Rethinking the Logic Model: Personae, systems, and what actually drives outcomes

Most logic models assume a clean pipeline: inputs flow to activities, activities flow to outputs, outputs flow to outcomes. Real programmes don't run that way. Different populations experience the same intervention differently, and the external forces that determine whether a programme gains traction — policy shifts, competing priorities, local context — rarely appear on the model at all.

In this session, two Allen + Clarke evaluation leads take on that gap in conversation with each other, drawing on findings first presented at the 2026 ANZEA conference.

What you'll learn:

·       How incorporating personae into a logic model makes visible the different ways people experience a programme — their enablers, needs and gains

·       How persona-differentiated logic models create a basis for a more nuanced and defensible Social Return on Investment (SROI) calculations

·       How to identify and depict external forces and dynamics that shape a programme but sit outside a standard logic model

·       A practical way to build systems thinking into a logic model's design without making it unusable

·       Key findings and themes from presenting this work at the ANZEA conference, including how attendees responded and where the discussion is heading next

Perfect for evaluators, performance and impact specialists, and policy teams that are building or refining logic models.