Improvement

Improvement is one of the most important components for an organisation to become and remain future-fit. Where impact measurement provides insight into what is happening, the improvement step ensures that these insights actually lead to better decisions, better performance and greater societal impact. It is a continuous process in which data, experience and reflection come together to improve strategies and activities within your organisation.

Which steps can you take?

Improvement can be divided into two components:

Learning

Systematically reflecting on information collected within the organisation about the impact of programmes, projects or activities;

Steering

Translating these reflective insights into concrete action (adjustments).

Key steps include:

  • Interpreting results from impact measurements or reflection sessions, considering what people think of these results and which effective elements led to them.
  • Determining improvement or development points: what works well can potentially be scaled up, while what does not work (well enough) can be adjusted or even discontinued. Also consider opportunities for innovation or potential risks that need to be addressed. In some cases, results may raise new strategic questions.
  • Prioritising improvement ideas and assigning ownership to increase the likelihood that improvements are actually implemented.
  • After a period of implementation, monitor whether improvements have been implemented correctly and, in the longer term, whether they actually lead to greater impact.

Which tools can you use?

Sensemaking session: organise a physical meeting in which you look at the results of an impact measurement together and answer three questions:

  • What? You have analysed the data; now it is time to draw lessons from it. First, provide context so that results are placed in perspective and can be better explained. What do we see in these results?
  • So What? Discuss what you think of the results. What do they mean? Are they positive or not as good as expected? What do they tell you?
  • Now what? Decide what you want to do with these results. Which improvements can be implemented? Which adjustments can be made to activities or approaches to achieve even better results? How can you create even more impact for your target group?

  • Dynamic learning agenda: a practical agenda in which you record what you want to learn by formulating learning questions. This agenda should truly be dynamic: questions are answered, and new questions arise. You compile this agenda together with colleagues during a session.
  • Reflection tool: when you have limited time or capacity to conduct an impact study, it is still valuable to regularly reflect on the effects you aim for and whether you are on track. A reflection tool can help. This includes a limited number of questions, for example, around five, on which the team consistently reflects. Possible questions are: In what way have we worked on our effects in the past period? What went well or not well in that regard? Have we also carried out activities that do not directly contribute to our impact? And if so, should we continue these activities? 

Tips

It may be that your results are very extensive. The risk is that so much time is spent on discussing the results that there is no time left to discuss the reflection questions. In this session, limit yourself to the most important and the most striking results, and engage in a discussion about these together.

Be honest, transparent and critical: avoid presenting results more positively than they are. Negative results are important to learn from.

You can also learn from positive results: what are the things you should maintain? Try to identify the effective elements of your approach and consider integrating them further.

Improvement in Practice: How does the ELJA Foundation ensure even more positive impact?: The ELJA Foundation is a philanthropic fund that develops innovative programmes with leading cultural organisations in the fields of music, dance and visual arts, helping children and young people from different backgrounds to be better prepared for their future and to become more connected with one another. One of these programmes is Sing & Dance UP!, an initiative of the ELJA Foundation and Méér Muziek in de Klas.

The ELJA Foundation wanted to examine the impact of the programme in order to learn from the project. Impact House carried out the impact research for the ELJA Foundation and Méér Muziek in de Klas. This showed that Sing & Dance UP! contributes to the development of social skills (such as collaboration and leadership) and creative skills (such as singing and dancing). In the longer term, it is more difficult to determine what effect the project has had on the children, particularly because the impact on social and creative development often becomes visible only slowly. In addition to this impact, we also drew a number of lessons from the research. Xanèl Rooderkerk, Manager Impact and Programmes at the ELJA Foundation, shares their experience with the impact measurement: “The research process into the impact of Sing & Dance UP! has yielded many valuable lessons. Through the working sessions together with our partner Méér Muziek in de Klas, the objectives and priorities of the project were further sharpened. This enabled us to make clear choices in the operation. The research provides many insights into the effects and effective elements of the project. For example, recommendations are given on the design of the music and dance lessons, but also on the communication surrounding the major concert where 5,000 children sing together. We are taking all these recommendations to heart to achieve even more positive impact with the new edition of Sing & Dance UP! in 2025.”

Would you like to know more about this research? Read more in this article.