Basic G uidance for

Cross -Cutting Tools:

Logical Framework
Analysis
October 2005

Resources for Implementing the WWF Standards

Contents

What Is Logical Framework Analysis?..............................................................................1

Why Logical Framework Analysis is Important................................................................2
When to Use Logical Framework Analysis........................................................................3
How to Develop and Use Logical Framework Analysis...................................................3
1. Conduct Situation Analysis and Identify Key Stakeholders........................................................3
2. Develop Action Plan: Goals, Objectives/Results, and Activities................................................4
3. Develop Monitoring Plan: Indicators and Methods/Sources of Verification...............................4
4. Summarize Work in the Logframe Matrix....................................................................................4
Example.................................................................................................................................6
References............................................................................................................................8

This document is intended as a resource to support the implementation of the

WWF Standards of Conservation Project and Programme Management. Logical framework
analysis is a tool that can be used to help meet several steps of these standards; each project or
programme team will have to determine whether this tool and associated guidance makes sense for
them.

This document may change over time; the most recent version can be accessed at:
https://intranet.panda.org/documents/folder.cfm?uFolderID=60979

Written by: Meg Gawler, ARTEMIS Services

Edited by: Foundations of Success
Please address any comments to Sheila O’Connor (soconnor@wwfint.org).
 Logical Framework Analysis
What Is Logical Framework Analysis?
Logical Framework Analysis or the Logical Framework Approach (LFA) is an analytical process for
structuring and systematizing the analysis of a project or programme idea. It is useful to distinguish
between LFA, which is a process involving situation and stakeholder analysis (also called problem
analysis), objective setting and strategy selection, and monitoring indicator and method development –
and the logical framework matrix, often called the logframe, which documents the product of the LFA
process.

The process of logical framework analysis allows a project to:

• Involve stakeholders in the problem analysis and design of the project ,
• Systematically and logically set out the project or programme’s objectives and the means-end
relationships between them,
• Establish what assumptions outside the scope of the project may influence its success, and
• Set indicators to check whether the objectives have been achieved.

The logframe matrix summarizes the results of this entire process, and presents the whole project in a
nutshell. As shown in Figure 1, the logframe has four columns and four or more rows. Logframe
terminology varies among donor agencies, so it is important not to get hung up on the specific words,
but rather to understand the logic and the principles involved in building a logframe. Although the
names may change, the hierarchy of different levels of the intervention logic remains the same.

The elements of the WWF logframe are defined as follows:

• Action Plan (Intervention Logic): The description of the project according to its hierarchy of
vision statement, goals, and objectives/results.
• Vision Statement: A brief summary of the desired state or ultimate condition that a project is
working to achieve. Developed in Step 1.2 of the project cycle.
• Goal: A specific statement detailing a desired impact of a project. It describes the desired future
state of one or more targets. Developed in Step 2.1 of the project cycle.
• Objective: A specific statement detailing a desired outcome (sometimes called a result) of a
project such as reducing a critical threat. Developed in Step 2.1 of the project cycle.
• Strategic Activity: A specific action or set of tasks undertaken by project staff and/or partners
to reach one or more objectives. Activities can be added as a row under results, but this is no
longer current practice among most donors, and activities do not need indicators. Developed in
Step 2.1 of the project cycle.
• Indicator: A measurable entity related to a specific information need, such as the status of a
target/factor, change in a threat, or progress toward an objective. Developed in Step 2.2 of the
project cycle.
• Method or Source of Verification: The data source for an indicator. Methods are listed if
primary data need to be collected; Sources are listed if secondary data will be used. The column
typically also specifies the geographic scope and frequency and the responsibility for collecting
the data. Developed in Step 2.2 of the project cycle.

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• Assumptions & Risks: An external factor or fundamental condition under which the project is
expected to function, which is necessary for the project to achieve its objectives, and over which
the project has no direct control.

adaptive management process described in the WWF Standards of Conservation Project and
Programme Management. In effect, it is different flavour of the same process – it is up to each project
or programme team as to which version makes the most sense. Similarly, there are close parallels
between the various outputs of the adaptive management process and the logframe matrix.

