M&E For Presidents Programme For Sa Version 1.2

Copyright (c) 2009, Gaiasoft IP Ltd. Portions copyright ICT-Works (Pty) Ltd, Africa International Advisors and CHE

Netherlands. All Rights Reserved. 1

Monitoring & Evaluation Support for the President’s Programme for South Africa A proven approach to large-scale capacity building, monitoring & evaluation and service delivery.

Contents

1. Executive Summary ........................................................... 2

2. Enabling cross-ministry and cross-sector working for success .. 3

3. ICT for capacity building, planning, monitoring & evaluation .... 4

4. Indicators linking local, continental and global programmes ..... 6

5. Meshworks for enabling government: a summary ................... 7

6. Proven global best practice ............................................... 10

7. A practical approach ........................................................ 10

8. Meshwork Elements Reducing Cost Time and Risk ................ 11

9. Online Technology Platform and Shared Service Model .......... 12

10. Examples of software platform ........................................ 13

11. Meshwork Development Roadmap .................................... 16

12. Conclusion .................................................................... 18

Appendix 1: Selection Criteria for software to support MIDIR ...... 19

Appendix 2: Action Learning (and Project Khaedu) ..................... 21

Contacts .............................................................................. 23



1. Executive Summary Our consortium is led by ICT-Works, a world-class women owned South African business with the strongest BEE credentials. Our consortium offers the government of South Africa a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) solution for capacity building and service delivery based on the very best international and South African experience and best practices. For the last eight years members of our consortium have implemented performance management and capacity building solutions, for example the performance management systems at the two metros which won top 2008 “VUNA Awards for excellence in service delivery”, the City of Joburg and Nelson Mandela Bay Metros.

The critical components of our solution are:

1. A proven, easy to use ICT solution that exceeds world class standards as defined by recent EU research, is highly flexible and is used in numerous government and institutional applications in South Africa, Europe and the USA.

2. An M&E approach that emphasises simplicity and robustness to empower and build confidence and capacity of government workers. Our clients’ experience proves that when M&E and performance management is made simple, it can build capacity and support service delivery improvements.

3. Use of the M&E process to build broad networks of learning and support across spheres of government, between departments and between government business and civil society. We call this a ‘Meshwork’. A meshwork enables government, business and civil society to work together to deliver on national objectives

4. A direct linkage through our partners, Africa International Advisors, with the DPSA’s very successful Action Learning programme – Project Khaedu. To date over 4,000 SMS members have participated in this innovative, yet demanding programme. Our approach allows us to take the existing and future deployment reports from Khaedu and feed them directly into both the M&E system and Meshwork learning networks. Khaedu has already uncovered many opportunities to apply South African service delivery best practices across all departments and spheres of government. Our solution can deliver this learning direct to the front line of government.

With this approach to M&E, the South African government can ensure that the M&E process and system goes well beyond simply a ‘report card’. Combined, these elements ensure that experience and learnings from successful initiatives such as Khaedu and the DBSA’s Siyenza Manje can be disseminated widely. The ultimate measure of success for the M&E system is successful implementation of programmes across government.

Combining M&E and learning for government, business and civil society will take service delivery to the next level and empower South Africa as a learning nation.



2. Enabling cross-ministry and cross-sector working for success This paper focuses on implementation of the President’s programme as outlined in the State of the Nation Address of June 3rd 2009 and the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF). The authors recognise the importance of the national goals and the significance of creating new ministries for strategic planning and monitoring & evaluation.

From experience, we recognise the transformative power of capacity building, performance management and monitoring and evaluation here in South Africa. Also from experience, we recognise that many solutions to achieve our goals at national, provincial and local levels are already known – somewhere in South Africa or internationally. By joining-up planning, knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, monitoring and evaluation, as South Africans we can fast-track service delivery and significantly reduce the cost, time and risk of the transformation that we must achieve.

