The Logical Framework Approach, Does Its History Guarantee Its Future?

Abstract

International Development (ID), which is often questioned for its lack of effectiveness, is a specific sector in the application of Project Management (PM) in relation to the use of projects that are undertaken to generate changes. In this case, ID seeks to have an impact on living standards of the most vulnerable groups of the population. This study reveals, by an extensive review of the most pertinent literature, the particularities and complexities of ID projects. It initiates the debate on the convenience of adapting existing tools in PM that are broadly used in, and familiar to, the industrial sector (PMI, Prince or any other) to Cooperation, or the need to improve those tools that are already in place, mainly the Logical Framework Approach (LFA), or even to design new alternatives. Due to the respect owed to a tool that has been used for nearly five decades, this research studies the development and evolution of LFA from its origins to the latest presentations, including its strengths and limitations. The proposals to improve LFA, as a result of these investigations, are re-examined in cooperation with professionals, whose valuable opinions on the matter facilitate an increase in efficiency level in ID.