The planning and development of programs are crucial to any organization. They aid in defining goals and determine the best path to take as well as distributing resources efficiently. It’s not easy to establish and manage the process of developing a program. You must carefully think about the needs and goals of each stakeholder. The right method will result in a development plan that maximizes the impact and ensures that everyone is satisfied.
An effective tool for guiding these efforts is the logic model. It is a visual representation that shows how the day-to-day activities of a program relate to the desired outcomes. It helps to plan out how your program should function including how it will result in change for whom and when. The model is built from left to right, and could include arrows that show the temporal order of steps.
The first step is to determine all the inputs that are required. The next step is to determine the most important activities that utilize those inputs. Then, you can map the expected outputs and, eventually the outcomes you want to achieve (both long-term and short-term). Your model should also reflect the impact these outcomes can have on the target audience.
Another important aspect of this process is to identify any potential risks or obstacles that your program may face. Tools such as environmental scanning techniques aid in identifying external and internally based elements that could affect the success of your program. Additionally, this stage provides an excellent opportunity to determine the strengths and weaknesses of your organization. Using these insights will help you design strategies to better prepare your team for the future.