---
id: ch7-intervention-logic
type: spine
title: "From policy gap analysis to intervention logic and SMART KPIs"
readingTime: 3
standalone: true
core: false
teaser: "Most measures in most policy papers never happen. D3.1 sets out how a region builds a measure list that is complete, financed and measurable."
parent: null
diagram: diagram-rap-cycle
recallQ: "How does a region move from a policy gap analysis to measures it can monitor, according to D3.1?"
recallA: "Inventory the existing policies and look for gaps in finance, legislation and training. Turn each of 2 to 5 challenges into 2 to 10 measures, together with the actors who will implement them. Justify each measure with an intervention logic (measures, outputs, outcomes, impacts) and track impacts with SMART KPIs, overseen by a monitoring committee."
highlights:
  - "Start with an inventory of existing policies: build on what exists, avoid overlaps"
  - "A complete plan also closes gaps in finance, legislation and training"
  - "Intervention logic: measures, then outputs, then outcomes, then impacts"
  - "SMART KPIs on impacts, a monitoring committee and a budget for mid-course correction"
status: accepted
concept: from-policy-gap-to-intervention-logic
conceptTitle: "From policy gap to intervention logic"
parents: regional-action-plan|eu-rural-policy
lang: en
lens: generic
depth: standard
formalism: none
visuality: balanced
lengthBand: standard
genre: explainer
state: edited
carriers: prose|table|diagram|code
---

D3.1, the PoliRural+ RAP Methodology, asks that the measures in a [regional action plan](#c/regional-action-plan) be **complete**, **avoid overlaps** with ongoing initiatives and **build on what exists**. Getting there takes four steps.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  A[Inventory of existing policies] --> B[Gaps: finance, legislation, training]
  B --> C[2-5 challenges, 2-10 measures each]
  C --> D[Intervention logic per measure]
  D --> E[SMART impact KPIs and a monitoring committee]
```

## 1. Inventory what already exists

Start by listing the policies, strategies and plans on the theme: those in force, in preparation, or expected soon. D3.1 gives a 2014 example from Bosnia and Herzegovina: **more than 40 current policies** referred to skill needs, and many of the measures they proposed had never been carried out. Reading such documents shows who the stakeholders are, which agencies are involved and where money might come from. D3.1 also recommends talking to local officials, which it calls "Management by Talking Around".

## 2. Look for the missing measures

Action plans are often incomplete. D3.1 names three gaps to check:

- **Finance**: no single EU fund pays 100 %, so plans combine CAP, ERDF, RRF, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and others, plus EIB loans or green bonds. Technical assistance such as the EIB's ELENA programme can help.
- **Legislation**: money is in place, but a law blocks the measure, or no law enables it. Energy communities are a known case.
- **Training**: officials need to understand concepts such as the circular economy or the bio-economy before they can support them.

## 3. From challenges to measures

The vision work yields **2 to 5 challenges**. Each becomes **2 to 10 measures**. Over time the work moves from beneficiaries to the **actors** who will implement the measures, because "only the 'actors' are able to make those measures happen".

## 4. Intervention logic and KPIs

The intervention logic is a narrative that links a measure to the rest of the mix and to the challenge it addresses. It can be written as a logframe. D3.1 illustrates it with training:

| Level | Example (training against unemployment) |
|---|---|
| Measures | Training courses: method, topic, length, trainer |
| Outputs | People successfully trained |
| Outcomes | Newly qualified people ready for work |
| Impacts | People newly employed on those qualifications |

Indicators should be **SMART**: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. D3.1 advises putting most effort into **impact** KPIs, because attention tends to stop at outputs once contracts are checked. Impacts often take **3 to 10 years** to appear. A good plan also sets up a **monitoring committee**, led by organisations able to hold local government to account, and a budget for interim evaluations and mid-course corrections.

The next block applies these four steps to Vidzeme.

**Sources:**
- D3.1 RAP Methodology, "Policy Gap Analysis", "Exploring Policy Options", "Creating an Inventory of Policy Options", "Creating an Inventory of Financing Options", "Clarifying the Intervention Logic", "Choosing SMART Indicators and KPIs". [PDF](https://www.poliruralplus.eu/docs/161/D3.1__RAP_Methodology_v1.pdf)