The President’s address makes clear the government’s commitment to ending poverty and its commitment to work with all parts of our society to deliver the national programme. The President’s address confirms that attached to each commitment is a detailed project plan with targets and critical milestones. The address includes an invitation to all South Africans:

“As citizens we should at the same time ask ourselves what is it that we can do on our own to help promote this national programme. To be a citizen is not only about rights, it is also about responsibility, to make a contribution to make ours a better country. […] Fellow South Africans, working together we can do more to realise our common vision of a better and more prosperous nation!”

Further, the recent Dinokeng scenarios identified “Walking Together” with an Enabling Government for South Africa to develop and build the nation.

How can our government mobilise resources across ministries and enable participation of civil society and all sectors to walk together in national development?



3. ICT for capacity building, planning, monitoring & evaluation

Just as the Internet enabled President Barack Obama to make history as the first African American US President, we believe that through the Internet and ICT our new Presidency and South Africa can make history as an enabling government, achieving comprehensive engagement, joined-up government and service delivery through appropriate use of ICT and the Internet.

ICT for planning, for performance management, for monitoring and evaluation, for knowledge sharing and for collaboration can be the nervous system of South Africa’s knowledge-based service delivery and development. Extensive research, development and experience internationally and in South Africa, confirms that South Africa is well positioned for a leapfrog in development by becoming a learning nation through knowledge-based government, partnering effectively with business, NGOs, education and other constituencies.

As South Africans, we can dramatically improve service delivery by using the power of Action Learning and ICTs to share knowledge, monitor, learn and achieve our national goals.

This paper presents our proposal for a national capacity-building, monitoring and learning solution, including Action Learning curricula, ICT infrastructure and national service delivery knowledge base.

Catalysing change by engaging business and civil society

Government cannot single-handedly transform our country, but government can improve joined-up working across ministries and the spheres of government. Government can create the conditions for the elimination of poverty, development of community and the achievement of

growth.

The South African Women in Dialogue (SAWID) research shows how Chile successfully created what we refer to as a “template” solution for poverty elevation.

The Chile template developed pillars and conditions required to create a bridge (puente) for families to walk from poverty and social exclusion to self-

empowerment and prosperity. The government mobilised resources across ministries and civil society to successfully take the project from an initial pilot to a successful national roll-out. This paper discusses how similar approaches of developing, piloting and then rolling out tried and



3

21

Roadmap for scaling change

1.Develop Template2.Pilot3.Scale

Copyright (c) 2009 Gaiasoft IP Ltd. International Patents Pending. All Rights Reserved.

tested best practice templates are today being used in South Africa and how this approach can be used to achieve the 2009-2014 MTSF programme.

Overall the approach proposed for South Africa uses a simple roadmap for scaling change: 1. find working solutions and combine to build a template, 2. pilot the combined solution and 3. scale their impact. A similar approach is being taken in many contexts within South Africa, for example, Project Khaedu, the DBSA’s Siyenza Manje and the South African Cities Network all aim to develop networks, improve knowledge sharing and scaling of good practices to accelerate development.

Learning from this lifecycle, the solution we propose includes a focussed Action Learning capacity building and learning network with an online platform to identify and connect the government, business and social change leaders across South Africa’s society and diaspora. These can then develop key collaborations based on shared goals and create the projects to implement their goals.

Government cannot do what business and civil society can do, but an “enabling government” can stimulate engagement and synergy across business and civil society. With skilful use of ICT, South Africa’s government can catalyse development towards national priorities by stimulating contributions from the most appropriate stakeholders for each priority.



4. Indicators linking local, continental and global programmes The meshwork approach to M&E is particularly suitable to national, provincial and local mobilisation to achieve global objectives. For example, the impact of local action in attaining the targets in the MDGs, Human Development Index and Gender Development Index can be tracked, knowledge and experienced can be gathered and effective solutions can be identified. Local grassroots solutions can be rapidly rolled out across the country and between countries, where relevant.

