The design and development of programs are crucial for any business. They assist in defining objectives and determine the best path to take and also allocate resources efficiently. It’s not easy to establish and manage development of programs. You must carefully consider the needs and expectations of each stakeholder. The right approach will lead to a development plan that maximizes the impact and ensures that everyone is satisfied.
The most common tool used to guide these efforts is the logic model. This is visual representation of how the daily activities of a program are connected to the desired outcomes. It can help you think systematically about the way your program should work including the way and time it will effect changes. The model is constructed from left to right and can include arrows to show the temporal order of the steps.
The first step is to determine all the inputs needed. The next step is to determine the most important activities that require the inputs. Then, you can map the expected outputs, and ultimately, the intended outcomes (both short-term and long-term). Your model should also include the effects these outcomes will have for the target audience.
Another crucial aspect of this process is to identify any risks or issues that your program could face. Instruments such as environmental scanning can help identify external and internal factors that could impact on the performance of your program. Finally, this stage is a great opportunity to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your organization–using these findings will help you design strategies to better position your team for future success.