Culture & Sport

Improvement Tool

Self assessment

East of England February 2011

Today’s workshop will cover:

1. Background and context

2. The toolkit itself - its components & how it works

3. Hands on use of CSIT

4. Preparation for Peer Led Challenge

& Improvement planning

Why we are here....

1. Part of a larger improvement process

• Increase understanding of excellence, continuous improvement, and CSIT

• Contribute to the pool of improvement Peers

• Help to draw up improvement plans for the region

• Work as a regional / sub regional network

The origin of the CSIT:

• Where did it come from?

• What were its origins?

• And why?

CSIT ownership and badging:

The toolkit: component parts

• 8 themes + 1 new Efficiency theme

• 37 criteria across the 9 themes

• Key features and descriptors for each

• Scoring : 1 to 4 = Poor to Excellent

• 360 feedback option

• Helps improvement planning

• Requires self assessment

The themes:The benchmark measures performance against 9 themes

1. Leadership and corporate governance

2. Policy and Strategy

3. Community Engagement

4. Partnership Working

5. Use of Resources

6. People Management

7. Customer service

8. Performance, achievement and Learning

9. Efficiency

Major benefits are:

It identifies strengths and areas for improvement

It provides a basis for improvement planning

It provides a focus for agreed priorities

It offers a basis for sector advocacy

It provides a basis for LA’s to discuss and agree

ways to work together

Any questions so far....?

The self assessment process

How it works: it requires

• Honesty and openness

• Team work and cooperation

• Judgements to be supported by evidence

• Clear “boundaries” and scope

• Managing – it’s a process

How it works: it offers

• Guidance and lines of enquiry

• A scoring methodology

• A 360 degree feedback option for partners

• Opportunities for Peer Challenge and learning if

desired

How it works: it doesn’t need

• Massive commitments of time

• An “expert” from outside to do it for you

• Masses of paperwork

• A degree in Information Systems

About “Scoping” it:

• Who and what is “the organisation” - who is responsible for delivering your strategy and services?

• Should the scope include others who support you, internally, external trusts / contractors, vol org’s, on whom you are dependent for delivery of service?

• Who are “the leaders”, and “the community” in the organisation, managerially and politically?

The scoring: across 4 levels

• Poor: = 1

Typically an organisation where there is little or no

evidence against each criteria, or no awareness

or commitment to create or develop it

• Fair: = 2

Typically an organisation where there is evidence that

the processes of planning and developing the evidence

has begun and is progressing

The scoring cont'd:• Good: = 3

Typically an organisation where the evidence is in

place

• Excellent: = 4

Typically an organisation where the evidence has

been in place long enough for it to have impact and

real outcomes

Scoring: an exampleTheme: Community Engagement, scored at key features level

2 Criteria involving 13 Key Features =

1 x “Poor” score 1 x 1 = 1

5 x “Fair” score 5 x 2 = 10

6 x “Good” score 6 x 3 = 18

1 x Excellent” score 1 x 4 = 4 Theme total = 33

(13)

Theme score = 33 / 13 = 2.54 = “Good”

1 to 1.4 = Poor 1.5 to 2.4 = Fair 2.5 to 3.4 = Good 3.4 to 4 = Excellent

360 degree feedback:

The purpose of 360 degree feedback is to:

• Raise awareness and engage internal or external partners in the process

• Consider your view of your services alongside those of partners and stakeholders

Any questions so far....?

9: Efficiency: criteria

1. Services are regularly benchmarked, results used

2. Assets are fully utilised

3. Shared services and management improve efficiency

4. Procurement delivers outputs, outcomes and efficiencies

5. Partners commission culture & sport services to deliver their outcomes

360 degree element:

• The same themes as the self assessment

• Selected criteria only

• Evidence, probes, and scoring as for self

assessment

Peer Led Challenge

• Developed and piloted by SE in the E of E region

• Is a “critical friend” to your self assessment

• Provides another ‘window’ on your services and

confirms and /or challenges your perceptions

• Can be invaluable!

• More from this from Steve later

Improvement planning is......

• Essential after the self assessment

• Important for advocacy and improvement

• Best if it’s focused and prioritised

• Better if it’s SMART

• Better still if it has commitment and support

• Covered in detail by Steve Wood

Any questions?

Then it’s hands on time.....

Think about scoping:

For the purpose of this training workshop:

• Who and what are “in”?

• Who and what are “out”?

• What are the boundaries of the self assessment ?

• Not a life determining process .....

• 10 minutes then feedback

Efficiency: criteria & key features

1. Services are regularly benchmarked, results used

2. Assets are fully utilised

3. Shared services and management improve efficiency

4. Procurement delivers outputs, outcomes and efficiencies

5. Partners commission culture & sport services to deliver their outcomes

1. Benchmarking criteria:

Key features:

A. Information systems support resource management

B. There are regular benchmarking exercises

C. Action is taken to address less efficient services

2. Asset utilisation:

A. Assets are used to develop and improve services

B. The org’n has a Strategic Asset Management Plan

C. Assets are used to capacity

D. Opportunities to co-locate are investigated

E. Spare capacity is offered to other services

F. Asset transfer to the 3rd sector is considered

G. The org’n has looked at service duplication with neighbouring LA’s

3. Shared services:

A. Service re-design increases productivity and quality

B. Partner and supplier relationships improve

efficiency

C. Sharing back office services is considered and

introduced

D. Shared management is introduced with partners

4. Procurement

A. A track record of commissioning and procurement

supports improvement and efficiency

B. Service provision is regularly reviewed and

alternatives considered to improve efficiency

C. Rigorous options appraisal underpins procurement

5. Commissioning

A. The LA is represented in major commissioning

partnerships and is an active player

B. The LA appears integrated and unified to commissioners

C. There is capacity in the 3rd sector to support

commissioning

D. The LA maps commissioning opportunities and

community needs and acts to meet them

Continued…

5. Commissioning

E. Competencies and skills are developed to support

commissioning

F. There is evidence of services’ contributions to

specific outcomes

G. The performance of contracts is effectively managed

H. There is evidence of VFM, legal requirements, and

accreditation where required

Let’s self assess for Efficiency:

• Read the features and criteria

• Score the service(s): think about the scope

• It’s a subjective judgement based on evidence, not

nuclear physics requiring certainty....!

• Be honest, be open, be decisive

9: Efficiency: criteria

1. Services are regularly benchmarked, results used

2. Assets are fully utilised

3. Shared services and management improve efficiency

4. Procurement delivers outputs, outcomes and efficiencies

5. Partners commission culture & sport services to deliver their outcomes

Progress, learning, and conclusions:

1. What scores(s) did you decide on ?

2. How confident are you about the evidence ?

3. How well did that exercise go ?

4. What have you learnt from doing it ?

5. Next steps........

Any final questions?

:

Follow up queries:

Brian King

IDeA Associate

brian-king @hotmail.co.uk

07812 679 908