Achieving goals of international collaboration

Meshwork M&E provides a structure within which local and community action contributes to national and international knowledge and achievement of goals. At the same time, meshwork M&E can provide a clear ‘line of sight’ for international bodies like the AU and SADC to track, understand and impact progress down to local and ward level. The meshwork approach can be used to benchmark and compare between international partners, for example between South Africa and international partners in SADC1 or IBSA2 working groups and to connect networks across countries, for example for Women’s Rights, Conflict Prevention or Climate Adaptation. The meshwork can be used to build expert communities, develop templates for success and build local capacity. By using the power of meshwork M&E, South African government and civil society can lead and contribute to international partnerships.

Grassroots participation meshworks and citizen scorecards

Citizen scorecards capture needs and goals of civil society, businesses or communities as a focus for measuring progress, convening of stakeholders and giving feedback to government. By focussing on common indicators between South African civil society, business and government, South Africans can walk together to achieve national progress. Meshwork M&E provides a framework for convening stakeholders around a national vision and key strategic pillars and programmes. Young people, women’s movements and other civil society groups can support where government is effective and lead where government needs support.

Learning from international experience

The remainder of this paper is based, with permission, on a report prepared by CHE Netherlands and Gaiasoft for the Dutch Government on cross-ministry and civil society implementation and collaboration. It refers to work for the Dutch government implementing change programmes and also to projects in collaboration between government, business and civil society. Elements of this approach were originally developed and proven here in South Africa in government and private sector monitoring and evaluation and performance management implementations. With thanks to our clients and partners in preparation of this document. Special thanks to Nelson Mandela Metro and international clients for the screen shots used. 1 SADC: Southern African Development Community 2 IBSA: India, Brazil, South Africa



Meshworking – a support service for Cross-cutting Government Programmes

A meshwork™ is a Structured Collaboration Across Organisations to Accelerate Learning and Results

5. Meshworks for enabling government: a summary

Every government faces the challenge of how to develop and implement programmes effectively and efficiently. How can many ministries, departments and agencies work together to fast track progress and results? This paper references and builds on practical South African experience by the authors and experience with CHE in the Netherlands and internationally, and on the global best practice research of the EU MIDIR research project.

This paper outlines a meshworki support service for developing and implementing cross-cutting sustainability programmes.

Meshworking links people, performance and knowledge within a common programme framework to achieve results. Meshworking support improves collaboration, synergy and oversight, while reducing cost, time and risk of delivering programme outcomes.



The programme facilitation is a proven process that nurtures commitment and confidence and develops team ownership, engagement and capacity. The process is enabled by unique3 meshworking software which connects people, manages accountability and actions, harvesting and re-using knowledge to scale programme results.

The programme meshwork support solution enables the programme management team to:

• build on the strengths and diverse perspectives of cross-cutting teams through facilitation, mentoring and online support

• integrate existing knowledge and information technology resources4 within the framework of the programme meshwork

• build effective communities of practice for each cross-cutting project and for the project team within each ministry.

Core challenges that this approach addresses are:

• How to make the most effective use of diverse expertise and knowledge to achieve a defined objective.

• How to achieve effective collaboration between people who are not in the same ‘chain of command’ or management hierarchy and hence cannot be simply instructed to perform tasks.

3 Gaiasoft’s South African and international patents and patents pending provide unique security and openness, protecting what must be private behind the firewall and connecting with people and resources from the public internet where appropriate. An organising framework. 4 Integration is through web services standards and Service Oriented Architecture.



• How to work across organisational and departmental silos (boundaries) ensuring the most useful contribution from different stakeholders

• How to keep an overview of all activities, tracking progress, learning from the best, and supporting areas that are falling behind

• How to integrate performance and results focus with supportive people-processes to create a culture of learning, innovation and achievement

• How to identify and share best practices which are specifically relevant to an individual in their work e.g. through programmes like Project Khaedu

• How to link performance management to best practices knowledge-sharing and effective people collaboration e.g. tying together existing successful projects such as Siyenza Manje and Khaedu which are already uncovering many best practices.

The meshwork facilitates effective cross-cutting project-based communities of practice and in-ministry communities of practice.

The same cross-cutting approach applies to collaboration between business and civil society groups working together on national development.



