Plan an impactful initiative

Planning the resources, activities and outputs to address the problem is crucial to designing data infrastructure and to measuring the intended impact of your initiative in a particular sector or community. One way to do this planning in a structured and understandable way is by using ‘logic models’.

Logic models are tools designed to help you plan impactful projects and communicate those plans to others. They provide a structured way of thinking about how to build a programme that will help to address a specific problem or challenge – essential for designing a good data access initiative.

Creating a logic model consists of mapping out the logical flow from the inputs and activities that an initiative requires, to the outputs needed in order to enable the outcomes and impact the initiative is set up to achieve.

Data access initiatives often undertake similar activities, and face common issues. Filling out logic models for a new initiative can be difficult. This playbook helps you to overcome that challenge in two ways:

• Firstly, we have included a set of prompts to help push and probe your team in the right direction.

• Secondly, for inspiration, we have included three real-world example logic models, filled out for three common areas of work undertaken by data access initiatives – adopting standards, launching a challenge prize, and building a data publishing initiative.

Working through a logic model template will help you maintain your focus on the impact you are trying to achieve, whilst making sure you cover all of the necessary steps to achieve that change. Having these prompts will make sure that you can focus on the other parts of the logic model – those specific to your circumstances – and know what to do when undertaking common challenges.

To compliment the logic model templates, there are further activities to help you think through the assumptions, external factors and ignored consequences associated with your project, as well as the opportunity to create a more robust evaluative framework.

Using logic models to plan an impactful initiative

A logic model is made up of four parts: inputs, outputs (activities and participation), outcomes, and impact.

Inputs

What we invest – the resources that are necessary for an initiative to carry out its planned work, such as funding, access to existing datasets or use of specific platforms and technologies.

Outputs

The specific tasks or actions undertaken which will produce an outcome.

Activities – The tasks or actions undertaken which will produce outputs, meaning the tools, knowledge, products or services to affect change.

Participation – Who must be involved, reached, targeted, and/or a participant for the outcomes to be achieved and how you will engage with these stakeholders?be the specific data infrastructure that the initiative needs to design or strengthen to support stakeholders and improve access to data.

Outcomes

The expected results of the initiative, and the preconditions for impact. They are often expressed in terms of changes in knowledge, attitudes or practices of your organisation, your stakeholders or your community. They are often measured through either quantitative or qualitative information. be related to the overall goal and the outputs and activities implemented to achieve this impact.

Impact

The socio-political, environmental and economic consequences of the initiative.

How will your data access initiative, and the data infrastructure you will build or improve, make a difference to the situation described above?

It is also helpful to record the situation of the logic model as well, which is the originating problem, or issue, set within a system of socio-political, environmental and economic circumstances that you are seeking to address by building or improving data infrastructure. The situation is the beginning point of logic model development.

We have created the Logic Model Templates for Data Initiatives tool to help complete a logic model for your initiative. This template includes a blank version of a logic model, which you should work through as a team or on your own (we recommend following the first draft with a critical review from your stakeholders). It includes further information on how to use the templates, some prompts to push you in the right direction, and three examples of logic models by real-life data access initiatives to inspire you to tackle the change you want to see. To access the template, click through to the Logic Model Templates for Data Initiatives tool, and make a copy or download the template for you and your team.

How to use the templates

Impact to input: working backwards from the impact column ensures that you plan your inputs and activities to specifically address the problem that you are trying to solve by building or improving data infrastructure.

• Fill in each column one by one, asking yourself what must be done to achieve the previous step.

  • For example, once you identify the expected impact, it is helpful to think about what needs to happen to make it a reality. Ask yourself, what are the potential solutions/ways to address the problem? This will help you define the broad effects of your work (outcomes), the activities and participants needed to make these effects happen, and the inputs needed to kick the initiative off.

• Spend time discussing each section as a team, making sure to listen to every member. Use the prompts and example logic models as inspiration.

Input to impact: Once you have worked through each column, work back the other way from input to impact to check the consistency of the logic for each column. Think about what is achievable given the inputs available.

Example logic models

There are many activities common to data access initiatives. This toolkit provides three real-world examples of logic models for successful data access initiatives which you can use as inspiration when filling out your logic model.

• Adopting an open standard – OpenActive wants to adopt a new standard for data about sport and exercise classes in the UK to increase activity with the ultimate aim of improving wellbeing.

• Launching a challenge prize – the snakebite project aimed to reduce the mortality and morbidity of snakebites in India through a challenge prize that rewarded innovative solutions.

• Building a data publishing initiative – the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult wants to improve sector efficiency by stewarding operational data to support research, projects and product development through the Platform for Operational Data.

Example logic model for adopting a new open standard for OpenActive. Image credit: ODI

Special focus: Advice for creating logic models

Below is some advice for creating logic models, based on the Center for Health Equity - Minnesota Department of Health's Logic Model Tip Sheet. Make sure you keep this in mind when completing your logic model:

• Don’t focus too much time or resource into making your logic model perfect

• Don’t force your logic model to be linear – it might be more realistic for yours to include iterations or loops

• Adjust your logic model as you go, and recognise that logic models are subject to change

• Recognise things beyond your control that will have an effect on your ability to achieve the stated outcomes and impact.

• Focus on the big picture and don’t get stuck on the detail

• Include a range of people in the creation of your logic model, and engage your stakeholders in the process

• Focus on both short-term and long-term outcomes and goals

• Remember to re-examine external factors as the context changes

Having completed a logic model together as a team, we suggest writing up a more formal version of the document. This will be useful for two reasons. Firstly, internally it will act as a map towards achieving change. You can use this to make sure you are on the right track, but do not be afraid to make changes to your logic model in the future as circumstances change. Secondly, a formal version of your logic model will help you to communicate your desired impact (and the roadmap to achieving it) with potential funders and partners, ultimately helping you to achieve the change you want to see in the world.