Planning for Results

1
Planning for Results

• National Peer to Peer (NPtP)
• ROMA Training Project
• Goal 5 Agencies improve capacity to Achieve
  Results

2
The OCS Monitoring and Assessment Task Force

• in 1994,produced a National Strategic Plan
• which endorsed a results-oriented approach for
  CAAs.

In the Strategic Plan, the MATF identified six
national goals, so that all CAAs could talk
about their results using one or more of these
goals.
3
The Six National Goals

• Goal 1. Low-income people become more
  self-sufficient. (Family)
• Goal 2. The conditions in which low-income
  people live are improved. (Community)
• Goal 3. Low-income people own a stake in their
  community. (Community)
• Goal 4. Partnerships among supporters and
  providers of
• services to low-income people are achieved.
  (Agency)
• Goal 5. Agencies increase their capacity to
  achieve results. (Agency)
• Goal 6. Low-income people, especially vulnerable
  populations, achieve their potential by
  strengthening family and other supportive
  systems. (Family)

4
In 1998, the CSBG Act was amended,

• mandating implementation of a comprehensive
  performance-based management system,
  Results-Oriented Management and Accountability,
  
• or ROMA,
• across the entire Community Services Network.

(Performance reporting, using ROMA, from all
partners in the Network began October 1, 2001.)
5
So, we began to focus on results.

• The focus for the past decade, for many Community
  Action Agencies, has been on the identification,
  observation, documentation and reporting of
  outcome data rather than just describing and
  reporting the services delivered.
• We have been addressing these questions
• What happened to the families we serve and the
  communities in which we work?
• How have our agencies changed?

6
How do we interpret our results?

• Questions are growing out of the data that we
  have been collecting, and we are now seeking to
  link the results that have been identified to
  family/community needs and to the strategies we
  employ to meet the needs, such as
• Do our strategies and services address the
  anti-poverty mission of Community Action?
• What do our results mean in context of changing
  community circumstances?
• How many people have actually moved out of
  poverty (become self sufficient)?
• What are the strategies and services that have
  been most productive in supporting these moves?

7
Looking at agency management quality and
effectiveness.

• These questions point to basic principles of good
  quality management practices and to using
  accountability data to improve performance.
• Do agencies have procedures and practices in
  place that will enable them to analyze the
  results oriented accountability data that they
  are now collecting?
• Do they to embrace all of the elements and
  activities of the cycle of Results Oriented
  Management and Accountability?

8
The ROMA Cycle
9
Why ROMA?

• Sometimes agencies will talk about their ROMA
  report or about the ROMA program.
• ROMA is, however, a complete management and
  accountability process that is focused on the
  results supported by your agency.

10
Connecting strategies and services to family and
community results can be a challenge
I think you should be more explicit here in Step
Two.
11

• How do we get more explicit about what we do?
• How do we decide what to do?

PLANNING!
12
Why plan?

• The act of planning provides an opportunity for
  an agency or a community to step away from day to
  day operations and consider a vision of the
  future.
• It helps you identify where you want to be in 3-5
  years.
• It allow you to consider, in a strategic and
  comprehensive way, how your agency will address
  its anti-poverty mission.
• It allows you to remain competitive as needs and
  community environment change.
• A well thought out plan will help to unify agency
  staff (from all programs) and board members
  around a common vision and common outcome goals.

13
A different view

• Where do you start your planning activities?

14
Community Action Agencies are more than service
providers.

• STRATEGIC THINKING MODEL
• The development of strategies must be built on a
  firm foundation that includes the community
  outside your agency.
• What will the community be like if you are
  successful in your work?
• Who do you want the community to say you are?
• How can you develop Stakeholder Involvement?
• You must be faithful to your mission and to your
  corporate identity as an anti-poverty agent.

• PROVISION OF SERVICES MODEL
• Providing services because funding is available
  can distract you from a more effective selection
  of services and strategies.
• Failure to link activities together to form a
  comprehensive set of services and advocacy
  strategies may reduce your effectiveness in
  helping the families with whom you work to move
  out of poverty.
• Sometimes there are unintended consequences doing
  the same services you always have done --
  enabling the continuation of poverty.

15
A different view

• Where do agencies start their planning
  process?
• -- Some begin looking at the services they
  currently provide.
• -- Some look at the resources they have, or
  might be able to attract.
• We propose that the results focused way to do
  planning is to first articulate the vision for an
  improved community that is identified in the
  agency mission and use that mission to drive
  the identification of results that the agency
  wants to achieve.
• AFTER the results/outcomes are identified, THEN
  the agency can identify strategies that would
  enable them to promote those results, and FINALLY
  they identify the resources (existing and those
  that need to be developed) that will support
  their delivery of these strategies.

