Practice: Develop a theory of action for your

program
Key Action: Surface assumptions about how your program
is supposed to work

TOOL: Testing Assumptions: Do Our Activities Lead to Desired Outcomes?

Purpose: To develop a solid theory of action, it is useful to determine whether the

program activities you’ve planned are logically connected to the outcomes
you hope for. To help you answer this question, the following figure offers an
“if-then” approach for checking the logic of your assumptions about conditions
that must be in place in order to successfully take each step toward these
outcomes.

Note: Remember that each of your stakeholders has a unique perspective on

activities and goals, and can provide a reality check on certain assumptions
or beliefs you have about what’s needed to achieve an outcome. Once your
assumptions are articulated and examined, you can fill in any gaps in logic
and identify important next steps.

Instructions: 1. Review the figure on the following page to see how a theory of action for
your program can be expressed as a series of “if-then” statements that show
the logical connections between the resources you invest, the program
activities you conduct (and for whom), and the outcomes.

2. Document your assumptions and note where gaps in logic need to be

addressed.
 Practice: Develop a theory of action for your
program
Key Action: Surface assumptions about how your program
is supposed to work

Testing Assumptions: Do Our Activities Lead to Desired Outcomes?

INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES

What
we What What
What Whom we
invest short-term long-term
we do reach results results

INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES

IF we invest THEN we …and IF we …and IF we can …and IF these …THEN in the Assumptions or
these can conduct conduct these reach these people, benefits develop, long run, the gaps in logic
resources… these activities, THEN this will THEN the following school or
(e.g., staff, activities… THEN we can benefit… change will district will…
technology, $, reach… happen…
partners, research
base, materials)
EXAMPLE: We can run a And train all 18 Who will learn new Which will increase And increase 1. Quality of the
If we use our Summer magnet skills and knowledge the coherence, focus, student university-based
MSAP funds Institute and teachers to for implementing the and rigor of the achievement training
and university monthly implement the science theme school’s curriculum in 2. Staff buy-in to
partnership professional new science- all classrooms new curriculum
development based 3. Rigorous
curriculum curriculum, aligns
with standards