6. Proven global best practice

Global best practice research5 confirms that cross-cutting programmes are most likely to succeed and scale if they:

• Take an integral approach, combining attention to collective structure and culture, as well as individual mindset and behaviour

• Combine a shared flexible template for performance

• Include a technology platform for monitoring, measuring, collaborating and driving implementation of the template within a particular context

• Give thorough attention to stakeholder engagement and

mobilization

• Stimulate a culture and mindset of learning and innovation (rather than predict and control)

The same EU funded research identifies cross-cutting sustainability programmes as an area where this approach is particularly relevant. The selection criteria for tools to support this approach are in Appendix 1 below.

The performance and M&E elements of the meshwork have been in use in South Africa since 2001. In Holland, the meshworking support service is in use in the Dutch Ministry VROM and also the Dutch private sector collaborative sustainability and biodiversity network “Leaders for Nature.”

7. A practical approach

A meshwork approach facilitates self-organisation, using the ‘wisdom of the crowd’ to find the simple projects, knowledge and communities of practice to achieve a complex task. A complex multi-stakeholder project is translated into an appropriate hierarchy of pillars (areas for collaboration) and conditions (which must be met to achieve success).

In the case of South Africa’s 2009-2014 programme, these pillars are likely to be the cross-cutting government commitments which make up the programme. A meshwork support process works from the core purpose (e.g. eliminate poverty), identifying pillars to support that purpose, conditions that need to be in place for a pillar to be strong,

5 MIDIR European Union Research Project Contract n° 036708: Integration of Concept in Real Risk Management Settings in Various Cultures – Online tools for developing sustainability and resilience



action that puts those conditions in place, and best practices that can formulate action in other parts of an organisation.

In simple terms, this approach gets every participating person and organisation ‘on the same page’ understanding where they fit and their role in the national programme. Each person is motivated by the programme goal and understands where they fit in the larger programme and where they can find the people, knowledge and resources to achieve the programme results.

When this template is made explicit, it is possible to easily link individual actions to conditions supporting the projects within the programme. It is also possible to find best practices that are directly relevant to the specific area that anyone is working on.

8. Meshwork Elements Reducing Cost Time and Risk

Meshwork has one great advantage for the South African government – it can be built and implemented quickly and populated with the results from Khaedu, Siyenza Manje and other successes, immediately.

Meshwork Element Reduces cost, time loss and

risk

An online technology platform that combines performance management, knowledge exchange and a collaboration platform.

Without this, valuable time is lost, the organisation and administration overhead is excessive and energy and motivation are likely to dissipate.

Facilitated meetings designed to generate the content of the programme, as well as ownership of that content.

Without this programme, participants waste time finding the knowledge they need and end up repeating mistakes or ‘re-inventing the wheel.’

Action Learning training modules to identify and teach proven solutions and to develop the mindset and capacity to deliver.

Without this, lack of capacity, historic cultures and organisational boundaries limit participation, progress and results.

Peer-to-Peer mentoring supported by the visibility of the maturity of different parts of an organisation in their development.

Without this, synergies and peer learning opportunities remain unexploited, capacity building is slow and results are delayed.



9. Online Technology Platform and Shared Service Model

Gaiasoft has over eight years experience in performance management, M&E and program implementation in South Africa. Through this and global experience, Gaiasoft has developed an online environment to support the end-to-end lifecycle of a meshwork, from formulation of purpose, planning, through collaboration, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The platform is fully and uniquely compliant with the selection criteria published by the EU MIDIR best practice research project and set out in Appendix 1 to this paper. Gaiasoft’s patented6 platform links between (performance, transformation and cultural) indicators, emerging best practice solutions and communities of practice. The platform uniquely enables members of a meshwork to:

• Monitor and evaluate for results

• Do accountable performance management

• Implement results based compensation

• Link budget and service delivery

• Connect people and knowledge with focus and precision

• Eliminate re-inventing the wheel and repetition of costly mistakes

• Rapidly scale what works

• Make explicit the core areas of work and the level of progress in each area

• Benchmark progress in the different areas of work across different ministries and partners

• Identify peers from different parts of an organisation who are a step ahead and can mentor and teach

• Share and find best practices specific to people’s contexts and needs

ICT Works and Gaiasoft are working with a Gauteng based team to provide a shared service for performance management, monitoring & evaluation and meshworking. The shared service model significantly reduces the cost to individual government departments and agencies and enables immediate joined-up working and knowledge sharing. The platform is designed to be scalable for every ministry and to allow the three spheres of government to work together on delivering the 2009-2014 programme and beyond.

