How web-based planning and reporting increased timely impact reporting and sharing Extension’s

success with constituentsDoug Lantagne - UVM ExtensionRobin Lockerby - UVM Extension

Stephen Judd - UNH Cooperative ExtensionLisa Townson - UNH Cooperative Extension

2014 National eXtension ConferenceMarch 25, 2014

http://lanyrd.com/2014/nexconf/scwhrq/

Who are we, anyway?● Doug is Dean and Director of UVM Extension

● Lisa is Assistant Director, Program Support of UNH Cooperative Extension

● Robin does Planning and Reporting Support at UVM Extension

● Steve is a techie and former Ag Educator at UNHCE

Project background● Four states (MA, ME, NH, VT) came together in 2005

(first plans in system for 2007)

● Triggered by federal reporting requirements change, but that was just a floor

● Seven states (+ CO, DE, MI) currently using the system

Why planning?

Planning is a critical organizational and individual activity to ensure focus on stakeholder needs.

● Organizational coordination● Accountability● Prioritization

Why reporting?

Reporting lets us know what actually happened (often quite different from what was planned)

● Accountability● Evaluation● Communication with stakeholders

A virtuous circle

Logic ModelPlanning and

ReportingSystem

Groups and individuals work together to assess situation, needs, etc. and develop plans and programming to address. Define evaluation measures.

Individuals “buy-in” to plans, customize, and report on what they actually do. Use data for accountability, program development, communicating with stakeholders.

Information is shared with decision makers, funders, stakeholders to communicate the activities and impacts of Extension

Information is used by groups and individuals to assess impacts, modify plans, refine evaluation measures, determine impact, set priorities.

Benefits / Products of system

● Logic Model view of plans● Meets individual needs● Meets team / group / project needs● Stakeholder reporting● Data for visualizations

Faculty use their LM plan in the system to populate their annual union contract.

Individuals can easily create reports of what they did, the impact measures they’ve contributed to, and narratives.

How is the state’s effort distributed across projects?

Logic model view of what was planned and reported

Identifying what’s being accomplished in a specific location.

Commodity groups or participant types are searchable (left). Report shows number and what programming is reaching a particular audience.

Numbers of contacts reported, compared with census data, by county was presented to give a different view of how we were reaching all corners of the state.

http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/CountyPopulationReachedbyExtensionProgram/Dashboard1?:embed=y&:display_count=no

UNHCE Lessons Learned

● Highest level must be involved

● Not an AI system

● Confidence in data

UVM Lessons Learned

● What challenges do you face when talking to stakeholders, partners, etc?

● What successes or challenges have you had in getting and sharing what your organization does?

● How do you use both quantitative and qualitative information when speaking with stakeholders and partners?

● Can everyone in your organization access the reports and information they need?

Discussion

More information

Doug Lantagne - doug.lantagne@uvm.edu Lisa Townson - lisa.townson@unh.eduRobin Lockerby - robin.lockerby@uvm.eduStephen Judd - stephen.judd@unh.edu

Site - https://lmprs.net

Additional Examples

Why have one system?

A single, centralized system allows for:● Aggregated data● Single source of info● Workflow rules● Awareness● Communicate with stakeholders● Transparency

Outside the system

Having a central planning and reporting system still requires:● Communication and coordination outside of

the system● Raw data needs to be converted to

digestible format● Organizational culture

Using a free form text box during reporting users can list Citations for report out when desired, for example - Annual Review.

Individual effort report - cumulative effort and effort type.

Capture narrative or qualitative information and relate it to outputs, indicators, locations, participants, etc.

Individual Planned vs Reported LM view.

Searching Program Collaborators provides a listing of those working statewide with a collaborator and those activities they are involved with.

Statewide data is easily available by year or date allowing over-time comparison.

http://public.tableausoftware.com/shared/RD83NQNKT?:display_count=yes

What we’ve learned

DON’T:● Make staff use many different systems● Ask for what you don’t need or won’t use● Expect people to love planning and reporting● Expect change to happen quickly!

What we’ve learned

DO:● Share what you discover / uncover● Use data in meaningful ways● Help individuals see how to use the

information for their own purposes● Create an organizational culture of value of

information, accountability, and set uniform and reasonable expectations

What we’ve learned

DO:● Provide appropriate technical support and

around effective planning and reporting● Be creative to engage users in looking at the

data, spotting issues or inconsistencies, interpreting, etc.