The document provides an overview of the Logical Framework Approach (LFA), a 9-step planning process used to design, monitor, and evaluate development projects. It explains each step, including context and stakeholder analysis, problem analysis, objectives analysis, activity planning, resource planning, indicators, risk analysis, and assumptions. The purpose of LFA is to improve project relevance, feasibility, and sustainability. It advocates beginning with problem analysis before identifying objectives and activities. Workshops involving stakeholders are used to apply the LFA and create a matrix presenting the intervention logic.

1. “LogFrame”,
Anyone?
LABOR EDUCATION AND RESEARCH NETWORK
Source: Kari Ortengren (2004). (SIDA).
The Logical Framework Approach.

2. Outline
 The Logical Framework Approach
(LFA)
 The purpose of LFA
 Nine (9) Steps of the LFA method
 Reasons for having the 9 steps
 The Project-planning Workshop
 The advantages offered by the LFA
method
 Examples of Log Frames or LFA matrix
 Success in a project

3. The Logical Framework Approach (LFA)
 An instrument for planning projects
developed during the 1960s
 Improves the planning, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation of a
development intervention
 With the help of good judgment and sound
common sense, it improves the relevance,
feasibility and sustainability of
development cooperation and projects
 Has nine (9) steps

4. The Logical Framework Approach (LFA)
 An objective-oriented planning process,
which means that the point of departure of
the planning process is the problem
analysis, which leads to the objectives
and finally makes it possible to choose the
relevant activities
 This method should be applied flexibly

5. The Purpose of LFA
LFA is used to:
 Identify problems and needs in a certain
sector of the society
 Facilitate selecting and setting priorities
between projects
 Plan and implement development projects
effectively
 Follow-up and evaluate development
projects

6. One basic idea in the LFA method is
that one should not start talking
about what one wants to do (the
activities), but about the problem
that needs to be solved and about
what one wants to achieve (the
objectives).

7. Nine (9) Steps of the LFA Method
 Context analysis
 Stakeholder analysis
 Problem analysis
 Objectives analysis
 Plan of activities
 Resource planning
 Indicators/measurements of objectives
 Risk analysis and management
 Assumptions

8. Context Analysis
The project’s environment/background
information
• Economic, social and political
• External factors involved
• Included in a baseline study
• Use existing studies/literature on the
subject matter
• As much as possible avoid making
additional studies

9. Context Analysis
Ex: Topic – Unemployment safety nets
Context: Philippines (from general to
specific information)
Social: Situation of the Philippine labor
and industrial relations
Economic: Available resources in terms
of government funds, unemployment
figures/data
Political: Political (legislative) processes
involving unemployment safety nets

10. Context Analysis
Example of an outline, which serves as
the guide of the context analysis
I. Philippine Labor and Industrial
Relations
A. Unemployment situation
1. Effects of unemployment
a. Social
b. Economic
c. Political
2. Prospects for re-employment
a. Availability of jobs and job fairs

11. Context Analysis
Example of an outline, which serves as
the guide of the context analysis
II. Philippine Labor’s Share of the
National Income
A. Income redistribution
1. Status of social security benefits
2. Budget allotted to human capital
enhancement
a. Trainings
b. Job fairs
c. Transportation improvements

12. Context Analysis
Example of an outline, which serves as
the guide of the context analysis
III. Philippine Labor Insurance System
A. Insurance packages
B. Implementing institutions
C. Coverage
1. Membership/Availment
2. Budget
a. Sources
b. Allocation
c. Spending

13. Stakeholder Analysis
A.k.a. Participation analysis – examining
those who are involved when planning
and implementing the project as well
as their roles in relation to each
other
• Beneficiaries/the target group(s)
• Implementers
• Decision-makers
• Financiers

14. Stakeholder Analysis
Ex: Beneficiaries: Unemployed Workers
Implementers: Gov’t agencies,
unions, cooperatives
Decision-makers: congress, the
President, gov’t agencies,
Financiers: GOCCs (SSS, GSIS),
banks, insurance corporations
• Describe their specific roles in
relation to each other…

15. Problem Analysis
A.k.a. Situation analysis – an analysis
of the problem that shall be solved by
the project and the reasons for its
existence
“Diagnose first the pathology
before you treat it”
• Identify the problem
• Point out the causes and effects
• Offer possible solutions

16. Problem Analysis
Questions to be answered:
• What is the main/focal problem?
• What are the causes of this problem?
• What effects does the problem have?
• Who is/are affected by the problem
and who “owns” the problem?