This is being implemented with private sector funding to “walk together” with government to achieve national goals and success.

6 Patents relating, among other things, to the linking of knowledge and solutions to a measurement structure. Pending patents in US, Europe, India, China, Brazil, Japan and South Africa.



10. Examples of software platform

Following are South African and international examples that show the Gaiasoft platform used to reduce the cost, time and risk of delivering government and collaborative programmes.

Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality

Nelson Mandela Metro has used the Gaiasoft software platform for its performance management and monitoring of its Integrated Development Plan (IDP) since August 2004. The link between service delivery and budget is of critical importance and is reflected in the following scorecard showing the Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan. The scorecard shows quarterly progress at the top level and by department.

Key Performance Area

Key Performance Element

Key Performance Indicator

Analysis explaining performance indicator

A department scorecard for Housing & Land



A monitoring report generated automatically from the system as an Excel spreadsheet that can be printed for use in management meetings.

Automated reports compile results measured across departments, combined with analysis and outstanding actions to track implementation of results. Different reports can be set up for different purposes. The results recorded in the scorecard are used to measure progress on performance agreements of senior managers and as a basis for calculating remuneration.

Leaders for Nature

In the Leaders for Nature Meshwork, the program areas or ‘pillars’ are Water, Land Use, Energy Use, etc. There is a community of practice for each of these pillars.

This meshwork screen shows people in the Netherlands in the Energy Sector working on Energy

Use in different roles (Business, Government, NGO, Scientist, Entrepreneurs, Media) and also best practices related to the same criteria.



Resilient Cities Initiative The scorecard shown below is developed from London-based Climate Change Agency’s programme management knowledge. It shows the monthly progress of a city sustainability programme consisting of programme areas and projects. (The scorecard shows demonstration data only.)

The dark blue lines are programme areas including City, Transport, Buildings, Industry, Energy, etc. The traffic light cells show the monthly progress of individual projects for the selected city.

The ‘cloud’ symbol to the left of a project name is used to access the best practice solutions or shared knowledge available for that project. The green arrow to the left of each project name is used to access the actions outstanding for that project.

The scorecard below shows how the progress can be compared across different cities to facilitate benchmarking and peer-learning.



11. Meshwork Development Roadmap The steps assume a programme being implemented across multiple ministries. The same principle applies to government agencies, local governments and public-private partnerships. In the case of South Africa, these steps are already in progress. There is a common goal of eradicating poverty and specific commitments with measures and milestones.

The starting point is to align on and commit to a goal, in this case implementing the 2009-2014 programme laid out in the State of the Nation Address. This step requires engaging deep human commitment. This happens, for example, when it becomes clear that the goal is achievable through commitment and collaboration. The meshwork support process is designed to demonstrate and presence the possibility and achievability of the programme goal and its value as a replicable success, for example by other governments.

Step two develops a shared story of how the committed goal can be achieved. The 3rd Dinokeng scenario of walking together provides an example of a story for achievement of a positive future.

The third step is to develop a template consisting of pillars, conditions, success stories, which in this case are the programme projects. In the case of South Africa, the pillars are the major commitments in the State of the Nation Address. The success stories are examples of service delivery successes that can be used in Action Learning and capacity building. Gathering these stories builds ownership.

The fourth uses the template to define a monitoring and evaluation system. In this case, breaking the programme into projects which can be colour-coded using maturity models and progress tracked over time. This will make the progress and success of the national programme visible and accountable at all levels, enabling the three spheres of government, agencies and other stakeholders to implement progress together. This is a similar approach to that taken in Nelson Mandela Metro, but on a larger scale.

