1. Managing and Measuring Your Strategic Priorities Leading for Impact– [City name]
Session 6

2. SCI Ontario: Dashboard 2013-2014
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SCI Ontario: Dashboard

3. SCI Ontario: Sharpening strategic priorities
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SCI Ontario: Sharpening strategic priorities
Being the most reliable voice, advocate and leading expert on living with spinal cord injury in Ontario
Brainstorm one version of this priority that focuses EITHER on advocate OR on leading expert
Name one or more outcomes that might be the shared vision of success for this priority
For each outcome, name a metric or two that SCI Ontario could track to see progress

4. Dashboards are a powerful tool to help executive teams manage to their strategic priorities
Create an executive team dashboard
Gather and classify strategic priorities
Translate priorities into outcomes, metrics and targets
Dashboards
Executive
Other
Adjust
Test, refine and tailor your process
Gather data
and create dashboard
Align your organization
Develop departmental dashboards that “roll up”

5. Start with organization-wide priorities and associated outcomes you seek to achieve
Agree on priorities for your organization
Define what success looks like for each priority
Select metrics for key outcomes
Set targets for each metric
Report current data and flag areas of concern
Category
Priority
Outcomes
Metrics
Annual target
Current data
Status
Range key, per metric
On track
Needs watching
Needs attention
Programs
People and organization
Finance
Development
Communications and engagement
Governance

6. Intended Impact Theory of Change People and Organization
The key first step in creating a dashboard is to agree on and classify a set of specific strategic priorities
Sources
Categories
Strategic Plan
Programs
Intended Impact Theory of Change
Finance
Strategic
Priorities
Board Input
Development
Mission/Vision
People and Organization
Special Initiatives
Governance
Communications
Communications

7. Client example – The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
Goal
Priority
Metrics
Target
Current Status
Make gorilla habitats safer
Increase our conservation footprint
% change in gorillas protected
20%
15%
% change in land protected/monitored
10% 0%
% change in # of snares detected
50%
25%
Conduct cutting-edge science on critical threats to gorillas and biodiversity
# of peer reviewed, conservation focused gorilla articles 5 3
# of peer reviewed, cons. focused non-gorilla articles
# of research grants secured 2
Evaluate and strengthen community engagement
# of landowners participating in programs 6
% change in illegal activities recorded
# of local people impacted by programs
15000
Develop the next generation of scientists and conservationists
Increase and broaden scientific leadership within the org.
# of employees with or working toward advanced degrees 50
Expand and improve training with African universities
# of memoir theses published 1
% of memoir students in science or conservation careers
85%
Assess, build, and effectively communicate the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund brand
Invest in digital media
# of visits to website
20000
17539
# of social media post engagements
90000
87675
Improve awareness of the Fossey Fund work in Rwanda
# of visitors to Karisoke
750
500
Improve awareness of the Fossey Fund work
# of national and international media placements or stories
Attract board members and staff that will enable the organization to continue to thrive
Maintain a competitive, high performing employee workforce
% of employees with development plans
100%
% of employees meeting annual goals
95%
Employee NPS 9
Maintain an active and engaged Board of Trustees
Board meeting attendance rate
0.8
0.67
% of board members meeting give/get targets
% of board members active on committees
Develop a robust and sustainable funding model
Meet budget expectations
% actual rev. deviation from budgeted 5% 7%
% actual cost deviation from budgeted
Fortify and expand annual fundraising initiatives
# of mid-level donors ($1,000 - $9,999)
260
% of new donors retained
% of donors for which we have met our touchpoint goals
75%

8. Link the executive team dashboard to departmental measures that align your organization to priorities
Executive Team Dashboard
Priorities (push down)
Data (roll up)
Programs Dashboard
Finance Dashboard
Development
Dashboard
People and Organization
Dashboard
Governance Dashboard
Communications
Dashboard
Special Initiatives

