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Before
beginning to design and implement any program, management must have
a firm understanding of what will be required for the program to
be successful: to achieve its expected programs effectively, efficiently,
and ethically. A simple, but powerful technique to capture and communicate
the what, who, and why of an effective ethics and compliance program
is the Program Logic Model.
All management
programs have common components. Typically, there is a situation
that presents a challenge to management, which it meets by establishing
goals and objectives and a strategy and an action plan or a program
to accomplish them. Programs, in particular, require input in
the form of resources, contributions, and investment. These resources
are employed in activities that engage or reach any number of
people, groups, and other organizations. These in turn lead to
outcomes over the short to long-term. The management challenge
is design and implement a program that achieves the outcomes it
desires effectively, efficiently, and ethically.
A program
logic model helps planners organize their thinking and encourage
stakeholder engagement. It is particularly valuable as a graphical
display of the principal elements of a program and the cause-and-effect
relationships between them.
The principal
components of any program can be organized as follows:
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Situation:
the problem or issue that the program is to address is part
of a situation within which priorities are set
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Inputs:
resources, contributions, and investments made in response to
the situation, which lead to...
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Outputs:
the activities, services, events, and products that reach people,
which lead to….
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Outcomes:
the results or changes for individuals, groups, agencies, communities
and/or systems.
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Assumptions:
beliefs we have about the program, the people, the environment
and the way the program will work
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External
Factors: specific factors in situation, which interact with
and influence program action.
Although there
is no one right way to approach creating a program logic model,
for our purposes, it generally makes sense to start from the desired
outcomes and work back through outputs and inputs. We recommend
considering a number of program
measurements: organization culture and expected program outcomes.
Management could begin planning backwards from those.
Program logic
models are particularly effective means of describing the elements
of a program to the governing board, top management, other employees
and other agents, and external stakeholders. Using the following
worksheet, it is not uncommon to capture the essential elements
of an entire program graphically on one page. It can then be presented
graphically while a steering committee or staff uses it talk through
the logic of the program.
Click here
to view a Program Logic Model worksheet.
For an excellent
discussion of developing a program logic model, upon which this
presentation is based in part, can be found by clicking here.
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