Step five develops collaborative communities of practice based on ministries and projects. This is achieved through facilitated meetings, when participants are asked to place their photos and other information at the coordinate of their ministry and the particular project of the programme on which they choose to focus. The resulting wall display of a meshwork – of project names along the top and ministry names down the side, with participant’s faces placed on the wall, is referred to as a Meshwall™. The same visual meshwork display is also presented within the Gaiasoft meshwork software at the end of the facilitated meeting. This building of ministry and project-based communities of practice is an ongoing process which accelerates progress towards programme goals.

The sixth step supports communities of practice across ministries to deliver projects in ministries.

The seventh step trains and supports internal consultants to facilitate and scale implementation. These final two steps relate to scaling a programme template and solutions across ministries to achieve the overall programme goal.



Stages in meshwork development roadmap

Starting point Commitment to the national programme goals.

Facilitated process, dialogue or presentation

A scenario of future story for success – like the Dinokeng third scenario of enabling government “walking together.”

Facilitate chosen cross-ministry, cross project network, task force or experts to develop “template” and roadmap for implementation.

A “template” of Projects and Conditions for success and knowledge base of success stories.

These can be deduced from the project plans and milestones for national commitments.

Implement collaborative monitoring and knowledge sharing.

(Gaiasoft’s scorecard combines Monitoring & Evaluation for projects and conditions with tracking measures and actions, and stores success stories.)

Monitoring to track progress of projects and conditions over time, identify strengths, focus resources and fill gaps. Benchmarking to support peer learning. Similar to Nelson Mandela Metro’s IDP monitoring, but on a much larger scale.

Pillar > Condition Mar-09 Apr-09 May-09 Jun-09

Financial Resourcing

Health Budgeting Performing Performing Performing Performing

Gender Budgeting Developing Developing Performing Performing

Insurance System Beginning Developing Developing Developing

Free Services Beginning Beginning Beginning Beginning

Taxation support Developing Performing Performing Performing

Coordinate development of communities of practice. This begins with a face-to-face meeting where a “meshwall” is used to connect people according to, in this case, ministries and projects. This process continues in an online meshwork which other stakeholders can later join. This step is to facilitate community building for collaboration.

Develop online communities of practice for project pillars and ministries. Photo below shows development of a meshwall.

Communities of practice extend to business, community, NGOs and education institutions.

Coordinate and align stakeholders working between different stakeholder groups and communities.

Coordinating government, business, community, media, etc using template to direct resources to identify pillars and conditions for success in each place, e.g. Province/District.

Training of community development specialists to scale.

Training and support internal facilitators to align and implement programme projects.

Partnership

Cultural Practices

Education Health System


Legislation

Political Commitment

MDGs 4&5In Country

Partnership

Cultural Practices

Education Health System


Legislation

Political Commitment

MDGs 4&5In Country



12. Conclusion

This paper proposes a shared service model for monitoring and evaluation to fast track capacity building and achievement of national goals. We propose a meshwork approach to programme management to enable implementation across ministries and the three spheres of government, and to enable collaboration with business, civil society and other stakeholders. The meshwork approach is ideally suited to the urgent service delivery and implementation commitments of the President and the 2009-2014 programme. Global best practice from the EU MIDIR research project clearly indicates the need for integrated programme management for development. The solution outlined in this paper is uniquely and fully compliant with EU MIDIR project selection criteria set out in Appendix 1.

Meshworking is an integrated approach. The monitoring and evaluation software platform proposed is proven in use in South Africa, for example in Nelson Mandela Metro as described above. In addition, the international meshworking examples of Dutch Government (Ministry VROM), cross-sector sustainability projects (Leaders for Nature) and US “Resilient Cities Initiative” demonstrate the generality of the approach.

