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Workshop Agenda• Opening Comments, Introductions• Category 3 – Questions
• Application Preparation• Format & Style• Space Allocation• Organizational Profile• Categories 1-3 – Approach-Deployment
• Best Practices, Traps to Avoid
• Categories 1-3 – Results• Best Practices, Traps to Avoid
• Questions, Next Steps
Session Objectives
• By the end of the session, participants are expected to understand how to:• Present responses that address criteria
requirements• Emphasize the “key” elements in both the Approach-
Deployment and Results items• Use visuals – diagrams, tables and graphs – to
strengthen application quality• Help the examiners find the information they need to
provide quality feedback
Format and Style
• Organizational Profile – 2 page maximum• Category Responses – 6 page maximum• Space allocation within those limits up to you• 11pt. Font, ½ inch margins all around• Footer – organization name, date, page #• No supplemental materials• Examiners may not contact you or review your
web site – please don’t refer them there• Use prose, bullets, highlighting, diagrams, tables,
graphs, etc.
Space Allocation
• The space allotted for your application/response to the criteria is barely sufficient
• The challenge is to share the most important and relevant information, not just share information
• Plan before you write – decide what responds to the criteria and then put it in writing
• Include only what responds to the criteria
Organizational Profile
• Bullet-point responses encouraged • Tables are effective for matching segments and
their requirements• Stick to the criteria requirements only• Make sure you leave sufficient space for the
Competitive Environment and Organizational & Strategic Challenges section
• Prioritize – “key” factors/information only
Categories 1-3 – Approach-Deployment
• Label your Category/Items responses clearly (1.1, 1.1-1, etc.)
• Diagrams are often an excellent way to reflect a process or describe a system
• Use examples to further illustrate an already-described process approach/deployment, not as a substitute for explaining the process
Categories 1-3 – Approach-Deployment
• Item level responses covering multiple related Areas to Address are usually more effective and more reflective of a system rather than a checklist
• Grouping consecutive, related items (i.e. Items 1.2 & 1.3) can be an effective option – address multiple items in a multi-sentence/multi-paragraph response
Categories 1-3 – Approach-Deployment
• Best Practices • Responses directly reference related criteria
item
• Fully planned prior to writing – latter part of criteria not shortchanged
• Use criteria language
• Combination of text/prose and tables, diagrams
• Prose/text provided to explain what is important in tables/diagrams
• Approach and deployment are both addressed
Categories 1-3 – Approach-Deployment
• Traps to Avoid • Marketing/promoting your organization
• Telling stories to mask gaps – acknowledge and talk about plans
• Describing approaches without demonstrating deployment
• Substituting examples for processes/systems
• Trying to include everything you can think of
Categories 1-3 – Results Items
• Don’t leave results items for last in the drafting process and squeeze them in – results are most heavily-weighted part of the review process
• Include actual data – don’t limit response to a statement that “results are strong” or “performance levels are high”
• Simple tables and graphs (Excel) are excellent for presenting data – show trends and/or comparisons
• Tell the examiner to what to see in the results
• Include results for critical organizational priorities
• Show results for all three categories
Categories 1-3 – Results Items
• Best Practices• 2-3 key results (top 2-3), well-presented, per
category – balance across categories emphasized as opposed to volume in one category
• Levels and trends (actual data!), comparisons where available
• Clear explanation (brief) of what the result is/what the reviewer needs to know
• Results directly linked to mission (customer and impact), strategic objectives, sustainability goals, community impact
• Indicate that other results are available “on-site” (when accurate) to manage results volume – don’t overdo!
Categories 1-3 - Results Items
• Traps to Avoid• Attempting to include too many results – data you have
versus what should be included• Unbalanced results distribution, not addressing
process-related results • Providing summary statement about results in lieu of
the actual data• Using percentages rather than actual data to “prop
up” results• Characterizing the organization’s focus on “mission-
driven impact” but not reporting performance data to demonstrate such impact
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