9. Discuss strategic priorities
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Option A: For teams that do not have an Executive Dashboard or want to refine an existing dashboard
Goal: Begin to align on strategic priorities and experiment with creating metrics to measure and manage them
Discuss strategic priorities
Share the strategic priorities you identified for homework
Select 1-2 priorities on which you agree
What outcome(s) would tell you if you’d achieved this priority?
Which metric(s) are relevant, per outcome? What could you measure?
Plan
Next steps to further align on priorities
Capture your next steps and share with your Bridgespan coaches

10. Discuss current dashboard
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Option B: For teams that already have a working Executive Team dashboard
Goal: Review and refine current dashboard
Discuss current dashboard
Review your current dashboard:
Are you clear on your strategic priorities and associated outcomes?
Do you have the right vital few measures at the executive level?
What could you track at the departmental level to create a strong link with your executive dashboard and align priorities?
What, if anything, should you refine?
Plan
Next steps to refine your current dashboard
Capture your next steps and share with your Bridgespan coaches

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Exercise continued (for all teams): Implications for you as an executive team
Goal: Determine path forward for using a dashboard as an executive team to manage and measure your priorities
Discuss with your team
How could you better manage and measure your strategic priorities?
What changes would this require in the current work of your executive team?
What changes in processes and behaviors would be required?
Plan
Next steps to improve how you manage and measure your strategic priorities as an executive team

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Key points to remember
Start with strategic priorities, and use the dashboard as a tool to:
Agree: What are the strategic priorities you want to achieve over the next months and what it would mean to achieve them
Improve: Where are we falling short in terms of achieving our goals, and what actions can we take to improve
Align the organization: How do we align departmental measures to our strategic priorities
Determine the appropriate focus for the executive team:
Choose the “vital few” metrics: What requires the focus of the executive team
Manage: What must executive team do to drive the organization forward
Communicate: How do we adapt the dashboard to communicate to staff and board
This may require a change in the role and behavior of the executive team:
Guide the organization: How to guide the organization as a team
Work together: How to operate as and integrated team vs. a grouping of functional or department experts

13. In your second LFI project, you can create dashboards to manage and measure your strategic priorities
Step 1: Develop and/or align on priorities and outcomes
Using your current strategic plan, II/TOC, mission, etc., identify and agree on your, strategic priorities.
Step 2: Align on metrics and targets
Propose, review and adopt metrics and targets (for this dashboard period) for each priority.
Step 3: Collect data and build dashboard
Assemble the data you need then pilot and refine your dashboard process

14. Appendix

15. SCI Ontario: Helping people with spinal cord injury
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SCI Ontario: Helping people with spinal cord injury
Mission: Spinal Cord Injury Ontario assists persons with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities to achieve independence, self-reliance and full community participation
Economic costs of spinal cord injury across Canada are ~$2.7B/year
In Ontario, 33K people live with spinal cord injury

16. SCI Ontario: Key programs and priorities
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SCI Ontario: Key programs and priorities
Key programs
Strategic priorities
Direct services for people with SCI
Transition from acute care into community
Employment
Non-medical services for people with SCI
Peer support
Public policy/advocacy
Research
Information sharing and communication about SCI
Advancing service access and excellence
Being the most reliable voice, advocate and leading expert on living with spinal cord injury in Ontario
Sharing knowledge and driving change related to spinal cord injury
Excellence in governance, management and accountability
Increasing and diversifying revenues
As I mentioned earlier, the Leading for Impact program gives our team the opportunity to do two customized projects with support from The Bridgespan Group. We are currently in the midst of one of these projects, focused on strategic clarity.
[Explain context for the project, the key question, the analysis approach, how staff will be involved, and what to expect in terms of next steps and timing]

17. SCI Ontario: Dashboard 2013-2014

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Executive Teams use dashboards to ensure their organization is working towards its strategic priorities
An executive team dashboard provides measures of progress toward an organization’s strategic priorities
What is an executive team dashboard?
An executive team dashboard fosters:
Agreement: It forces your team to agree on the strategic priorities you want to achieve and what it would mean to achieve them
Improvement: It enables senior leaders to easily see what is and what is not working, so they can take action to learn and improve
Organizational alignment: It informs the development of departmental measures that will drive the everyday activity of your organization
Why is an executive team dashboard valuable?

