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How to Build a Logframe

Structure goals, outcomes, outputs, and activities.

The logframe (results framework) is the backbone of your reporting: goals, outcomes, outputs and activities, with indicators to measure them. Who can edit it: Admin, Project Manager and M&E Officer.

Open Projects → your project → Logframe.

Option A: Import from Excel or CSV (fastest)

  1. On the Logframe page click Download template and fill in the Logframe sheet (one row per item with its code, level, title and parent code).
  2. Click Import logframe from Excel and upload the file (XLSX, CSV or TXT).
  3. Review the parsed content shown on screen, then create the records.
  4. Items are created with their parent links. Rows whose code already exists are skipped, so re-importing is safe.
  5. Fill in the Indicators sheet and use Import indicators from Excel. Each indicator's code must match a logframe item's code in this project.

Option B: Build by hand

  1. Click to add a logframe item. Choose its level (Goal, Outcome, Output or Activity), give it a code and title, and pick its parent with the item picker.
  2. Add child items under each parent.
  3. Add indicators (see below).

Rearranging the hierarchy

The Logframe hierarchy is a tree. Drag an item to reorder it or drop it under another item to change its parent. There is also a Move to menu (including "top level") for keyboard and touch use. The order you set is kept.

Add an indicator

  1. Click New indicator and pick the logframe item it measures.
  2. Enter the indicator name and type: Number, Percentage, Yes/No, Text, Ratio, Currency or Custom.
  3. Set baseline, target, unit and frequency. All four are required for a quantitative indicator before the project can be reporting-ready.
  4. Optionally add data source and means of verification.
  5. For percentage and ratio indicators you are taken to set the calculation (see below).
  6. Disaggregation (Sex, Age group, Disability, Location or Other): add a dimension with categories (for example Female/Male). Values can then be entered per category. For Number and Currency indicators each breakdown must add up to the period total.

Set how an indicator is calculated

Open an indicator and use Calculation:

  • Reporting basis: Reported directly (latest value), Sum of period values (counts that add up), Average of values, Highest value, Lowest value, or Cumulative to date.
  • Percentage / ratio: choose the numerator and denominator indicators. Until this is set, these indicators show as "Not calculable" in reports.
  • Direction of progress: Higher is better, Lower is better, or Neutral (descriptive only).

New drafts use the saved calculation.

Indicator page

Each indicator page shows a progress card (share of the distance from baseline to target, and the latest period breakdown), a history of updates, and the verification pipeline.

Tips

  • Use short, stable codes (OUT-1, OC-2). They are used for imports.
  • Fix baselines and targets before entering values.
  • The project is not reporting-ready until it has at least one indicator and every quantitative one is complete. See Understanding report readiness.
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