Designing the dashboard

Unit Standard 337 059 – Apply monitoring and evaluation approaches and tools to assess an organisation’s or programme’s performance

Level 6 = 15 credits = 2 days

The latest framework regarding effective monitoring, or the building of dashboards as reflected in this RFQ, is known as the COSO framework.  During the last 10 years the COSO framework has been improved and linked to the principles of combined assurance.  Combined assurance is in line with KING IV and reflects on the four lines of assurance, or in some cases the three lines of defense.  The COSO model includes a methodology which is risk based – dashboards should monitor risk and once risk exceeds the risk appetite.

The COSO model has been adopted by National treasury, and it is in line with the current transversal training programs being run by the Provincial Treasury of the Western Cape.

Outcomes

1. Contextualise different approaches to and theories of monitoring and evaluation in a particular organisation.
2. Demonstrate understanding of research design and methodology for monitoring and evaluation an organisation or programme in a specific context.
3. Design a monitoring and evaluation plan for a specific context.
4. Collect appropriate data aligned to specific indicators in a monitoring and evaluation plan.
5. Analyse and interpret collated data.
6. Present the findings and recommendations of a monitoring and evaluation project or plan.

Content of training

1. Understanding the purpose for using dashboards
2. Understand the role of dashboards in an organization
3. Building dashboards using the combined assurance approach
4. Apply data layout to create dynamic dashboards
5. Merge and consolidate data using shapes
6. Using alerts to draw attention to dashboards
7. Create KPI dashboards
8. Track and analyse KPI’s metrics, and key data to monitor processes
9. Track multiple data sources to monitor and analyse performance.

In brief our methodology will include the following:

1. Understanding the role players – defining the roles of councils, the accounting officers, the line managers, risk management and internal audit in the design and monitoring of dashboards. The principles will be covered in the format depicted below. Regardless of how a particular organization structures its three lines of defense, there are a few critical principles implicit in the Model:
2. The first line of defense lies with the business and process owners whose activities create and/or manage the risks that can facilitate or prevent an organization’s objectives from being achieved. This includes building dashboards (KPI’s) that are aligned to the strategic and operational objectives.  The first line owns the risk, and the design and execution of the organization’s controls to respond to those risks.
3. The second line is put in place to support management by bringing expertise, process excellence, and management monitoring alongside the first line to help ensure that risk and control are effectively managed. The second line of defense functions are separate from the first line of defense but are still under the control and direction of senior management and typically perform some management functions. The second line is essentially a management and/or oversight function that owns many aspects of the management of risk. 3. The third line provides assurance to senior management and the board over both the first and second lines’ efforts consistent with the expectations of the board of directors and senior management.
4. The third line of defense provides assurance on risk and control, and specifically on the adequate design of the dashboards.