Nation Uses Logic Model to Organize Goals

NEWS RELEASE

Interactive methods aid effectiveness and transparency of new administration

PAWHUSKA, Okla. (Feb. 10, 2015)—More than thirty Osage Nation employees take turns raising their hands to share their ideas and input. Scott Moore, project management specialist, moves in a constant “T” shape, across the front of a wall then back and forth into the crowd to listen and respond to the group. The wall is a checker board of colored blocks with the employees’ ideas and input scribbled down. Moore is facilitating the ideas and management demands of an upcoming celebration for the Osage Nation.

“It’s a new process and we’ll see if it works,” said Osage Nation Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear who participated alongside employees in the planning activity that felt more like a friendly discussion instead of a meeting. The open setting allowed for everyone’s ideas and input to be valued.

Recently, the same approach that was used to facilitate Moore’s meeting was also applied to organizing the Nation’s many General Services Administration (GSA) vehicles into a Motor Pool. For many years the vehicles were only identifiable by their government issued tags and, of course, their regular users. Today, they are clearly marked with the Nation’s seal, making managing their coming and goings across the largest county in Oklahoma a tiny bit easier. The rest is up to the logic model process.

The objective of the Motor Pool logic model is to evaluate the cost effectiveness of GSA vehicles versus tribally-owned ones, and develop policies and procedures for the Motor Pool. This process includes gathering and analyzing various types of data, such as; drivers, duration of use, required maintenance, accidents, minor repair, and efficiency of vehicle type for departmental use.

It was discovered that this data is available but not in a centralized location. This has hindered effective decision-making. This is where a logic model assists by taking information, turning it into action plans, and getting results with a positive impact.

The Logic Model Process

The logic model process is a visual diagram of inputs, processes, outputs, outcomes, and impacts. Inputs are resources available for the project and outputs are activities and participants to produce certain results. With lots of individuals involved, the ideas are many and this is good because there are different questions, information and perspectives.

“It’s amazing what people, when put together in a group with a focused task, can actually get done. You can get so much more done together than you can with just one person,” said Moore. It also allows a participating individual to feel he or she has a stake in the project, its process and end result. The Logic Model process provides ownership or a more tangible investment and eventually a sense of pride in the success of a project.

Strategizing the Chief’s Goals

Standing Bear has had a list of projects to accomplish with new ones coming out each week since his administration began in July 2014. The Chief’s projects needed to be organized into a practical order of priority and include costs and timelines. Questions need to be asked about how a project is going to happen, when, and who will be involved.

At the same time the new administration wanted to demonstrate a new level of transparency. Osage constituents want to know what their elected officials are doing. Transparency is often an un-kept promise made by elected officials but the logic model approach would provide transparency for constituents, employees, and government to government relations.

“It's complete transparency,” said Osage Nation Assistant Principal Chief Raymond Red Corn. A logic model is a constant work in progress, benchmarks are clearly defined as well as who is in charge of the task. If there are costs there is a spot for that.

Red Corn added that for the purpose of checks and balances the logic model was perfect for reporting to the Osage Congress. “We can hand them the logic model and say, it’s all right there from start to finish.”

The process was suggested by the Nation’s Office of Strategic Planning and Grants Management director, Candy Thomas. Now, the Nation and the Osage-owned and operated Blue Star Studio have been implementing Logic Model trainings for many of the Chief’s goals in a train the trainer approach so programs and departments can start to utilize the method on their own.

Strategic Planning Steering Committee

The Strategic Planning Steering committee, composed of division leaders and directors, are working with Standing Bear and Red Corn to develop a prioritized project list which can be used to address projects that will be developed into logic models for implementation. This project list will also be useful for presenting to Congress so they can easily see what is needed, why it is needed, when, and the costs.

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