Purpose of this Blog


ARPA is committed to developing an assessment framework and system to help define, monitor and recognize outstanding performance in recreation, parks, arts, culture and community-building organizations and agencies. The development process began in May 2010 and will be complete in November 2011. This blog is intended to keep stakeholders informed and to facilitate their input and advice. If you are visiting the blog for the first time, you might be interested in starting with the initial November 2010 posts:

- Why we need this initiative?
- The Process of Creating a Service Excellence Program
- We've Reviewed Over 200 Related Assessment Tools
- The Modules and Core Organizational Competencies.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Expert Panel Reviews About to Begin

The proposed Service Excellence Framework proposes core organizational competencies in five module areas: programs, facilities, parks, community building and leadership/management. Under the direction of the Service Excellence Advisory Team (SEAT), an expert panel is about to be appointed for each module to critique and add value to the foundation work that is already in place.

We are hoping for an average of 25 to 30 members for each of the five panels (a total of up to 150 reviewers). Under the direction of SEAT, invitations have been extended to 250 individuals and an open call for participation via E-Blast has been sent to the entire ARPA distribution list.

For those people who want to 'Self Select to participate' or for the invited panel participants who have made a committment by Jan. 20th deadline - there will be a one hour phone conference for their Module which has been scheduled for Tuesday, January 25th:
  • Program Panel phone conference - 10 to 11am (MST)
  • Facilities Panel phone conference - 11am to 12 noon
  • Parks Panel phone conference - 1 to 2pm
  • Community Building phone conference - 2 to 3pm
  • Leadership/Management phone conference - 3 to 4pm.

We encourage ALL Panel participants who have made this committment to provide us with advise to phone in at the time alloted for YOUR particular module to ask questions and make suggesitons for improvement to both the process and the Service Excellence Program.

The Module Panels will have three opportunities to help improve their portion of the overall Framework. Each opportunity will take the form of a survey, the first addressing the highest level review questions. The principles of a DELPHI panel survey will be respected:

  • Participants will not know the names of the source of individual votes or comments, so that ideas can be evaluated on their own merits
  • Through sharing of the results of each survey or round, the panel will learn together and move towards consensus on an optimal set of core organizational competencies, practice guidelines and quality indicators.

The three surveys will take place between January 25th and March 23rd. Panelists will have opportunities later in the year to comment on the overall Service Excellence Program as it is being refined and finalized.

If you are not a Panel member and have questions or suggestions, please click on the comment section below or contact the Project Coordinator, Brenda Clarke at bclarke@rethink-group.com or 250-245-8556.