Why Logical Framework Analysis is Important

Logical framework analysis has been used by WWF for over ten years. It was first developed in the
late 1960s, and the logframe has since been adopted as a project planning and management tool by
most government aid agencies (GAAs). A good understanding of the principles of LFA is therefore
essential when developing projects for donor funding. Because logframes are used by a large number
of international NGOs and GAAs, they provide a common language when discussing projects. The
logframe itself provides a summary of the project design and the planned achievements, supporting the
management and communication of the project.

The logical framework analysis approach provides a set of design tools that, when applied creatively,
can be used for planning, designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating projects. Logframe
analysis gives a structured, logical approach to setting priorities, and determining the intended purpose
and results of a project. In particular, a logframe matrix can be a useful tool to help summarize and
record your goals, objectives, and activities. Logical frameworks also lay the basis for activity
scheduling, budgeting, monitoring, and for evaluation.

Since logical framework analysis begins with planning sessions with stakeholders and partners, it is
about people’s priorities. Furthermore, it allows information to be analyzed and organized in a

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structured way, and thus functions as an aid to thinking. Preparation of the logframe with the
participation of all stakeholders can help build a project where all involved share the same ideas on
where the project is going and why the activities are necessary. The resulting logframe matrix provides
a concise summary of the project that forms an essential part of the conservation action plan and
proposal for funding. When used as a management tool, it can also help the project to remain focused
during project implementation.

As a tool, however, a logframe must not be considered an end in itself – it is only as good as the field
experience and analytical abilities of the people creating and using it.

When to Use Logical Framework Analysis

Logical framework analysis plays a role in each phase of the project cycle, from design to
implementation to evaluation. It can be a master tool for creating other tools, such as the project
monitoring plan, the breakdown of responsibilities, the implementation timetable, and the detailed
budget. It can become an instrument for managing each stage of the project, and as such, it should be
updated regularly.

Good LFA involves going through some of the thinking in the Define phase (Step 1) to help develop a
project vision and to analyze the existing situation, although the outputs from these steps (except the
vision statement) are not explicitly captured in the traditional logframe matrix. LFA then involves
going through the steps in the Design phase (Step 2) including in particular, developing the Action and
Monitoring Plans. During the Implementation phase (Step 3), LFA provides a key management tool
to support work planning and budgeting. Finally, in the Analyze/Adapt phase (Step 4), LFA provides
the basis for the basis for performance and impact assessment.

How to Develop and Use Logical Framework Analysis

1. Conduct Situation Analysis and Identify Key Stakeholders
The first step involves doing an analysis of the situation at your project site, identifying key direct
threats, indirect threats, opportunities, and associated stakeholders and determining cause-and-effect
relationships among the various factors. This process is outlined in detail in the Basic Guidance on
Conducting a Situation Analysis. One tool for portraying the result of the situation analysis is a
conceptual model. Another technique involves developing a problem tree (see WWF 2005 and
European Commission 2004 for more detailed descriptions of the problem tree methodology).

LFA should be complemented by other analytical tools such as institutional capacity assessment,
economic analyses, gender analysis, etc. Developing a project logframe without having effectively
gone through the participatory planning exercises described above is the quickest way to develop a
project that is unsustainable and does not adequately address real concerns among the stakeholders.
One of the pitfalls of the logical framework is that it is quite possible to prepare highly structured
projects which appear to meet the logical framework requirements, but which are neither well focused,
nor needs oriented.

2. Develop Action Plan: Goals, Objectives/Results, and Activities

The second step involves doing an analysis of how you will convert the negative situations in the
conceptual model or problem tree into solutions. In particular, it involves developing goals, objectives
and results, and strategic activities, and then ensuring that means-to-end relationships among the
objectives are determined. This ensures that the potential project objectives are firmly based on

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addressing a range of clearly identified – and real – priority problems. This process is outlined in
detail in the Basic Guidance on Developing an Action Plan .

One of the most challenging parts of this process involves making a judgement about the most
effective implementation strategy. When choosing which objectives will be in, and which will be
outside the scope of the project, it is helpful to have an agreed set of criteria against which to assess
the merits of different intervention options.

