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Logical Framework AnalysisIntroduction Key Elements of the Logframe (i) If inputs are made available, then outputs would be produced: An important element of the vertical logic is the set of assumptions, risks and conditions upon which the movement from lower to higher level objectives is based. For instance, even if inputs are made available, factors outside management's control could have an influence on whether outputs would be attained. Similarly, project outputs may not lead to purposes being achieved if certain assumptions (e.g. about people's behaviour, such as farmers' response, or market conditions) are not valid. The test of good project design thus rests in making the best possible judgement in the assumptions-risks-conditions set. The horizontal logic of the logframe permits a statement as to the criteria and means by which project achievement and success could be gauged. This is done through the inclusion of OVI (objectively verifiable indicator) and MOV (means of verification) columns. The former should always be quantifiable in clear units of measurements (e.g. no. of hectares, tons of produce, dollars, etc.) which the latter should refer to either primary or secondary sources that could provide data of acceptable quality. For initial establishment of the project logic, the 4 x 4 matrix generally suffices. But more detailed planning and M & E design would benefit from a 5 x 5 matrix, in which an additional row (project activities) and column (project targets, which may be physical or financial) are added. (See Figure 1.) Summary of Definitions Inputs - Resources necessary to perform project activities (e.g. funds, personnel, equipment, other materials). Activities - Tasks and operations carried out by project personnel to transform project inputs into outputs (e.g. conducting farmer training sessions, preparation of training materials, designing small-scale irrigation systems). Outputs - Specific results produced by the management and use of project inputs (e.g. number of: farmers trained, sets of training manuals produced, ha rendered irrigable). Purpose - What is expected of a project in development terms as a result of the outputs produced. While purpose is the motivation behind a project's outputs, it falls outside direct project management control, and often equates with end of project status (e.g. improved crop yields/productivity, total production increase, area rehabilitated). Goal - The ultimate objective for which the project is undertaken. Its realization depends critically on the interaction of various external conditions with the project's purpose(s), upon which project authorities have little or no control and equates with final impacts, which may sometimes be manifest outside the project investment period (e.g. improved incomes, nutritional status, decreased child mortality, environmental degradation stopped). OVI - Set of criteria which demonstrates in concrete terms the results achieved. Each indicator must be objectively verifiable in that different independent observers would come to the same conclusion as to the status of achievement (e.g. number of sessions held, tons of seed distributed, percent of farmers adopting, ha of land reclaimed). MOV - The means, methods, and sources which permit OVI to be measured in precise terms (e.g. examining monthly records of farmer cooperatives, reviewing quarterly reports of district extension supervisors, periodic or ad hoc field checks/farm surveys). Practical Hints (a) Start by specifying only the first and last columns (objectives and
assumptions) leaving the other columns and rows blank, using a 4 x 4 matrix. Figure 1:
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