When is it a good time to build a logic model?

As an education entrepreneur or innovator, you've likely heard about the importance of having a solid logic model to guide your impact journey. A logic model is a critically important tool for companies striving to create sustainable, measurable impact.?

But when exactly is the right time to invest cycles into creating this critical planning tool?

Well, there are several vital situations when building a logic model can be extremely valuable:

1. Planning Your Full Offering for the First Time

If you are just starting to scope out all the components of your edtech product or service offering, that is an ideal time to build out a logic model. It allows you to visually map out the intended user activities, outputs, outcomes, and long-term impacts in one cohesive framework.?

2. Considering a Pivot or Redesign?

Perhaps you have an existing offering but are exploring ways to evolve or pivot the model based on user feedback or changing needs. In this redesign process, developing a new logic model is highly recommended. It ensures your theory of change and implementation plan remains aligned with your revised solution.

3. Applying for Grants or Funding Support

Many federal grants and investor conversations look favorably on applications that can outline a clear, robust theory of change. A visual logic model allows you to illustrate how each input and activity contributes to the intended outcomes in a credible way.

4. Preparing for an Impact Study?

Whether you are exploring the potential for a pilot implementation, efficacy study, or other impact evaluation, a logic model is a critical first step. It clearly defines the components to analyze and measure during these structured studies of your product's outcomes.

5. Shifting Strategy or Implementation Approach

Revisiting and revising your logic model is recommended whenever there are significant changes to your solution's strategy or implementation model. This keeps it updated and aligned with your current state.

Building a logic model should be done when you plan, redesign, fund, evaluate, or pivot your edtech solution meaningfully. Rather than treating it as a static documentation piece, embrace the logic model as an iterative framework that evolves alongside your impact journey.

If you don't have a logic model yet, or your existing one no longer fits your current impact model, you should prioritize creating or updating it immediately. Doing so provides structure around delineating data needs, articulating the value proposition, allocating resources strategically, and ultimately accelerating toward product-market fit.