Independent Performance Assessment Regional Development Agency Improvement Plan Agency:
NORTHWEST REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Area for improvement Improve the Agency’s Corporate and Business Planning processes
Action Plan State the Objective: To ensure that the Agency can fully resource its Corporate and Business Plan commitments in terms of finance and people. Desired Outcomes / Impacts: The Agency delivers all of its corporate and business plan commitments. To ensure that the majority of Agency funding is spent on transformational actions over the RES period.
Actions required Action
Timing: Start
To include resource plans in Agency business planning.
Started
To develop resource planning approach to support on-going business planning
December 2006
Key Milestone
End
Production of individual Directorate Business Plans – Done July 2006
August 2006
•
May 2007
Develop proposed approach January 2007
Responsibility
Resources
KLOE
Director of Corporate Policy and Partnerships
• Executive Directors
Prioritisation Capacity
Director of Corporate Policy and Partnerships
• Head of Strategy and Performance • Executive Directors
• Head of Strategy and
Prioritisation Capacity
Performance
•
Implement approach with 2007/08 Business Planning – April 2007
•
Evaluate approach and resource implications - May 2007
Focus future investment on RES priorities through corporate planning process.
Started
•
Report to Board on headroom allocations for Corporate Plan - Done March 2006.
•
Ongoing
Director of Corporate Policy and Partnerships
• Project Review Group
• Director of Programme
• Head of Strategy and Performance
Publication of
1
Prioritisation
Corporate Plan August 2006
2
Independent Performance Assessment Regional Development Agency Improvement Plan Agency:
NORTHWEST REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Area for improvement To ensure a widespread understanding of the Agency’s Change Management Agenda
Action Plan State the Objective: Partners in the region and NWDA staff appreciate and support the rationale for change. Desired Outcomes / Impacts: Understanding and support for change as evidenced by staff and stakeholder feedback in commissioned surveys.
Actions required Action
Timing: Start
Key Milestone
End
Responsibility
Resources
KLOE
To finalise and articulate our change management agenda *
Started
EMB to agree ‘Change Agenda, Drivers for Change’ – September 2006
Ongoing
Director of HR, Organisational Change and Development
• Director of HR, OC&D • Executive Management Board
Capacity
Communicate our change management agenda both internally and externally
September 2006
•
Ongoing
Director of HR, Organisational Change and Development
Capacity
To ensure that the 2006 Re-organisation Transition Plan is effectively implemented to ensure continuity of service and relationship management
Started
•
January 2007
Chief Operating Officer Director of HR, Organisational Change and Development, Director of Policy and Partnerships. Executive Director of Infrastructure & Development.
• Director of HR, OC&D • Executive Management Board • Director of Marketing • Internal Communications Manager • Director HR, OC&D and COO
Announcement of ‘Change Agenda, Drivers for Change’ at Agency AGM – October 2006
Appointment of Transition Team - Done June 2006
•
Letters to Partners outlining Agency contacts - Done July 2006
3
• Head of Programme and Delivery (Project Manager) • Cross Agency Transition Team • Internal Communications Manager
Capacity
* As this agenda will continue to evolve this needs to be a document which is continually refined when external changes become apparent (e.g. CSR)
4
Independent Performance Assessment Regional Development Agency Improvement Plan Agency:
NORTHWEST REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Area for improvement Improved Learning and Development of our staff
Action Plan State the Objective: Skilled and committed workforce Desired Outcomes / Impacts: Increased internal progression and career development Staff feedback in commissioned surveys Uplift in assessed competencies
Actions required Action Undertake ‘Skills Needs Analysis’ (current and future)
Timing: Start July 2006
Key Milestone
End
•
November 2006
Design approval Done July 2006
•
Complete Skills Needs Analysis – October 2006
Responsibility
Resources
KLOE
Director of HR, Organisational Change & Development
•
Capacity
•
Report - November 2006
Director of HR, OC&D • Head of Learning and Development • Executive Management Board • HR OC&D Team
•
NWDA staff ICT Support Internal Communications Group • Director of HR, OC&D • Head of Learning & Development • Learning & Development Coordinator • NWDA staff • •
Develop a Learning & Development Framework.
August 2006
•
Learning and Development Strategy and Plan, EMB sign off - November 2006
Ongoing
Director of HR, Organisational Change & Development
•
Portfolio of Learning and Development interventions December 2006
5
Capacity
(Learning Entitlement to be agreed) Develop EMB Leadership Programme.