3. Develop Monitoring Plan: Indicators and Methods/Sources of Verification

The third step involves figuring out how you will measure the results of your project. In particular, it
involves developing indicators for each goal and objective (indicators and methods are generally not
done for your vision statement or for strategic activities). If the indicator is to be assesed using
primary data (data the project team collects itself), you also need to develop the method you will use
to collect this data. If the indicator is to be assessed using secondary data, you need to identify the
source of verification. This process is outlined in detail in the Basic Guidance on Developing a
Monitoring Plan.

A key question to keep in mind when developing indicators is “Who is going to use this information?”
Ownership of a project will be enhanced when the information needs of stakeholders are known and
are considered to be of primary importance. This is why it is important to continue using participatory
methods (as you will have done during the initial analysis phase), when setting indicators and
developing and implementing your monitoring programme.

4. Summarize Work in the Logframe Matrix

The purpose of the logframe is to define the project structure, test its internal logic, and formulate
objectives in measurable terms. The results of the analyses in the previous steps are used as the basis
for preparing the logframe matrix, which is a summary of your work. Once you have developed your
basic Action Plan, you can put the components into the appropriate place in the far left-hand column of
your logframe matrix. You can then fill out the subsequent columns based on your Monitoring Plan.
When preparing a logframe for submission to a donor, you should adapt the logframe terminology
given in Figure 1 above, so that it uses the donor’s own terms. Most donors now prefer that Activities
not be included in the logframe, but rather presented separately in a Gantt (or other) chart.

The order in which the logical framework matrix is developed is illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Sequence for the Development of a Logical Framework Matrix. Numbers

refer to the order in which the matrix is developed.

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The preparation of a logframe is an iterative process. For example, identifying indicators will often
shed light on the formulation of the project objectives, and your team may need to go back and
reformulate an objective to make it sharper. To maximize the communications potential of a logframe,
it is useful to observe certain conventions in the formulation of the intervention logic:
• Vision: Expressed as “To contribute to…”
• Goal: Expressed in terms of benefits to the conservation target to be realized by the end of the
project.
• Objectives: Expressed as outcomes to be realized.
• Results: Expressed as activities completed or milestones reached (note that this is a different use
of the term results than in the WWF Standards – it is more akin to what the standards term
“outputs.” See Box 1 in the Basic Guidance to Results Chains for more details).
• Activities: Expressed in the present tense with an active verb (“Prepare, design, conduct…”).
• Assumptions: Expressed as if….then statements. Assumptions can be both positive things that
you assume need to happen or negative risks that can cause problems for your project.

In summary, logical framework analysis can be a helpful tool for project design. It is important to keep
in mind, however, that like any tool, it can be used well, or it can be used poorly. Specific points to
keep in mind include:
• Logical framework analysis rarely produces good results if it has not been preceded by a
thorough situation analysis in the field, including a stakeholder analysis.
• Logical framework analysis can easily result in an impractical or unrealistic action plan,
especially if project staff and partners are not involved in the design process.
• It may be difficult to get consensus on what the project priorities should be.
• Problem analysis can be difficult in cultures where it is inappropriate to discuss problems.
• The logical framework structure is based on a linear view of change, whereas change in the real
world is complex, often involving different interacting parallel processes, as well as iterative and
cyclic processes.
• Logical framework analysis does not readily enable monitoring of unintended consequences.
• Logical framework analysis is very time-consuming, and requires a substantial commitment
from the project team, stakeholders and project partners.
• Finally, there is a danger that the process of developing a logical framework together with
stakeholders can raise unrealistic expectations beyond what the project can actually deliver. In
addition, because of the thoroughness of the problem analysis, the LFA approach can lead to
idealistic over-planning if the project design team leader or facilitator does not sufficiently
emphasize realism and likely budgetary limits.

The logframe should be first and foremost a tool to engage stakeholder commitment and to support
project management. Every effort should be made to avoid it becoming a religion or a means of rigid
control. The participatory process of logical framework analysis is as important, or more so, than the
resulting logframe matrix.

Example
Figure 3 presents a sample logframe matrix for the Island Marine Reserve.

Figure 3. Sample Logframe Matrix for the Island Marine Reserve.

