Ripples from Performance Measurement: Integrating Performance Reporting with Systems Change Storytelling

Abstract Information: Systems change and performance measurement are often times opposing factors when conducting an evaluation. Funders want clear quantitative measures to help understand the impact of the program they have invested in and to ensure the work that was approved is carried out; however, systems change often cannot be distilled into a set of measures such as the number of participants or pre/post test changes in attitude. These opposed viewpoints create tension in the project and ultimately leads to an evaluation that does not end up being useful to all parties. This ignite presentation will highlight a different approach to systems change which pairs performance measurement with storytelling using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Method as its framework. The PDSA framework will provide a cyclical review structure to collect required performance measurement data and then, using a modified version of Ripple Effects Mapping, identify potential stories of systems change. This process will be demonstrated using a statewide early childhood systems building initiative as guide for outlining the process of this system as well as preview the stories uncovered and amplified through this process.