Zen and the Art of Results Based Accountability Stephen Mondy and Merissa Barden Centacare Broken Bay CSSA NSW/ACT Branch Workshop 18 August 2010 © Centacare Broken Bay 2010

RBA is so simple that it is really difficult to understand

Results Based Accountability Why? How to get started How to introduce RBA into your agency

Results Based Accountability Why? Government Tenders Intrinsic value

Simple Common sense Plain language Minimum paper Useful

RBA algorithms

1 Who are our customers? 2 How can we measure if our customers are better off? 3 How can we measure if we are delivering services well? 4 How are we going on the most important of these measures? 5 Who are the partners with a role to play in doing things better? 6 What works, what could work, to do better? 7 What do we propose to do?

1.Who are our customers? 2.How can we measure if our customers are better off? 3. How can we measure if we are delivering services well? Decide on what’s important to measure

4. How are we going on the most important of these measures? 5. Who are the partners with a role to play in doing things better? 6. What works, what could work, to do better? 7. What do we propose to do? Keep track of these important things, review and improve performance

4. How are we going on the most important of these measures? 5. Who are the partners with a role to play in doing things better? 6. What works, what could work, to do better? 7. What do we propose to do? Keep track of those important things, review and improve performance 1.Who are our customers? 2.How can we measure if our customers are better off? 3. How can we measure if we are delivering services well? Decide on what’s important to measure

How do we know that what we do helps people? How do we decide what to measure?

Deciding on what’s important to measure

we do stuff Deciding on what’s important to measure

we do stuff well Deciding on what’s important to measure

we do stuff well the stuff we do is helpful Deciding on what’s important to measure

we do stuffwe do stuff well the stuff we do is helpful how much did we do? Deciding on what’s important to measure

we do stuff well the stuff we do is helpful how well did we do it?how much did we do? Deciding on what’s important to measure

we do stuff well the stuff we do is helpful how well did we do it?how much did we do?is anyone better off? Deciding on what’s important to measure

we do stuff well the stuff we do is helpful ACTIVITY how well did we do it?how much did we do?is anyone better off? Deciding on what’s important to measure

we do stuff well the stuff we do is helpful ACTIVITYQUALITY how well did we do it?how much did we do?is anyone better off? Deciding on what’s important to measure

we do stuff well the stuff we do is helpful ACTIVITYQUALITYOUTCOMES how well did we do it?how much did we do?is anyone better off? Deciding on what’s important to measure

ACTIVITYQUALITYOUTCOMES how well did we do it? how much did we do? is anyone better off? Deciding on what’s important to measure

4. How are we going on the most important of these measures? 5. Who are the partners with a role to play in doing things better? 6. What works, what could work, to do better? 7. What do we propose to do? Keep track of those important things, review and improve performance 1.Who are our customers? how much did we do? 2. How can we measure if our customers are better off? is anyone better off? 3. How can we measure if we are delivering services well? how well did we do it? Decide on what’s important to measure

ACTIVITYQUALITYOUTCOMES how well did we do it? how much did we do? is anyone better off?

ACTIVITYQUALITYOUTCOMES is anyone better off? how much did we do? how well did we do it? is anyone better off?

How much did we do? Performance Accountability Types of Measures Found in Each Quadrant How well did we do it? Is anyone better off? # Clients/customers served # Activities (by type of activity) % Common measures e.g. client staff ratio, workload ratio, staff turnover rate, staff morale, % staff fully trained, % clients seen in their own language, worker safety, unit cost % Skills / Knowledge (e.g. parenting skills) # % Attitude / Opinion (e.g. toward drugs) # % Behavior (e.g.school attendance) # % Circumstance (e.g. working, in stable housing) # % Activity-specific measures e.g. % timely, % clients completing activity, % correct and complete, % meeting standard

How much did we do? Choosing Headline Measures and the Data Development Agenda How well did we do it? Is anyone better off? Quantity Quality Effect Effort # Measure # Measure # Measure # Measure # Measure # Measure # Measure #1 Headline #2 Headline #3 Headline #1 DDA #2 DDA #3 DDA % Measure % Measure % Measure % Measure % Measure % Measure % Measure # Measure # Measure # Measure # Measure # Measure # Measure # Measure % Measure % Measure % Measure % Measure % Measure % Measure % Measure

4. How are we going on the most important of these measures? 5. Who are the partners with a role to play in doing things better? 6. What works, what could work, to do better? 7. What do we propose to do? Keep track of those important things, review and improve performance 1.Who are our customers? 2.How can we measure if our customers are better off? 3. How can we measure if we are delivering services well? Decide on what’s important to measure

How did we introduce RBA into the organisation? Gained support Briefed the Centacare Council and trained them in RBA Briefed the Senior management team and trained them in RBA Set up a RBA/strategic directions committee that included two Council members and representatives from all levels and services in the agency – 20 people who met one day per month for 5 months July-November (Champions!) Gathered data Trained the Committee members in RBA to lead 21 groups of staff in the RBA algorithms (4Q and 7Q exercises) and a “bigger picture” exercise.

Staff reported: Process was: transparent inclusive authentic

Outcomes for the Agency Every program developed performance measures: we know what it does, how well it does it, and if children and families are better off. Every team member is involved at their level: they know what it is their program is set up to do – the contract, the funding, and the service agreement. Every team is involved in strategic planning at their level: they know what they are going to aim towards over the next three years – outcomes (all outcomes) + data development agenda. Every team has an operational or business plan at their level: they know what it is they are going to do over the next year (head line outcomes + data development agenda) and how they are going to improve the lives of children and families. Every team has a reporting framework at their level that informs the operational plan and the strategic plan and the Annual Report

For more information about this talk please contact: Dr. Stephen Mondy Centacare Broken Bay PO Box 966 Pennant Hills NSW

Before I had studied Zen for thirty years I saw mountains as mountains and waters as waters When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains and waters are not waters But now that I have got its very substance I am at rest for it's just that I see mountains once again as mountains and waters once again as waters Ching-yuan