Started
•
Design programme complete
May 2007
Director of HR, Organisational Change and Development
•
Director of HR, OC&D • Head of Learning and Development • Executive Management Board • Lancaster University Management School
Capacity
Ongoing
Director of HR, Organisational Change and Development
•
Capacity
•
EMB sign off complete
•
360 Assessment September 2006
•
Launch programme - October 2006
•
Complete programme - April 2007
• Develop People Management Programme.
July 2006
Evaluate 360 Assessment - May 2007 (Linked to Skills Needs Assessment)
•
Design programme linked to Employee Life Cycle - November 2006
•
EMB sign off – December 2006
•
Pilot - January to March 2007
•
Refine – January to March 2007
•
Launch for NWDA Managers – April 2007
6
Head of Learning and Development • Learning and Development Coordinator • Executive Management Board • NWDA Managers • HR OC&D Team
Independent Performance Assessment Regional Development Agency Improvement Plan Agency:
NORTHWEST REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Area for improvement Define the roles and responsibilities of Executives and Non Executives within the NWDA
Action Plan State the Objective: Clarity both internally and externally on the roles of Executive and Non Executives within the NWDA Desired Outcomes / Impacts: The roles and responsibilities of Executive and non Executives within the NWDA are understood as evidenced by staff and stakeholder feedback in commissioned surveys.
Actions required Action • Governance discussion at Board meeting to discuss roles and responsibilities of Executives and Non Executives
Timing: Start September 2006
Key Milestone
End
Board meeting - 13 September 2006
September 2006
7
Responsibility
Resources
KLOE
Chairman / Chief Executive
• Chairman • Board members • Chief Executive
Capacity
Independent Performance Assessment Regional Development Agency Improvement Plan Agency:
NORTHWEST REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Area for improvement Show strong leadership in the development of Sub Regional Partnerships
Action Plan State the Objective: Five sub regional partnerships effectively ensuring that regional and appropriate sub regional priorities are being delivered and contributing to the RES Desired Outcomes / Impacts: Year on year improved quality of SRP Action Plans. Positive stakeholder feedback on the capacity and value of SRPs to prioritise effectively and to drive sub regional change. An increasing proportion of NWDA investment is allocated in line with SRP priorities
Actions required Action
Timing: Start
Agree Sub Regional Action Plans (and links with CRDPs) and funding streams from NWDA and Partners to deliver agreed priorities.
Started
Cumbria Vision to become fully operational as SRP Executive.
Started
Put in place mechanisms to ensure the sharing of best practice between the Agency, SRPs and other key Partners including Urban Regeneration Companies (URCs)
August 2006
Responsibility
Resources
KLOE
February 2007
Director of Corporate Policy and Partnerships
• Project Review Group • Sub Regional Action Plan Review Group
Achievement
November 2006
Director of Finance and Corporate Resources
• Director of HR,
Performance management
Key Milestone
End
•
SRP Action Plans submitted - July 2006
•
SRP Action Plans endorsed by Board - October 2006
•
Cumbria Vision Board to review draft structure – September 2006
•
Feedback on SRP Action Plan to SRPs - October 2006
April 2007
Executive Director of Corporate Policy and Partnerships
•
Agree method of sharing further best practice – January 2007
Organisational Change and Development • Human Resources • Corporate Policy and Partnerships • Partner resources • Director of Programme • Executive Management Board
• Project Review Group • Programme Office
8
Performance management
9
Independent Performance Assessment Regional Development Agency Improvement Plan Agency:
NORTHWEST REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Area for improvement Integrate where appropriate NWDA and Partners’ project processes. Increase transparency of NWDA decision making processes regarding projects.
Action Plan State the Objective: Improved project development and delivery within the Agency and in Partner organisations. Desired Outcomes / Impacts: Transparency of NWDA processes and clarity on communication as evidenced through:• Stakeholder feedback in NWDA commissioned surveys.
•
Reduction in number of projects that do not deliver on budget, on forecast and output targets.
Actions required Action Roll out Systems and Process Improvement Programme to external Partners to include:
Timing: Start September 2006
Key Milestone
End
•
March 2007
Review existing practices of relevant Partner organisations – August/September 2006
• Clarity on delegations
Responsibility
Resources
Director of Programme
• Programme Office • Legal and Finance • Project/Contract Managers with relationships with affected Partners • Head of Risk
KLOE
Ambition
• Strengthening of day to day relationships and communications
Prioritisation Ambition
• Clarity on NWDA decision making processes
Performance Management and Prioritisation
• Improvement of project planning and controls, including clarity on
Performance management
10
timescales
11
Independent Performance Assessment Regional Development Agency Improvement Plan Agency:
NORTHWEST REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Area for improvement Ensure Market Towns Initiative and Rural Renaissance Programme gather momentum to achieve priorities in the RES
Action Plan State the Objective and Desired Outcomes / Impacts: Delivery of Market Towns Initiative as part of mainstreaming of Rural Renaissance throughout NWDA
Actions required Action
Timing: Start
Deliver the Market Towns Initiative on time, budget and plan.
