Logframer 3.0 released - The Free and Open Source Software for Project Planning and Management
May 2017, APPLICATIO supports the project "logframer" by profiding German translation for the programme as well as software testing. Now - end of May - Logframer 3.0 has been released officially by the developer. A great step towards an even better software for donors, NGO, project managers and project planners.
Logframer 3.0 is a free project design and project management application. Originally, Logframer was designed to make the development of projects in international development and humanitarian assistance easier. But Logframer is also used by all kinds of social organisations, government administrations and even businesses. As its name suggests, Logframer uses the basic structure of the logical framework or logframe to describe various components of a project, such as the objectives, the activities, the resources as well as possible external influences on the project (risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies). But that doesn't mean you are obliged to use a logframe approach.
The basic idea behind Logframer is to provide aid actors such as NGOs, non-profit organisations, donor agencies and so on with a simple, versatile and free tool that makes designing and managing projects and programmes easier (and more fun). Logframer allows you to better integrate all information needed for a well-designed project, and helps you to improve the quality of your project proposals.
Logframer allows you to:
- Bring all project-related information together in a single document: objectives, activities, resources, planning, budget, target groups, partner organisations, etc.
- Follow up the lifecycle of your project
- Identify your target groups and make tools to register different types of beneficiaries or clients
- Select intervention zones and indicate them on a map (using Bing Maps™)
- Design the basic structure of your project (project logic or intervention logic)
- Identify assumptions, internal and external dependencies and risks and develop tools to monitor risks during your project
- Choose indicators to measure progress and results, plan monitoring and evaluation deadlines and reporting and develop tools to monitor progress and results during and after your project
- Plan activities and processes using a Gantt chart
- Establish the budget of your project and indicate how many resources you need for each activity and output
- Manage contact information about your partners and staff so that you can quickly communicate with them
- Export all this information to Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel, so you can easily create funding proposals, training materials, etc.
- Create International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) activity and organisation files but also read and edit existing files
- Logframer 3.0 is designed to replace the usual tools for designing a logical framework, such as MS Excel and Word. It also makes sharing easier because all the essential information of your project is gathered in one single file. This helps you deal with the fact that internet connections in some part of the world make it difficult to use cloud-based solutions. Logframer documents are light-weight, which is a big help if you're forced to push whole series of heavy documents over an internet connection that fails every couple of minutes.
Logframer offers many options but you are never obliged to use them all. This way, Logframer can help small grass-roots organisations develop simple projects, but it can also assist bigger organisations with the development of large and more complex projects and programmes. And once you're finished designing your project, you can create the necessary tools to manage it at the press of a button.
Logframer 3.0 can be used to design any project that uses a logical framework. Logframer has the necessary tools and options for Logical Framework Approach, Project Cycle Management and Results Based Management. But you can also use it for other approaches such as Outcome Mapping.
With Version 3.0 released, APPLICATIO is offering trainings on the use of logframer 3.0 as well as the logical framework approahc in general.
More information about logframer 2.0 can be found here. You can download the programme directly on the web-site of the developer.