The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a way of structuring the key objectives for your own peer organisation. Assessing each objective involves us selecting key measures for which we then gather information, enabling its analysis resulting in our conclusions. These will inform us about where we are, in comparison with where we want to be. They can also assist our thinking around how we structure our journey to get there. Our analysed evidence gives us insight and feedback essential to our success. We have seen that by using the BSC, peer organisations can gather tailored evidence, as a kind of ‘compass’ to assist each program to navigate their way based on their purpose, program design and concept of success.
Data analysis is a key component of using collected evidence to inform, learn and improve our peer programs. We previously developed an understanding of the tools that peer programs can use to gather evidence. We have now discussed ways of managing, collating and utilising this evidence. Data analysis can be a simple process, usually with a focus on exploring ways of interpreting the evidence as cleanly and completely as possible. Upon determining an appropriate coding method, the most common technique for survey data involves entering responses into a database or employing an online survey tool and then exporting the completed database. For qualitative evidence, you will want to explore emerging themes and discuss them in your reporting. These, combined with quotes and unedited responses, can serve as powerful illustrations of performance.
Next in the training package we present our final new content and conclude our journey into learning and improving disability peer programs through evidence collection. We will discuss utilisation of analysed evidence and the various ways we can use this, both internally and externally. Our findings should be significant and relevant to a range of different audiences. We will also explore how to approach the reporting of these conclusions. Our goal is to display simple ways of producing strong evidence of your success which your peer organisation can embrace, both internally and externally.