From theory to practice: Lessons learned in the application of the ATM approach to developing logic models

Abstract

The topic of logic models has received significant attention in the evaluation and social science literature, focusing either on the theory of logic models or methodology for program design. The evaluation and social science literature dedicated to logic models has been criticized for being overly complex and too difficult for practitioners to understand and utilize. Agencies such as the Kellogg Foundation and the United Way have championed initiatives to bridge the theory–application gap. They have done so by publishing simple, step-by-step instructions as how to create a logic model, intended primarily for those responsible for implementing human service programs. The difficulty with these prescriptive publications is that they unintentionally mislead the practitioner into believing that the task of creating a logic model is as simple as completing a one-page table. The understanding that logic modeling is a process, the results of which can then be summarized in a one-page table, is lost. This misunderstanding is partly due to the dearth of literature devoted to the logic model process. In 2002, a systematic three-step process to creating a logic model, coined the ATM approach, was published in an attempt to meet this need. Since its publication, the ATM approach has been used in a variety of settings. The purpose of this paper is to report on the practical lessons learned in the process of creating a logic model using the ATM approach.