NATIONAL PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK - PRIORITISATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

In 2007, the Scottish Budget Spending Review established a National Performance Framework that provides a coherent vision for Scotland’s priorities and the benchmarks against which achievement can be measured. The framework provides a highly focussed approach to performance management based on outcomes rather than activities. However, with 15 objectives and 45 targets and outcomes defined in the Framework, many public sector organisations find it difficult to prioritise their key programmes and projects.

In the public and not for profit sectors, the decisions regarding prioritisation are normally based on service or satisfaction of the overall raison d’etre. These organisations are often involved in a wide diversity of projects, which can make it very difficult to compare one with the next or like with like. It therefore becomes very difficult to identify those activities that have the most strategic value.

4-consulting has developed the Impact Matrix™ a tool specifically developed to enable strategists and executive business managers ensure that their major programmes and projects are aligned to their organisation’s long-term objectives.

The Impact Matrix™ maps programmes and projects against Objectives and their Outcomes or Key Performance Indicators and creates a strategic score for each programme/project. The strategic score is based on the relative priorities of the portfolio of programmes and projects, objectives and outcomes. The strategic scores can initially be viewed in isolation. However, they can be put into greater context by being plotted against an estimated cost for the activity or project. Once all of the projects are plotted, it is possible to identify those which:

will deliver quick wins (against overall objectives)

should be ranked further

can be justified as “end of year spend” and

those which should be re-assessed.

Based upon a robust mathematical model, this tool is flexible enough to work for all types of organisation, as long as they have some indication of their strategic objectives. More robust information can be modelled if the organisation is able to provide effective metrics for their objectives, as these can provide further insight into the strategic value of the activities and projects.

The 4-consulting team has created a demonstration Impact Matrix™ database populated with the National Performance Framework Objectives and the related Outcomes and Target and welcomes opportunities of demonstrating how the Matrix can be used by any public sector organisation to prioritise its portfolio of programmes and projects.

To see the National Performance Framework demonstrated on our Impact Matrix™ database, please contact Sandy Pratt at Sandy.Pratt@4-consulting.com. You can click here to view his profile.

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