Week 4 · Adaptive Planning Program

20. Reverse Engineering with "If-Then" Logic

30 min

By the end you'll be able to

Apply "If-Then" reasoning to validate logic model coherence
Identify logical gaps and missing assumptions
Revise logic models based on critical analysis

The best plans must be stress-tested before implementation begins. This lesson teaches you to validate your Logic Model using “If-Then” reasoning, reading the model from left to right: “If we have these resources, then we can do these activities”.

By rigorously applying this logic, we identify and repair gaps in the causal chain, ensuring that the link between your activities and your desired outputs is unbreakable.

Practice quiz

Question 1
How does ‘If-Then’ reasoning read across a Logic Model?
- Right to left, starting from desired impact.
- Top to bottom, starting from the program’s mission.
- Left to right: ‘If we have these resources, then we can do these activities’, and so on.
- Diagonally, pairing inputs with outcomes directly.
Question 2
What is the primary purpose of stress-testing a Logic Model with If-Then logic?
- To decide which staff member owns each activity.
- To identify and repair gaps in the causal chain before implementation.
- To convert the model into a Gantt chart for project management.
- To translate the model for community advisory boards.
Reflection 3
Walk through how you would apply If-Then reasoning to validate the link between Activities and Outputs in a Logic Model.

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