Meshworking is uniquely suitable for cross-cutting government programmes. Meshworking enables effective identification, sharing and implementation of solutions to the complex challenges of eradicating poverty, protecting jobs and achieving development. Meshworking provides technology support which connects people, performance and knowledge within the framework of the meshwork. The Action Learning approach to capacity building is proven to work in South Africa through project Khaedu, and makes an excellent fit with the meshwork solution and philosophy.

ICT-Works, AIA and Gaiasoft are uniquely experienced in combining large-scale ICT project experience, capacity building, performance management and meshworking track record. ICT-Works, AIA and Gaiasoft offer a programme meshwork support solution to reduce the cost, time and risk of building capacity and implementing cross-cutting service delivery programmes. The Action Learning approach finds grass roots solutions that work. The meshwork approach works across organisation boundaries even when solutions are not fully defined, bringing the rigour of programme management to the challenges of implementing the commitments of the 2009-2014 South African Government programme.



Appendix 1: Selection Criteria for software to support MIDIR

These criteria are reproduced from the EU MIDIR Report 2.4 in the paragraphs and table below

...the MIDIR methodology provides a solution to the rapid, scalable transformation of complex systems through knowledge sharing and learning. The approach applies directly to collaboration for climate change response, implementation of resilience and sustainable development. Figure 4.1 [of the quoted MIDIR Report 2.4] above depicts a generic end-to-end process from goal to governance system.

To facilitate the implementation of the end to end process described above, an integrated technology platform is required to support accountability, measurement of performance, transformation and culture, management of actions, capturing related knowledge of Positive Proof Points as a reusable template or pattern library. These templates must be implementable as a governance and management system at multiple levels of organisation or governance, for example national, provincial and local.

To facilitate the collaboration across functions and organisations, lenses are required allowing different stakeholder groups to understand through the perspectives of others. Finally the same collaboration platform must be securely, shareable between different stakeholders across boundaries of organisation and function, allowing different groups to receive the information they need, but only what they are entitled to. The suitability of a software tool or platform to support this approach can be assessed using the requirements in Figure 6.1 “Selection Criteria for software to support large-scale learning and implementation.”

In comparing and selecting tools, a prospective solution can be rated:

Red/Yellow/Green or

Non-Compliant/Partially Compliant/Compliant

for each of the requirements in the table below using a maturity model/check list.

Below is Figure 6.1 Selection Criteria for software to support large-scale learning and implementation from MIDIR Report 2.4.



Requirement Why it’s important R Y G

1. Accountability Accountability provides the basis for maintaining standards, driving improvement and change.

2. Measuring performance

Measurement provides the basis for accountability. Performance measures indicate whether a process is delivering. Performance measures are most relevant to a stable organisation. Where structural and cultural transformation is required, the key accountability of leaders may be for transformation and for culture and values.

3. Measuring transformation

Transformation of an organisation depends on many projects and changes – structures, processes, systems. The management system must be able to measure the transformation of structures, processes and systems.

4. Measuring culture

Transformation of organisations depends on culture, on trust, on collaboration. The management system must be able to measure the culture of the organisation as it is and the gap between current culture and desired culture.

5. Action management

Action management is the driver of results and the engine of continuous improvement (through the plan-do-check-act cycle of quality management).

6. Knowledge: Challenges, Solutions & Case Stories

Knowledge is organised according to the measure it impacts, the 80/20 challenges which must be met to perform in that measure and the 80/20 solutions, supported by case studies.ii

7. Reusable templates

Reusable templates consist of measures, knowledge and Action Learning resources which are used to drive change through a performance management process.

8. Fractal – multiple levels – National; Provincial; Local

Reusable templates appropriate to different types and levels of organisation, for example business and government at national, provincial and local levels. Management and knowledge management systems enable collaboration and learning between types and levels of organisation. This is a requirement due to the increasing interdependency between different sectors and organisation types.

9. Lenses – multiple views for different stakeholders

Different stakeholders have different perspectives on the transition – for example, financial, environmental, compliance and regulatory.

10. Interagency / multi stakeholder – lenses, filters, content

Different stakeholders and supply chain partners require confidential subsets of shared information to allow optimisation and tuning of performance, for example across a network of government agencies or businesses in a supply chain.



