Developing Strategy at the Whole Population Level
Getting from talk to Action – whole population level
The challenge is to get from talk to action, from end to means and address the question “What are the right things to do?”
The process starts at the whole population level, which means starting by looking at the conditions of wellbeing we want for all people (or all children, all young people, all older people etc.) in a defined community and defining these as outcomes. Whole Population outcomes should be stated as simple, straightforward jargon-free conditions of wellbeing that anyone can understand. It’s important to recognise that Whole Population Outcomes are not targets. They are aspirational statements that reflect the vision for the community and set the direction of travel for partner agencies and stakeholders. Defining the outcomes is the start of the OBA planning process.
Because we are looking to contribute towards whole population outcomes then this process cannot be done by a single agency or service provider. We need to bring together all the relevant agencies and organisations together with service users, residents and community representatives with a role to play and/or a stake in the desired outcome.
We can then start the journey from talk to action by addressing seven questions:
- What are the outcomes (quality of life conditions) we want for our community and the children and families who live here? E.g. All people (in a defined community):
- Enjoy good health and wellbeing
- Feel safe and are safe
- Get the best start in life
- Benefit from a thriving economy
- Live in a quality environment
- What would these conditions look like if we could see, feel and experience them?
- If we could travel forward in time to our community where all the desired outcomes had been achieved, how would be know? Walking around our community, what would we expect to see and hear? By visioning our desired community, we can use the experience to inform the data that will help us measure our progress towards our desired outcome. This experience is a bridge between our desired outcome and the data we’ll use to measure our progress.
- How can we measure if these conditions exist or not? (Indicators) Are the measures getting better or worse? (baseline) Where are we headed if we just keep doing what we’re doing now (forecast)?
- We use data that we feel says most about the outcome (informed by the visioning process) to measure progress presented as historical baselines and forecasts with progress shown as the ‘curve turned’. The choice of Indicators will reflect the priorities for action.
- What do we understand about the causes of poor outcomes in our community? What are the forces and drivers at work? What is happening here? What are the barriers to progress? (the story behind the baseline)
- We turn the data into information by building up a rich story made up of stakeholders’ personal experiences and anecdotes balanced with research and academic study. The use of the term “Story” is significant in that telling stories is something most people feel comfortable doing. By encouraging local people to tell their story, we are giving equal credence to their life experiences alongside the knowledge of ‘experts’.
Who are the partners that have a potential role to play in doing better?
- Pursing outcomes of any kind of complexity involves partners and stakeholders from different disciplines working together. We need to build the most inclusive partnership possible including community representatives working alongside the statutory, voluntary and private sectors.
- What works to do better? What would it take to turn the curve?
- Linking the talk to action; informed by the story behind the baseline, facilitating discussion towards deciding appropriate projects, services or interventions that could plausibly contribute towards our outcomes
- What do we, individually and as a group, propose to do? (action plan)
- Pulling together our collection of plausible actions with a reasoned chance of contributing towards our outcomes and forming the core focus for our commissioning or delivery plans.
This seven step ‘journey’ is structured around a process that enables participants to contribute their combined skills, knowledge and experiences to inform each step of the way. The process maximises the contribution of all partners and stakeholders and creates shared ownership for the conclusions. The core process (known as “Turning the Curve”) has been used extensively to inform strategic plans and actions for a broad range of partnership bodies.
The Turning the Curve exercise demonstrates the basic process and is structured around the seven questions above. Task groups of (typically) between five and eight partners are briefed to complete a single page report working step by step in a logical sequence from the defined population and outcome to the action plan. The step by step briefing for facilitating a Turning the Curve Planning Whole Population exercise can be found in the Resources section which includes the Report Card template to record conclusions and form the basis for creating and monitoring the Plan.
Becky Clarke
Health Trainer Service Manager, Hull Health Trainer Service, (NHS Hull)
David planned and facilitated a team away day for us in the middle of service and team change management. His advice proved to be invaluable in terms of management objectives being achieved and he gauged the sessions just right. I am both pleased and surprised by how the team dynamics changed following this day. Five months on and the team are positive about further developments to the service and working together
Dr Ian Kelly
Chief Executive, Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce
David’s passion and enthusiasm is what makes his work as facilitator such a success. He is great fun to work with and his preparation and insight tease out all the key issues under discussion.
Nathan Elvery
Chief Executive, West Sussex County Council
Thank you for the session, it has ignited my organisation and has come at the right time as we plan for the challenges that lay ahead for our organisation, no different to the rest of local government but we are having to change our thinking. The session had very positive feedback and I have already had a list of volunteers to take this forward.
Chris Simpson
(Previously) Head of Community Regeneration and Culture, Blyth Valley Borough Council
David was a great help to us in Blyth Valley in carrying out a review of the VCS infrastructure support in the area. He has extensive knowledge of working in the sector and his final report helped us map out a way forward.
Victoria Bissett
Previous Director, Artlink Centre for Community Arts
David is a fantastic facilitator, he is creative and intellegent in his approach and has a genuine care and consideration for you (the client) and for all taking part and experiencing the event
Steve Brennan
Chief Finance Officer, NHS North Kirklees CCG
David worked with us to introduce the OBA approach to our senior clinical leaders and managerial staff. This invaluable session struck a chord with us in terms of how we can make a big impact on improving the health and social care for our population with the scarce resources we have at our disposal.
