Program Logic Mapper

Thanks for checking out the app! This app is still in a very early development stage. It is an attempt to help users interact with the interrelated elements of projects, donors, indicators, outcome statements, and the causal pathways that underpin program theory. The code on this app is open-source, but still in a private github repo. Contact me if you're interested in seeing it, or (better yet) contributing to it.

The problem

It started when I was asked to create a Theory of Change for an organization that had a complex program that both had direct program management, and health system strengthening components at the national, regional, and local levels. There was a recognition that there are causal pathways that bind all of these components together, but mapping everything out would create a incredibly complex network that would be too convoluted to be easily interpreted.

Additionally, to truly be helpful, a graphical representation of the theory of change should display the assumptions when making 'if / then' statements. Each impact / outcome / output / activity statement (I've collectively termed these 'nodes' in the app) should have associated indicators with complete definitions, including sources calculation, etc. Furthermore, there was another layer of complexity. For this particular organization - various donors funded the overall project, and each requested reports on its own set of indicators. So it would be nice if there was a way to document which indicators were being reported to what donor.

The solution

The result of all this led me to create this app. The problem of the complex theory of change could be addressed by filtering the Theory of Change by a tag. Tags could be levels of implementation (i.e. Central Ministry / district / community level) or category (i.e. WASH, immunization, clinical care). One could also zoom in on node statement and see which inputs were required to achieve that single node, and what outputs it produced. Additionally, each node is associated with indicators from the indicator dictionary. Finally, all indicators that are reported to donors can be associated with the donor, so that a filtered list of indicators by donor is quickly available.

Development roadmap

Some features of the vision have been implemented, while others are still under development. Immediate priorities on the development roadmap include:

• Building a dynamic form that looks a little more like a traditional 4x4 logframe
• Creating more downloadable elements including:
  • A 4x4 logframe
  • A risk register
  • An indicator matrix
• Implementing tag filters on the ToC
• Adding reports to each donor, which would help to schedule data collection and reporting activities based on when specific indicators were due to be reported.
• A 'contact me' form for feedback, and to solicit contributors to the project.