Started
Re-focus Rural Renaissance in line with the RES .
Started
Mainstream rural policy throughout NWDA
Started
Responsibility
Resources
KLOE
Head of Rural Policy
• Rural Policy Team
Achievement
Key Milestone
End
•Capacity building programme for Market Towns Initiative Project Officers and Partners – September 2006 •Consider recommendations of mid term evaluation of Rural Renaissance Programme – July 2006
March 2008
March 2008
Head of Rural Policy
• Rural Policy Team • Corporate Policy and Partnerships
Achievement
•
Ongoing
Head of Rural Policy
• Executive Management Board • Project Review Group • NWDA Policy Group • NWDA staff
Achievement
Refresh NWDA’s Rural Policy Statement – November 2006
• Project Delivery Teams
12
Independent Performance Assessment Regional Development Agency Improvement Plan Agency:
NORTHWEST REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Area for improvement Integrate and share Agency Risk Management with Partner organisations, particularly around delivery of the RES
Action Plan State the Objective: Shared ownership and management of key risks in the region Desired Outcomes / Impacts: Ensure that risks to Regional Economic Performance and Key Agency Risks are more fully understood in the region as evidenced by stakeholder surveys. Reduced impact on the region and the Agency when risk events occur.
Actions required Action
Timing: Start
To put in place a Risk Management Framework for the RES
Started
Agency to share its Risk Management Framework with Partners (Best Practice)
Started
Key Milestone
End
Identify key Measures of Effectiveness - October 2006
March 2007
•
May 2007
Establish Risk Development Group across SRPs / Regeneration companies – December 2006
Responsibility
Resources
Director of Corporate Policy and Partnerships
• Head of Strategy and
Head of Risk
Performance • Head of Risk • Head of Policy and Partnerships
KLOE Performance management Ambition
• Head of Programme Office
•
External roll out of SAPIP covers project risk - March 2007
Ensure the Agency’s Risk Management Framework is linked with the Risk Register of Partners (SRPs and RCs)
Started
•
Developed Risk Register available for Partners - March 2007
Operational from March 2007 with 6 monthly reporting
13
Head of Risk
• Head of Policy and Partnerships • Head of Programme Office
Performance management
Independent Performance Assessment Regional Development Agency Improvement Plan Agency:
NORTHWEST REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Area for improvement To fully implement all aspects of the Evaluation Framework, apply evaluation lessons and share best practice internally and externally.
Action Plan State the Objective: Evaluation evidence routinely used to improve Policy, Programmes and Projects Desired Outcomes / Impacts: Evaluation evidence is used in the development of all policy, projects and programmes.
Actions required Action
Timing: Start
Key Milestone
End
•
May 2007
Responsibility
Resources
KLOE
Director of Corporate Policy and Partnerships
• Strategy Team with
Ambition
Embed NWDA evaluation framework (including appropriate sustainability assessment)
March 2006
Undertake effective project evaluation.
Ongoing
•
Report to Project Review Group on progress in undertaking project evaluation – January 2007 •First review of completed project evaluations January 2007
Ongoing
Director of Programme
• Programme Office • Consultancy support • Project staff
Performance management
Introduce programme management
April 2007
•
Ongoing
Director of Programme
• Director of Programme
Performance management
EMB to finalise Evaluation Plan November 2006.
•
support from Programme Office.
Roll out Evaluation Plan - from February 2007
Project Review Group to agree Agency Programmes – January 2007
• Head of Programme and Delivery
• Head of Strategy and Performance
14
• Programme Team
15
Undertake effective programme evaluation
April 2008
Communicate lessons learned from all evaluation activities internally (eg Project Review Group, Appraisers and Board) and externally
May 2007
Develop vfm benchmarks and develop methodology for assessing GVA contribution of prospective projects
Started
• Pilot evaluation for Barrow programme – October 2006 to March 2007
Ongoing
• Agree method of communicating lessons learned – February 2007
Ongoing
• Test GVA methodology through pilot projects – October 2006. • Proposals for vfm benchmarks – December 2006
Director of Programme
• Programme Team
• Corporate Policy and
Programme management
Partnerships • Project Review Group • Research team • Consultancy support Director of Programme Head of Strategy and Performance Head of Programme Office
March 2007
Director of Programme
• Project and Contract Managers • Research Team
• Project Review Group • Programme Office Training Specialist • Programme Office • Research Team
• Potential consultancy support
16
Performance management
Performance management