The intervention logic is the cause-and-effect chain or results chain that’s been identified in the Performance Framework:
This information is presented in the logical framework (first column, except for the resources).
Note that compared to the ‘classic’ logical framework as it is used in LFA and PCM, there is a dimension of time in the intervention logic of RBM, as well as a spatial dimension. We immediately get the outputs as a consequence of the activities. But it takes time for the effects to materialise (near the end of the project or maybe even after it) and the impact will only be visible after a long time (sometimes years or even decades after the project). The outputs will be used directly by the people involved in the project, while the effects are generally felt by those people and their immediate surroundings (family, clan, village). The impact on the other hand may be visible in a widespread area (region, country, internationally).
Now it’s time to bring together all the information that you’ve gathered so far into the logical framework matrix:
Once you’ve filled out the basic ideas, it’s time to worry about formulation. Make sure that your results are clear and not too overly complex. It’s important that they are unambiguous – meaning that they are understood the same way by everyone involved in the project. Avoid overly complex concepts such as ‘gender neutral’, ‘globalisation’, ‘sustainable’ that can be interpreted in many different ways. If you need such concepts, make sure that you specify them in your logframe and/or explain them somewhere.
It’s best to make sure that your results are formulated in a SMART way:
Outputs can be things or services, but at least on the level of the intermediate results (the purpose of your project or the specific objective in PCM/LFA talk) talk about results in terms of people. You are trying to improve the lives of your beneficiaries (clients), not some kind of abstract change of situation.
The logical framework and the other tools such as the budget, the PMF and the risk register provide you with the basic information for the project proposal document. Generally, the narrative project document contains information about:
This narrative project document is completed with a number of annexes:
In the concept of RBM, the partners should be closely involved in the elaboration of the project proposal. This means that they participate in the writing but also that they officially approve the end result. Following this process of internal review and approval, the proposal is sent to one or more donors.