16
Hierarchy of Planning

• Design develop services and activities based on
  the identified outcomes to be achieved,
  priorities established and resources.
• Identify outcomes and indicators that align with
  the agency priorities and community assessment.
• Develop priorities to address needs -- based on
  mission and vision.
• Identify needs and resources of the community.

17
Consistent with guidance from legislation

• We have been charged with identifying community
  needs (as they relate to the elimination of
  poverty) and resources, and then creating
  strategies that use existing resources (and
  develop new ones) to address needs.
• (1964 OEO language, 1970 directive, 1998
  recertification)
• And we are responsible to develop a Community
  Action Plan that indicates what we will do and
  what we will accomplish.
• CSBG ACT 1998 - Sec.676(b)(11) -- The State will
  secure from each eligible entity in the State, as
  a condition to receipt of funding by the entity
  through a community services block grant made
  under this subtitle for a program, a community
  action plan (which shall be submitted to the
  Secretary, at the request of the Secretary, with
  the State plan) that includes a community-needs
  assessment for the community served, which may be
  coordinated with community-needs assessments
  conducted for other programs.

18
More recent guidance from OCS

• Specific core activities are identified in
  Information Memorandum 49 (2001), for Agencies
  and their Boards
• Regular assessments of the Agencys overall
  mission, desired impacts and program structure
  including
• Needs of community and residents,
• Relationship of activities supported by Agency to
  other anti-poverty, community development
  services in community,
• Extent Agency activities contribute to the
  accomplishment of one or more of the six national
  ROMA goals
• Use of these assessments to identify yearly or
  multi-annually improvements or results it plans
  to achieve in the lives of individuals, families,
  and/or the community.

19
Planning for Results Curriculum

• In response to input from the NPtP Advisory
  Council and Certified ROMA trainers from across
  the country, CAAP commissioned the development of
  a guide for CAAs to help them improve their
  planning processes.
• The result is a product that has been piloted in
  PA, NY and CA.
• It consists of four 2.5 hour modules that can be
  combined in a variety of ways.

20
Planning for Results Modules

• Module I - Developing a Community Vision explores
  a vision for the community and assesses where the
  community is relative to that vision
• Module II - Setting Priorities and Determining
  Outcomes examines challenges and supports to the
  agency mission and desired outcomes of community
  and agency to help with setting priorities and
  determining.

21

• Module III - Developing Strategies examines
  existing and new strategies for achieving the
  outcomes aligned with priorities
• Module IV - Identification and Development of
  Resources reviews current and needed resources
  for implementing strategies

22
In Module I we look at Vision

• Your agency works in the context of a community,
  and as such needs to be able to ground its works
  in the visions of the community.
• In Module I, we suggest you include community
  partners and recipients of service as you begin
  the planning process.

23
In Module II we identify outcomes

• We begin this module with a review of the agency
  mission.
• Once your agency has a clearly articulated vision
  and mission, it is important to assess the
  community supports and challenges that will
  impact on the agencys plan.
• It is important to identify outcomes and to
  identify the agencys priorities in the early
  stages of the planning process

24
In Module III we look at strategies

• Once your agency has done its community
  assessment, has identified the priorities that
  you will adopt for the next 3 to 5 years, and has
  identified the broad outcome areas that you will
  address,
• it is time to think in detail about what you will
  do, what indicators you will be looking to
  document, and how you will work towards
  achievement of specific outcomes within the
  outcome areas.

25
Identifying Strategies
Cont

• Identify strategies and activities which will
  achieve the outcomes identified
• Evaluate current activities relative to their
  strategic impact on those outcome
• Determine which programs should be continued to
  be supported, altered or dropped
• Determine potential new activities and/or
  strategies

26
Identifying Strategies Cont

• Identify areas to be discussed
• Focus on 4 or 5 areas
• Select domains that the agency will address
• Consider current agency efforts but broaden the
  discussion to new areas.
• Consider strategies
• Operating programs is one kind of strategy but
  also consider community education, volunteer
  engagement, advocacy and partnerships .
  

27
In Module IV we look at resources.

• What is needed to implement the strategy you
  identified?
• There are many different types of resources. What
  resources do you have? What partnerships can
  assist?
• What resources are needed to be developed? How
  will you face this challenge?