Logframe (Logical Framework / Results Chain)
Summary
The logframe is a matrix that lays out the results chain — Inputs → Activities → Outputs → Outcomes → Impact — with indicators, means of verification and assumptions at each level; the operational, funder-friendly form of the campaign’s theory-of-change.
Body
A logical framework (logframe) is a planning matrix developed in USAID and OECD-DAC programming practice and now standard in NGO and multi-lateral campaign work. The logframe is the operational form of a theory-of-change: same chain, but with indicators, means of verification and assumptions attached at each level so the chain can be tested, monitored and reported.
The results chain at the core of every logframe reads:
| Level | What it is | What the campaign does there |
|---|---|---|
| Inputs | Resources (money, staff, volunteers, data, relationships) | Acquires / holds |
| Activities | Actions (events, meetings, mobilisations, comms, research) | Delivers |
| Outputs | Direct deliverables (petitions signed, doors knocked, press hits) | Counts / reports |
| Outcomes | Changes in others (target’s position, public opinion, policy step) | Influences |
| Impact | Long-term change the campaign contributes to | Contributes (rarely solely causes) |
Each level has three columns attached: indicators (how you will measure), means of verification (where the data comes from), assumptions (the “if/then” link under which the next level happens). The assumption column is the theory-of-change’s discipline attached to each row.
The UNAIDS Conjunto de Herramientas (Spanish-language advocacy workbook) structures its advocacy planning around exactly this chain — situational analysis, objective-setting, audience segmentation, then tactics — and provides worksheets at each step [source: incidencia-unaids]. The wiki’s theory-of-change page covers the conceptual version; the logframe is its indicator-attached form.
Use it for
Producing the document a funder asks for; running a structured mid-campaign re-plan; aligning a coalition on the same indicators; communicating the campaign plan to a board that needs to see what we did → what changed → what we learned.
Worked examples
- african-americans-boycott-buses-for-integration-in-montgomery — carpools, meetings, and leaflets as inputs/activities produced the sustained boycott as output and the desegregation ruling as outcome, fitting a clean results chain.
- australian-campaign-case-study-stop-adani-2012-2022 — years of activities (protests, lobbying) produced outputs (public pressure) and outcomes (bank commitments dropping out), illustrating the logframe progression.
- australian-campaign-case-study-divestment-campaign-2013-2021 — student activities (advocacy, rallies) yielded outputs (awareness) and outcomes (university divestment commitments), matching the results chain logic.
Learn more
- On Wikipedia: Logical framework approach — CC BY-SA 4.0
Related
- theory-of-change
- smart-goals
- mel-framework
- contribution-analysis
- evaluation
- campaign-planning
- incidencia-unaids
Open Questions
- 2026-06-23 — No corpus source currently covers the logframe matrix by name (the unaids handbook lays out the chain but does not use the term “logframe”). Re-fetch a Bond / ODI / UNDP / USAID logframe guide before promoting this page.
- 2026-06-23 — The logframe’s “means of verification” column is a frequent omission in campaign-funder reports — the link between indicator and data source is often missing. Re-fetch a BetterEvaluation resource that covers MoV discipline specifically.
FAQ
What is a logframe?
A logical framework (logframe) is a planning matrix developed in USAID and OECD-DAC programming practice and now standard in NGO and multi-lateral campaign work. The logframe is the operational form of a theory-of-change: same chain, but with indicators, means of verification and assumptions attached at each level so the chain can be tested, monitored and reported. The wiki’s theory-of-change page covers the conceptual version; the logframe is its indicator-attached form.
What is the results chain in a logframe?
The results chain at the core of every logframe reads: Inputs (resources — money, staff, volunteers, data, relationships — that the campaign acquires or holds); Activities (events, meetings, mobilisations, comms, research that the campaign delivers); Outputs (direct deliverables the campaign counts); Outcomes (changes in others — target’s position, public opinion, policy step — that the campaign influences); Impact (long-term change the campaign contributes to, rarely solely causes).
What three columns attach to each results-chain level?
Each level has three columns attached: indicators (how you will measure), means of verification (where the data comes from), and assumptions (the “if/then” link under which the next level happens). The assumption column is the theory-of-change’s discipline attached to each row, which makes the logframe the indicator-attached form of the theory of change.
How does the UNAIDS workbook structure advocacy planning around the chain?
The UNAIDS Conjunto de Herramientas (Spanish-language advocacy workbook) structures its advocacy planning around exactly this chain — situational analysis, objective-setting, audience segmentation, then tactics — and provides worksheets at each step [source: incidencia-unaids]. The worksheets at each step correspond to the levels of the chain, which lets a coalition plan by completing the worksheets in order.
Sources & verification
- sources/incidencia-unaids — grounding: secondary — RAW (PDF)