The Logical Framework Approach (LFA) is a foundation of Results-Based Management. It’s also a cornerstone of an effective Monitoring & Evaluation / reporting system, and the basis of any successful project proposal.

In this introduction we look at the difference between:

• The Logical Framework Approach (the methodology for project identification, design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation)
• The Logical Framework itself (the matrix)

We will then examine and deconstruct the Logical Framework, before looking at how it fits together, connecting the internal logic of the project (its results chain) with the external environment (assumptions). We wrap up by looking at the main steps of the LFA - the steps to creating a log frame.

So what is the LFA or Logical Framework Approach? Well, the LFA actually began a long time ago in the late '60s. In 1969, it was developed for USAID, and it was very quickly picked up by other bilateral development agencies such as USAID, NORAD, and GTZ, who developed it further as ZOPP, Ziel-Orientierte Projektplanung, which is German for Objectives Focused Project Planning.

The Logframe now is so widespread in its use that it's almost guaranteed you would be required to create one when you're submitting any kind of proposal or project plan to donors. It's also a great way of testing the validity of your project to make sure that it actually works, that the internal logic holds true. And we'll look at that logic as we progress through this section.

So what is the Logical Framework Approach? The LFA is a methodology that's used by NGOs and donors for identification, design, and planning, the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of development projects. Now I'm sure you know what a Logframe is, a logical framework. But it's not the same thing as the LFA. The Logframe is the end result of the process. And the ultimate aim of the process is to actually create a project that delivers positive results for our target communities and end users.

But let's look at the Logframe first. First, we can see it's a table, four by four, four rows, four columns. And it's a snapshot. It's a summary of the project. And each row, the activities, the outputs, the outcome, and the impact, describe different types of events as the project progresses over time.

It also makes the results chain of the project explicit. It shows us the project inputs, the operations or activities, and the results, the output, outcome, and impact. Through the indicators and means of verification, the Logframe identifies for us how we're going to measure our progress and achievement of results, the monitoring and evaluation, indicators, and Means of Verification. And in the fourth column, we have the external factors, the project context. Things that could affect the project's success, such as our assumptions and our risks.

The log frame also shows how all these elements fit together, what we call the causal relationships, the internal logic of the Logframe, which tells us that certain preconditions have to be met. There are certain things in the external world that have to be true before we can begin. And then if we have our inputs, we can carry out our activities. Now our activities will lead to outputs. That's within our control. But then we have to consider, again, the external environment, and we will have some assumptions at the output level that need to be true in order for our outputs to create the outcome. And again, at the outcome level, there will be further external factors to consider that need to be true before the outcome contributes to the impact.

Please don't worry if this is unfamiliar. By the end of this section, this whole introduction to logical framework, you'll understand what this diagram means and how everything fits together.

In the next few videos, we're going to look at the different columns one by one. And we'll wrap up also by looking at how we create a logical framework - the steps of the Logical Framework Approach.