Appendix 2: Action Learning (and Project Khaedu)

Action Learning is the approach of learning by doing. In South Africa, Action Learning has been extensively used and proven successful, for example in the strategic transformation of South African Revenue Services (SARS) and in Project Khaedu described below. We have many committed managers, but many are struggling with how to implement with limited hands on training. Action Learning addresses that gap. Why does Action Learning work? Studies have shown the best way to learn is ‘by doing’.

7

By doing Throughobservation

Lecturingwith exam

Lecturingwith no exam

64%

37%

19%

8%

0

20

40

60

80%

Skills absorption success rate

Source: US Government analysis of training efficiency, 2002 AIA has developed highly tailored Action Learning programmes for Health, Education, Economic Development, Public Works, Local Government and Municipal Managers based on AIA’s extensive work in these areas. In addition there are cross-cutting programmes in Strategic Planning, Modern Work Study, Modern Human Resource Management, Process Analysis, Project Management, Organisation Design, Public Sector Finance for non-financial managers and Training Design. All of these programmes are very practically focused and build on the simple, robust best practices that have been uncovered in many public institutions here in South Africa. Action Learning exposes managers to these best practices and how they can be implemented in their own environments.

Background to Project Khaedu

The Government introduced Batho Pele in 1997 as an initiative to improve service delivery in the public service based on the principle of putting “people first” In 2003, a survey was conducted on the effectiveness of Batho Pele. Cabinet’s view was that many senior managers were “floating above” the issues on the ground i.e. they were not getting involved with service delivery at



the “coal face”. As a result, in August 2004 Cabinet made a decision which requires all SMS members to spend a period of at least 5 days examining service delivery issues ‘at the Coal Face’. This mandate was given to the DPSA to implement. To ensure that the deployment process was as useful as possible, it was decided to combine the ‘Coal Face’ deployment with a period of intense problem solving skills development – in combination with a programme called Project Khaedu (Venda for “Challenge”). Piloted in 2004 and early 2005, Project Khaedu has proved very successful with both participants and the organisations that have hosted teams during their ‘Coal Face’ deployments.

Project Khaedu is an innovative Action Learning programme, aimed at SMS and MMS managers in the public service, with:

i Case-study based approach, following best practices at leading international business schools e.g. Harvard

i Case-studies reflecting real SA public service experiences i Heavy emphasis on team-based challenges and problem solving

skills i Focus on developing practical skills which can be used to improve

your efficiency and effectiveness in your job today

Since its inception in 2004, Project Khaedu has enjoyed significant success:

• Over 3,900 managers have attended with an average satisfaction score of 92%

• All 9 provincial governments and the overwhelming majority of national departments have participated

• Many of the deployment reports have been followed-up with significant impact in the respective sites

In late 2007, the programme was transferred from the DPSA to PALAMA7 (formerly the SAMDI) and was extended to MMS, as well as SMS managers. Africa International Advisors remains the service provider for the programme, in partnership with PALAMA.

7 PALAMA = Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy



Contacts

ICT-Works Hannelie Pienaar: [email protected] +27 82 551 2991 Nothukela Sereo: [email protected] +27 73 643 7123 QVCS Africa, ICT-Works’ specialist implementation partner Chris Kruger: [email protected] +27 83 268 9630 AIA, Africa International Advisors Tim Hough: [email protected] +27 83 326 9007 Gaiasoft International Morel Fourman: [email protected] +44 7710 307 011 i Meshwork as it relates to a social process is a trademark of CHE Netherlands on behalf of CHE Global. Meshwork as it relates to collaboration, performance management or knowledge management software is a trademark of Gaiasoft IP Ltd. ii 80/20 Challenges refer to the small number of key challenges which are barriers to performance. 80/20 solutions refer to the small number of key solutions that address each challenge. Case studies refer to the positive proof points which demonstrate solutions.

Documents

M&E For Presidents Programme For Sa Version 1.2