Causal modelling
BetaTheory of Change Designer
A causal model with the assumptions made explicit
Upload a concept note, proposal or strategy document. Get a full theory of change: impact, outcomes, outputs, activities and inputs, with the causal mechanism and the assumptions stated at every link.
What you upload
- Concept note, proposal, strategy or programme document (PDF or Word)
- Optional: donor guidance or an existing results framework
Standards supported: USAID Results Framework logic, EU Intervention Logic, GIZ Capacity Works, UN results chain, or neutral
Choose a versionWhat you get
Every output, editable before you download
Impact, outcomes, outputs, activities and inputs, each linked to the level above with a stated mechanism
The assumptions each causal link depends on, what happens if each fails, and whether your documents evidence it
Where the chain skips a step, where ambition exceeds what the budget and duration can reach, where an outcome sits outside your control
Exported as Word and as a diagram you can edit
Most theories of change fail review because the assumptions are unstated, not because the logic is wrong. This tool forces every link to declare what it depends on.
Choose your version
Two versions. Pick the one your document needs.
Both read the same uploaded documents and apply the same method. They differ in how much detail reaches the page.
One page, for a proposal annex
Impact, outcomes, outputs and activities on a single readable page, with the three to five assumptions the whole logic rests on. Built to be absorbed in ninety seconds by a reviewer with forty proposals to read.
- One-page causal chain
- Core assumptions in plain language
- Clean diagram sized for an annex or slide
- Short narrative paragraph
Full model, for the M&E plan
Every level, every causal link with its mechanism stated, every assumption with its failure consequence, and a rigour check across the whole chain. Built for the document your evaluator will actually work from.
- Full causal chain with stated mechanisms
- Complete assumptions register
- Rigour flags on gaps and overreach
- Control boundary: control, influence, contribute
- Full diagram plus written argument
If it is going into a proposal annex or a slide, take the Summary. If it is going into an M&E plan, an inception report, or in front of an evaluator, take the Detailed. If you need both, order the Detailed and we include the Summary at no extra charge.
Also in the toolkit