17. Problem Analysis
• Sometimes made by drawing a problem
tree during a participatory workshop
or GOPP (Goal-oriented Project
Planning) Workshop
• Stakeholders shall write down the
problems as well as their causes and
effects
• The causes of the problem shall be
treated by the activities, which are
implemented within the framework of
the project

18. Problem Analysis
• A problem tree is “always” read from the
bottom up
• Eliminate as many causes as possible by
the activities
• Avoid taking up/writing “lack of” and
“absence of” when establishing
relationships between causes and effects
• Should be made by the relevant
stakeholders, including the owners of the
problem, the people who know the
situation, not by consultants or financing
agencies

19. Problem Analysis
Examples of a problem tree:
Unemployed
Workers’
Very Limited
Capacity to
Earn a living
www.seafdec.org.ph/DREAM_MINI_WEB
Workers’ inability to pay rents
SuicideMalnutrition Poverty
Crime rates
Underemployment
Workers in debt
Workers’ low productivity
Not enough jobs
Limited unemployment
safety nets and social
security benefitsUnfair labor practices
Labor Education and Research Network

20. Objectives Analysis
The picture of the future situation
• Transform the problem tree into an
“objectives tree,” wherein objectives
would look exactly like the flipside of the
problems
• Positive reverse image of the problem
analysis; a major part of LFA matrix
• Has three levels of objectives:
– Overall objective/goal
– Project objective/purpose
– Intermediate
Objectives/Results/Outputs

21. Objectives Analysis
• Overall objective/goal:
States the long-term social/economic benefits to
which the project will contribute, and describes
why the project is important for the
beneficiaries and for the society
• Project objective/purpose:
States the expected outcomes or direct effects of
the project. This is the benefit, which the
beneficiaries derive from the project. The
purpose states why the project is needed by the
beneficiaries
• Intermediate Objectives/Results/Outputs:
State the service(s) the beneficiaries will receive
from the project; what the project will be
responsible for delivering

22. Objectives Analysis
Problem Tree Objectives Tree
Effects
Problem
Cause
Cause
Cause
Overall Objective
Project Objective
Result
Result
Result

23. Objectives Analysis
Objectives Tree
Unemployed
workers in debt
Unemployed Workers’
very limited capacity to
earn a living
Limited unemployment
safety nets and social
security benefits
Unemployed workers
shall not be in debt
90% Unemployed workers
shall have alternative
sources of income
Implementation of
unemployment insurance
schemes/packages
Problem Tree

24. Objectives Analysis
• Objectives as well as results and
indicators shall be SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Accurate
Realistic
Time-bound
Accurate also means being approved by
stakeholders…
Measurable - in either qualitative or
quantitative fashion

25. Plan of Activities
The means to achieve the objectives;
the means to eliminate the causes of
the focal problem
• It is not possible to draw up a
relevant activity plan until a problem
analysis and an objective analysis have
been made
• Activities are done by those who are
involved in the project
• Usually obtained from GOPP workshops

26. Resource Planning
Includes the inputs in order to
implement the activities
• A detailed plan of the resources
which are needed to implement the
project
• Formulated in the SCOPE OF WORK,
an appendix to a contract

27. Resource Planning
Resources may consist of:
• Technical expertise
• Equipment/spareparts/training in the
use of the equipment
• Premises
• Funds
• Time

28. Indicators/measurements of objectives
Operational measures of the objectives
• Make it possible to measure the progress
of the project at different levels
• Can be either qualitative (based on
narrative responses, e.g. yes/no, scales)
or quantitative (based on statistics, e.g.
unemployment figures)
• MOVs or means of verification are the
measuring instruments, which serve as the
proof or evidence of the existence of the
indicators

29. Risk Analysis and Management
Analysis of the threats affecting the
project’s objectives and plans to avoid
these threats
• The project group that are responsible for
the project must identify, analyze and
assess different factors (internal and
external) which affect the feasibility of
the project
• E.g. one of the risks that proponents of
unemployment insurance may encounter is
the so-called MORAL HAZARD – workers
may have the tendency or willingness to be
unemployed and remain so just because
they want to get the insurance money

