you've decided on your indicators, you need to carefully define them in a process very like operationalizing a concept in our previous module. Indicators must be clearly defined and tie back to the goals and activities of the project in order to be insightful. Remember that in evaluation research, your goal is to provide intelligence that is actionable to further improve your work. There are a lot of different approaches and guides to developing strong indicators, but we're going to focus on one of the most widely used: SMART indicators. SMART indicators are:- Specific: Your indicator should be well-defined and clear. Use the skills you learned in operationalization to make sure the indicator is accurate and includes only one concept.
- Measurable: It must be possible to measure the concept, qualitatively or quantitatively (or with mixed methods). Concepts that are too vague or intangible are not good indicators.
- Attainable: It must be feasible and cost-effective for you or your organization to collect the data required to measure this indicator.
- Relevant: The indicator must be very closely connected to an input, output, or outcome.
- Time-bound: Your indicator should include a specific time frame which it monitors.
- When and how often you will collect your data
- How you will collect your data
- Who are your subjects, if doing surveys or other human subjects resarch?
- How will your data be analyzed?
- How will you report your data?
- Who is your audience?