For school improvement, how can using a value statement, outcomes, and key deliverables help you increase clarity and actually create value?

/ mkessenburg

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For school improvement, don’t tolerate blurriness—instead, get clear in detail about the value you want to create and what “done” looks like so you can actually create value. Why?

(1) Because getting clear in detail helps you flourish. (Remember, “a smart project leader starts with the assumption that nothing is clear”—Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager, loc 570).

(2) Because getting clear in detail increases the likelihood of shared understanding of what you’re working to accomplish, of good discussions and decisions, and of actually creating value in terms of increasing institutional effectiveness and getting people flourishing.

(3) Because not getting clear in detail increases the likelihood of competing views of what you’re working to accomplish, of bland discussions and mediocre decisions, and of only creating nominal change. Not good.

Note: “If members are not clear on the [value the team is to create], they will take the team where they think it is supposed to go, and that may not be the direction intended by the organization” (Fundamentals of Project Management, loc 2658). Not good.

(4) Because getting clear in detail is a best practice. Please keep in mind that “you can’t very well become something if you can’t describe and define it” (Fundamentals of Project Management, loc 650) and that “[w]ithout a clear and shared picture of the value you’re trying to create, the project is doomed” (Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager, loc 561).

How clear are you actually when you use a goal, action steps, and evidence of progress? This approach is the one I have quite a bit of experience with, and it got me clear in terms of what we wanted to accomplish (goal), what we needed to do to achieve the goal (action step), and what we wanted to see as we made progress on the action steps (evidence of progress). 

And while it did work, it also seemed to put the focus on completion (and on the mistaken belief that completion of action steps = completion of goal), instead of on creating value, on making a real difference. This approach also left some questions unanswered, for example:

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What can help you get clear in detail about the value you want to create and what “done” looks like so you can actually create value? Three things that come to mind for me are (1) a value statement, (2) outcomes, and (3) key deliverables. Let me explain:

(1) Value Statement (aka: vision script): Collaboratively develop a document that answers this question: What value do we want to create? Here’s an example:

Value to be created for an improvement goal for increasing compensation and benefits:
(A) We experience increased compensation and an enhanced benefits package that includes a wellness program, a pension/401K, and more funds for professional development.
(B) We have increased retention.
(C) We are better able to attract more qualified candidates. 
(D) We are flourishing (for example, in terms of professional growth), able to stay in Christian education for our careers, and able to retire well.
(E) Feeling more valued, we experience increased passionate purpose in terms of commitment to the mission and to helping each other holistically flourish in Jesus. 
(F) We experience increased morale and unity.

(2) Outcomes answer the question, “What specific results do we need in order to create value?” Here’s an example of an outcome: “We have increased retention.” (Note: This outcome comes from the above value statement.)

(3) Key deliverables specify in detail the products we should have and what services we should be receiving for a given outcome. For example, if the outcome is increased retention, key deliverables could include:

  • A chart showing current and past retention rates.
  • Staff survey data indicating impact of new compensation and benefits package on retention.

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Bonus: An added bonus of using a value statement, outcomes, and key deliverables is more and better feedback. For me, task completion is about being done or not done. So feedback is generally “yes” or “no”—as in “Are you finished with your curriculum maps?”

 When asked for additional feedback, I’m not sure what to say because I’m unclear about the value to be created, the outcomes, and the key deliverables—as in: “Are your maps good?”

However, when using a value statement, outcomes, and key deliverables, I can provide more and better feedback to questions like: 

  • How can we help you reach proficiency in terms of using an Understanding by Design approach to mapping?
  • To what extent are you being positively impacted by the value we’re creating?
  • What best practices will help us create value as we map the curriculum?

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How about you? How important is it to you to get clear in detail about the value you want to create and what “done” looks like so you can actually create value? How clear are you actually when you use a goal, action steps, and evidence of progress? What can help you get clear in detail about the value you want to create and what “done” looks like so you can actually create value? 

Here are some related resources:

Bottom line: For each improvement goal, get clear in detail about the value you want to create and what “done” looks like so you can actually create value.

Get flourishing!

Michael