30. Risk Analysis and Management
Risk Analysis Schedule:
1. Will this factor/risk affect the implementation of the project or make
the objectives unachievable?
Yes = Continue No = Ignore
2. Is it possible that the identified obstacle/risk will occur?
Yes = Continue Perhaps = Continue No = Ignore
3. Will anyone outside the project deal with the obstacle/risk?
No = Continue Perhaps = Continue Yes = Ignore
4. Can project management deal with the obstacle or risk?
If the answer to question no. 4 is:
YES = then…the project group has to allocate resources and integrate
activities in the plan in order to avoid the risk
NO = then…the project group has to monitor the obstacle carefully since the
obstacle can be a killing factor and
NO = then…the project group needs to plan alternative strategies for
implementation in order to avoid the obstacle (The project group has to
make a risk management plan – included in the Plan of Activities)

31. Assumptions
Factors that are important in order to
fulfill the goals, but are outside the
project’s scope
• Given the institutional situation in the
country: there are norms, laws,
ordinances, values, policies, political
will and commitment, allocation of
funds, etc.
• The project group does not normally
influence these factors
• E.g. Workers participate

32.  Relevance (Steps 1-4)
 To make sure that we are doing the right thing by
involving the relevant stakeholders, dealing with
the right problems and establishing the correct
objectives
 Feasibility (Steps 5-7)
 To see that we are doing things in the right way,
that the programme is feasible, with the right
activities and with sufficient resources to solve
the problem
 Sustainability (Steps 8-9)
 To assess whether the project can continue by
itself, without external support, and that the
project purpose is sustainable in the long-run
Reasons for Having the 9 Steps

33.  Usually done during seminars (2 to 4
days)
 Important stakeholders are invited, come
up with important proposals, background
of a situation and the needs/problems
 Cost-saving and could replace some
studies
 Done to clarify WHY a change (the
purpose of the project) is needed and
WHAT shall be done
The Project-planning Workshop

34. (1. GOPP Workshop) Stakeholders normally go
through the following steps in an LFA
analysis:
 A problem analysis (step 3)
 A revised stakeholder analysis (step 2)
 A proposal for an objectives analysis (step 4)
 Producing proposals for indicators for the
project purpose (step 7)
 Draft proposals to the project group for a plan
of activities (step 5)
 An initial risk analysis (step 8)
 Proposals on assumptions (step 9)
The Project-planning Workshop

35. (2. MANAGEMENT Workshop) Stakeholders
deal with the following steps:
 A revised stakeholder analysis (step 2)
 A revised objectives analysis (step 4)
 A plan of activity (step 5)
 A plan of resources (step 6)
 Establishing the indicators for the objectives
(step 7)
 A risk analysis including a risk management
(step 8)
 Establishing the assumptions (step 9)
The Project-planning Workshop

36.  If LFA is based on reality and applied with
sound common sense, the development
assistance given will be used more efficiently
and will be of greater benefit
 If the LFA analysis cannot be performed in a
workshop, a “LFA battery of questions” can
provide support for the parties involved
 In principle, most donors request their
cooperation partners to provide information on
relevance, feasibility and sustainability by
using a goal-oriented project planning method
such as LFA
The Advantages Offered by the LFA
Method

37.  Makes a dialogue possible between all
parties involved
 Offers a tool for the identification of
problems and correct solutions to
problems
 Facilitates the production of follow-up
reports and evaluations
 Creates a joint approach to a project
 Makes the implementation of the project
more efficient, effective and sustainable
The Advantages Offered by the LFA
Method

38. Ex. 1. Bus Company
Examples of LFA Matrix
1. Goal Indicators Assumptions
2. Purpose Indicators Assumptions
3. Outputs Indicators Assumptions
4. Activities Inputs Assumptions
1. Goal Indicators Assumptions
2. Purpose Indicators Assumptions
3. Outputs Indicators Assumptions
4. Activities Inputs Assumptions
High service level
for bus passengers
90% of departures with
Less than 5 minutes delay
Passengers continue
using company buses
Company’s market
Share on the increase
Frequency of bus
accidents reduced
Less than x accidents
annually after 12 months
Less than y serious
injuries after 12 months
Road conditions are
improved
1.Drivers trained
2.X new buses operational
3.Maintenance workshop
equipped
4.Maintenance routines
established
1.98% of the drivers attend
trainings and seminars
Trained drivers remain
with the bus company
1.Undertake training program
2.Procure buses
3.Procure tools and spareparts
4.Develop maintenance
routines
1.Bus instructor:x months
2.Funds for buses
3.Funds for tools and
spareparts
4.Maintenance instructor:y mos
Tools and spareparts supplied
and cleared in time
3.Fewer buses impounded
2.Fewer drivers violate
traffic rules