19. Priorities can be of two types – either ongoing operational measures or finite special initiatives
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Executive Dashboard: High-level Categories and priorities to track
Programs
Finance
Development
People and Organization
Governance
Communications
Ongoing operational measures
Major program goals
Financial health (e.g., # months reserve, and actual vs. budget)
Fundraising targets
Staff satisfaction
Unwanted turnover rates
Talent development plans
Board engagement and activity
Board recruitment
Traditional and social media presence
Community connections
Finite special initiatives
6, 12, 18 and 24 month milestones

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“Rolling up” allows you to track progress of multiple departmental level measures at once
Example: Home Healthcare Organization Programs and Impact
Departmental Level
Executive Team Level
% of target population served
Number of patients with a Primary Healthcare Provider
Average appointment waiting time
% of patients triaged as high need
% of patients with a care plan
% of target population served
Number of patients with a Primary Healthcare Provider
% of service measures on track
As I mentioned earlier, the Leading for Impact program gives our team the opportunity to do two customized projects with support from The Bridgespan Group. We are currently in the midst of one of these projects, focused on strategic clarity.
[Explain context for the project, the key question, the analysis approach, how staff will be involved, and what to expect in terms of next steps and timing]
“Roll up” is a simple way to know what percentage of departmental level targets are being met

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Good strategic priorities: Get specific about what you must do next to achieve your intended impact
Strategic Priorities
“What” you must do over the next months as an organization to achieve your overall Intended Impact
Example 1 (Programmatic):
Ensure our programs meet or exceed established, research-based service quality indicators and client outcomes benchmarks
Example 2 (Finance and development):
Develop an unrestricted reserve fund that can cover at least 6 months of expenses
Example 3 (People and organization):
Increase retention of future leaders to grow our programs using internal talent
Each priority may have several “how’s” – the initiatives or actions required

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Outcomes, metrics and targets: What you will use to assess your progress against your priorities
Outcomes
Metrics
Targets
Define what success looks like for your priorities
Specific, quantifiable indicators of whether you have accomplished your priorities
The specific numeric goal you seek to achieve, customized for each metric
Examples (Programs):
Service outcomes will improve
Enhanced ability to grow programs
% or # of target beneficiaries achieving desired outcomes
% of service quality control checks that are acceptable
65% of target beneficiaries achieve desired outcomes
90% of quality control checks are acceptable
Example (Finance and devt):
Financial sustainability will increase
Months of cash reserves
6 months of cash reserves
Example (People):
Turnover and hiring costs will decrease
Average tenure of managers
% of manager and executive positions filled with internal candidates
Average manager tenure of 30 months or longer
25% of manager and executive positions filled internally this year
Outcomes demonstrate the value of achieving priorities
Metrics and targets drive everyday behaviors

23. Before review meetings During review meetings
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Using your dashboard effectively: Process checklist to conduct executive team review meetings
Before review meetings
During review meetings
After review meetings
Update all metrics with latest data
Generate dashboard report(s)
Identify key observations and insights to discuss
Circulate meeting agenda with dashboard, summary of insights and focused discussion questions ~2-3 days before meeting for people to read and reflect in advance
Remind participants of meeting norms and objectives
Recap summary insights about data
Reflect on underlying causes:
What is our hypothesis about why we’re seeing these trends?
Plan next steps:
What decisions can we make now based on data we have?
What decisions will we be able to make later when we have more information?
How will we gather additional information we need to make a decision?
Capture key decisions and insights
Perform any immediate action steps stemming from conversation
Gather feedback from team members on the effectiveness of the dashboard conversation and make improvements as appropriate