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Logical Framework

Action Plan Methods or Assumptions &

Indicators
(Intervention Logic) Source of Verification Risks
Vision Statement: A
healthy marine ecosystem,
characterized by diversity
and abundance of flora and
fauna, with adequate
structure and function that
allows future generations
to benefit from this rich
natural
heritage

Goal(s): By 2015, at least Presence and density of Data source: FCD & other projects Effects related to
100% of the northern representative species of Data collection method: global climate
bioregion & 25% of the fish and invertebrates Transects (Download from website) change will remain
western bioregion of the Geographic scope: Marine reserve constant.
rocky reef habitat will Frequency: Every 2 years
contain healthy populations Responsibility: Michel Local governments &
of key species.*
communities will
* Healthy populations of
remain supportive of
species at the top of the
marine conservation.
Logical Framework

Action Plan Methods or Assumptions &

Indicators
(Intervention Logic) Source of Verification Risks
food chain, such as cod % cover of representative Data source: FCD & other projects
and sharks, and an species of sessile organisms Data collection method:
Transects (Download from website)
abundance of other key
Geographic scope: Marine reserve
species, such as lobster, Frequency: Every 2 years
black coral, etc. Responsibility: Michel

Population of “key” indicator Data source: FCD & other projects

species (identified in the Data collection method:
Biodiversity Biovision, chapter Population census at selected sites
8) (Download from website)
Geographic scope: Marine reserve
Frequency: Annually
Responsibility: Michel

Objective SF1: By 2007, % of fisheries products that Data source: Registries in Quality standards of
40% of local fisheries meet the quality standards of processing centres markets will help
Data collection method: Request ensure sustainability
products meet the quality the national market
from processing centres of fishing.
standards of international Geographic scope: Marine reserve
and national markets. & buffer zone
Frequency: Annually
Responsibility: Ann Marie
% of fisheries product that Data source: Registry of National
meets the quality standards Fisheries Institute
of the international market Data collection method: Request
from NFI
Geographic scope: Marine reserve
& buffer zone
Frequency: Annually
Responsibility: Ann Marie
Objective SF2: By 2007, % of artisanal fishermen that Data source: Registries in Markets will continue
all of the artisanal have been trained in the use processing centres to pay a higher price
fishermen in the island Data collection method: Review
of alternative fishing for sustainbly fished
marine reserve that have registries of fishing gear on boats

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been trained in the use of techniques that are using the involved in alternative fishing species – thus,
alternative fishing new, sustainable fishing gear techniques fishermen will have
techniques are using the Geographic scope: Marine incentive to use
new, sustainable fishing reserve & buffer zone sustainable fishing
gear Frequency: Every 4 months gear.
Responsibility: Ann Marie
Objective SF3: By 2008, # of tons of fisheries Data source: Cooperatives’ Markets will
all four of the local products sold by the registries; Quality control continue to pay a
certification from the National higher price for
fisheries cooperatives cooperatives to new, high
Fisheries Institute; Central Bank sustainbly fished
have improved their value markets registry of fisheries products that species.
processing and marketing leave island marine reserve Data
systems and have collection method: Review Fishermen will not
accessed new markets records from cooperatives, NFI, &
be inclined to
that offer a better per-unit Central Bank
Geographic scope: Marine reserve overfish to make
price for their products & buffer zone Frequency: Annually more money in the
Responsibility: Francois short term.

Objective SF4: By 2010, % of boats using sustainable Data source: Park and FCD fishing Sufficient sustainable
at least 50% of the local fishing gear gear registries fishing gear is
fishing fleet is using Data collection method: Review available for those
Park and FCD registries
sustainable fishing interested.
Geographic scope: Marine
techniques.
Logical Framework

Action Plan Methods or Assumptions &

Indicators
(Intervention Logic) Source of Verification Risks
reserve & buffer zone Frequency:
Every 4 months Responsibility:
Francois:

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References
The material in this paper has been drawn from a number of excellent sources. The authors are
especially indebted to European Commission 2004 and WWF 2005.

European Commission. 2004. Project Cycle Management Guidelines. pp 57-94.

https://intranet.panda.org/documents/document.cfm?uNC=10751203&uFolderID=7706&uDocID=20
146.

WWF. 2005. Project Design in the Context of Project Cycle Management. pp 13-39.
http://www.artemis-services.com (Downloads).

WWF College for Conservation Leadership. 2002. Module syllabus Project Design.