39. Ex. 2. unions’ federation
Examples of LFA Matrix
1. Goal Indicators Assumptions
2. Purpose Indicators Assumptions
3. Outputs Indicators Assumptions
4. Activities Inputs Assumptions
1. Goal Indicators Assumptions
2. Purpose Indicators Assumptions
3. Results/Outputs Indicators Assumptions
4. Activities Inputs Assumptions
Unemployed workers
shall not be in debt
95% workers have paid out
their loans
Workers pay loans, bonds
& debts at usurious prices
75% workers can now pay
rents and bills
Unemployed workers
shall have alternative
sources of income
90% workers earns 50-70%
of their previous salary
xx workers are engaged
in livelihood programs
Workers are affiliated to
certain institutions/unions
1.Implementation of
unemployment insurance
schemes/packages
2.Livelihood
projects started
xx budget allotted to
insurance packages
Implementing institutions
such as GOCCs cooperate
2.Sponsor legislative bills
1.Consult experts, lawyers,
lobbyists and legislators
3.Start livelihood
programs/trainings
Consultation fees
xx personnel
xx instructors and trainors
Experts entertain efforts
aimed at legislating
and implementing
unemployment
insurance schemes
Workers do not have
bequests
200 livelihood projects
operational
Unions and workers
participate

40. Kuya DF’s LFA (???)
Intervention logic Indicators Means of Verification Assumptions
Development Objective FCCU’s decision-making
leverage, credibility and
stability shall be
enhanced
More CBAs initiated by
FCCU are being
respected by ACCUP and
CCBPI
DOLE-Bureau of Labor
Relations-Registered local
CBAs
FCCU is the main
bargaining unit of the CBA
Project objective Maintenance of FCCU’s
recognition vis-à-vis
workers’ unions and
CCBPI
___ CBAs initiated by
FCCU
___ skilled and
committed
leaders/bargaining agents
___ FCCU positions are
agreed upon by ACCUP
and CCBPI
CBAs and registration
documents
FCCU documents
Minutes during seminars
and meetings
DOLE-BLR continues to
register eligible CBAs
FCCU remains as a part of
the alliance
Results 1. Additional membership
2. Sustainability in terms
of funds/personnel
3. Model CBA
4. Increase in members’
awareness
___ new members
_____ dues collected
_____ fundraising
activities held
____ union members
which approved and
followed the model CBA
____ members underwent
leadership trainings and
seminars
(Certified) official list of
membership
Bank accounts
FCCU minutes and
documents
Local CBAs which are
patterned after the FCCU
model
Attendance sheets,
outputs, resolutions and
minutes
Casual employees get
regularized per local union
Independent unions are
affiliated to FCCU/ACCUP
Activities 1.1 Continuous
recruitment (10 plus 1)
2.1 Dues collection and
fund-raising
2.2 Series of meetings
and planning
3.1 CBA tactics and
training
3.2 Consultations with
general membership per
affiliates
Necessary capital goods,
materials and speakers are
available
Target group will cooperate
ACCUP and FCCU fulfill
their obligations

41. Success in a Project
Usually depends on the following factors:
 The commitment of all parties in the project owner’s
sense of ownership and responsibilities
 Definite roles for all parties involved (division of work
and responsibilities)
 Realism, realistic objectives, specific and clear goal
fulfillment
 Specific links between what is done within the
framework of the project (the activities) and what will be
achieved (the objectives)
 Capacity, the project group’s ability to deal with risks
 Flexibility to adjust processes if conditions change
 Projects in which the users (beneficiaries) have
participated in and exerted an influence on the planning
of the project

42. Outline
 The Logical Framework Approach
(LFA)
 The purpose of LFA
 Nine (9) Steps of the LFA method
 Reasons for having the 9 steps
 The Project-planning Workshop
 The advantages offered by the LFA
method
 Examples of Log Frames or LFA matrix
 Success in a project