Philip Houlden
Justices' Clerk, Humber Division
David assisted with some important work in relation to how best to engage with residents and community groups. His knowledge and skill was a vital part of establishing that aspect of my project which needed to be handled carefully and sensitively
Nick Warren
Chief Executive (Retired), Voluntary Action Sheffield
I have worked with David on a number of occasions in recent years and appreciate his skills at facilitating focussed discussion within a diverse group of individuals, analysing complex data and providing the tools for effective decision-making.
Rikki Arundel
,
Whenever I attend an event that David is facilitating I know it will be a lively and interesting meeting. He has immense knowledge of the voluntary and public sectors, always up to date with the ever changing regulations and has a remarkable ability to help everyone at a meeting get the most from it. I highly recommend him
Kevin Curley
Chief Executive (Retired), NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action)
A top quality facilitator and adviser, David works from a strong values base and always delivers on his promises. Highly recommended.
Carol Cooper-Smith
Director, Barnsley Development Agency
I have worked with David Burnby on numerous occasions and on very different subject areas, eg LEGI, workforce development, social enterprise. His facilitation skills are excellent and he has a real talent for involving people and bringing out fresh ideas. We’ve been particularly impressed with his work on Outcome Based AccountabilityTM.
Tony Kluge
Planning and Partnerships Manager, ABMU Local Health Board, Swansea Locality
The training provided by David was well put together and thought out, resulting in an engaged group of senior management from across a range of organisations in the city. The course was pitched confidently and generated a great deal of discussion; whilst not being too technical, it assumed a relevant level of understanding from the audience.
Russ Waterman Ma MCMI ABCI
Manager, Hull Youth Justice Service, Hull City Council
Working in law enforcement and facing the prospect of integrating other public service personnel into the wider policing family long before it became a buzz word could have been a headache without the expertise of David and his team. The training and exercising of leadership and partnership skills was unbeatable and had an immediate and positive effect on our new teams putting them at the forefront of partnership working
Nick Pontone
Previous Manager, Hull Business Forum
David’s knowledge and facilitation skills have helped bring our business forum meetings alive. His blend of audience engagement, incisive questions and good humour has consistently been a major factor in the success of our events.
Professor Marjorie Mayo
Professional and Community Education, Goldsmiths, University of London
David is one of the most effective and inspiring facilitators that I have ever come across. He has the most imaginative and engaging way of working with groups, providing the knowledge that participants need whilst stimulating their interest and enthusiasm. David combines an apparently relaxed style with the most demanding professional standards – highly recommended.
Jenny Gavin-Allen
North Lincolnshire Council,
Working with David Burnby to embed Outcome Based AccountabilityTM within the Acorns Neighbourhood Management initiative has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Under David’s expert tutelage, residents and service providers have worked together with the team to develop a common vision, with clear outcomes, indicators and performance measures that we all understand and can share in achieving together.
David Hewitt
City Performance Officer, Corporate Policy Unit, Sheffield City Council
I was impressed by the way David tailored an excellent facilitation skills course to our requirements. It was full of useful techniques we can take away and use. It was also helpful that David clearly understood the wider context in which Local Authorities work so that he could use examples that were meaningful to us. Recommended without reservation!
Ian McGregor
General Manager, Tees Valley Leisure
I was involved in David’s Outcome Based Accountability (OBA) 2 day course. From what was expected to be a very complex matter upon building strategies to influence outcomes across a broad population, David managed to make the journey simple, straightforward and practical, turning talk into action. I’d advocate businesses adopting OBA and suggest that people should make contact with David to find out more.
Ian Burbidge
(Previous) Policy & Performance Manager, Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk
David has brought a fresh approach and a sense of humour to our partnership working, helping us cut through the talk to get at the actions we need to take to make things better in our area. As a facilitator he is always highly rated by delegates.
Jackie Wright
Haven Project Manager, Goodwin Development Trust
Our confidence [in you] was not misplaced at all. Already we have improved communication and understanding within the team which is great. Thank you for your understanding and excellent handling of both the issues and us as individuals on the day. Very positive feedback has been received from all members of the team on the day.
Liz Richardson
Research Fellow, IPEG (Institute for Political and Economic Governance), University of Manchester
David is one of the most knowledgeable and inspiring co-trainers I’ve worked with who is able to give people that ‘light bulb’ moment and offer them real tools for skills development.
Pete Chilvers
Chief Executive, SDSA
We have worked with David for several years in a number of leadership development programmes. David’s contribution is now one of the first onto the drawing board of any new programme design as his presentation around leadership for outcomes is always totally relevant, challenging and well-received. His presentation of OBA/RBA serves as a powerful reminder of the core purpose of public service.
Kim McLaughlin
Head of Community Planning and Performance, Fermanagh & Omagh Council
I just wanted to take a moment again to thank you for delivering today’s session and for the work that you put in with us to pull together the programme and to support us in improving our scorecards – its been invaluable to us. I hope to be able to engage your support further as we work towards a new Corporate Plan for the Council over the coming months which we aim to align closely to the Community Plan and to take forward using OBA. (February 2019)