Finding the ways and means to facilitate obtaining the best solutions in situations and circumstances that arise daily, implies a great challenge for minds that seek personal and organizational excellence.
To meet this objective, it is essential to put into action a methodology capable of contextualizing and interpreting the present situation, which allows a series of steps to be used to enhance capacities and opportunities, and that the appropriate evaluation and feedback mechanisms exist for such purposes.
Precisely and as its name expresses it, the "Mapping" allows to determine and locate the situation or activity of interest and from this, determine the scope of the programs and projects that are to be undertaken, taking as a primary reference the scope in the behavior of people to achieve previously established objectives.
THE ORIGIN OF PROCESS SCOPE MAPPING
The emergence of Outcome Mapping (MA) is due to the International Development Research Center (IDRC), it is a public institution of the Canadian government and is one of the world's most prestigious research corporations. It is characterized by facilitating solutions to social, economic and environmental problems of developing communities worldwide, with the financing of scientific research in the areas of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada.
IDRC was created in 1970 by the Parliament of Canada and is directed by an International Board of Governors. Through financial support to researchers from universities, governments, and non-profit organizations, IDRC invests in scientific knowledge and technology to thereby contribute to improving the quality of life in the areas of: equity and social equality and economics, the proper use of the environment and its natural resources and the development of information and communication technologies.
The term scope is defined as “Changes in the behavior, relationships, activities and / or actions of the people, groups and organizations with which a program works directly”. (International Development Research Center, IDRC)
Outcome Mapping is understood to be an “integrated and dynamic method of planning, monitoring and evaluation, which considers principles of organizational learning, equitable collaboration and flexibility. It can be applied at the project, program or organization level as a planning tool, for monitoring or for evaluating ongoing or completed activities ”. (Latin American Center for Outcome Mapping)
Most of the activities involve a great variety of scopes, since they have several direct partners. These partners are the "People, groups and organizations with whom the program interacts directly and with whom it foresees opportunities to exert influence." (IDRC)
Outcome Mapping (MA) focuses on a specific type of result to be obtained, exactly in the scope of the behavior of the beneficiaries or those involved.
For its part, the Process Mapping is understood as, “Set of activities that are related to each other to achieve a common goal, identifying possible improvements or corrections, standardizing their work and clearly defining the responsibilities of each of the key roles of the organization. , this in order to fulfill the different functions on time and in good shape ”. (Vázquez, Yaneth)
OBJECTIVE OF SCOPE MAPPING
The MA's objective is that the referred changes seek to contribute to achieving a certain human well-being; provide those involved, whether as benefactors or beneficiaries of a project, new tools, new techniques and more resources to collaborate in the development process of said project.
ITS IMPORTANCE
- To be able to identify and understand present and future needs of our clients To provide a specific unit of purpose and direction To involve people and make them aware of their functions To contemplate and manage resources and activities as processes To detect competitive advantages To facilitate certification in ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standards because one of the requirements will be in advance for compliance with a set of various quality standards that they request.
BENEFITS OF YOUR APPLICATION
- The functions and processes are oriented in a value chain (organization charts, areas and departments, job descriptions). o The flow oriented to satisfy the client in a profitable way. o Roles and responsibilities can be defined. o The information flow is improved by the different functions. The objectives are defined at all levels that are aligned to the organizational vision. o There is an effective flow between the customer-supplier. o There are key performance indicators. o Identification of opportunities is achieved.
THE THREE STAGES OF SCOPE MAPPING
- Intentional Design: in this there are changes at a “macro” level or changes at a general level with which the program or project will contribute or generate. At this stage, questions from the:
- Why ?: What is the vision to which the program wishes to contribute? Who ?: Who are the direct stakeholders of the program?) What ?: What are the changes that are intended to generate? How ?: How will the program contribute to the change process?
- Scope and Performance Monitoring: this is a systematized and standardized self-assessment, where there will be tools to obtain data on those key elements visualized during the design To verify compliance with the scope, a permanent evaluation and monitoring framework is provided that allows you to continuously audit the program or project. Evaluation Planning: It allows obtaining a clear vision of the priority elements that should be evaluated. We could say that it will establish the milestones without which, if it did not turn out well, the program or project could not be classified as successful.
ITS APPLICATION IN A TRAINING WORKSHOP
All the tools and methods established by the Outcome Mapping are established in a facilitation workshop for three days. The OM is divided into three stages and twelve steps established in a participatory process, where once the members of the program have stated their intentions, decided on the strategies to follow in the first place, developed a monitoring system and identified the priorities for evaluation, establishing the data to be collected, it will be possible to share the sense of belonging and commitment with respect to the integrity of the initiative and, as a consequence, to integrate all these aspects into its daily programming and management activities.
The three stages and the twelve steps of the Mapping are as follows:
STAGE ONE: INTENTIONAL DESIGN
- View. It is the ideal that the program seeks and must be broad and motivating enough to maintain its relevance over time, despite changing circumstances. It is also considered as the reasons why the program aims to contribute to development, providing the necessary inspiration. It must be built by visionaries who create a guiding and motivating light for staff. It reflects the large-scale development-related changes that the program aims to encourage. It describes the economic, political, social or environmental changes that the program hopes to introduce and are contemplated in the long term. Mission.It represents what the program aspires to in supporting the achievement of the vision and describes how the program intends to support the vision. It indicates the areas in which the program will work to make them happen, rather than an exhaustive list of all the activities, it is more a statement about the ideal way in which the program can respond and contribute. Direct partners. are those people, groups or organizations with which the program maintains direct interaction and thanks to their participation, the program is in a position to foresee opportunities to exert influence. They are called direct partners because, although the program works with them to promote change, they are not under its control.They are made up of:
| Direct Partners |
| Foundations. |
| Research centers. |
| Business. |
| Universities. |
| Government departments, etc. |
- Declarations on the desired scope (for each partner). The desired outcomes are considered the effects achieved by the program by its presence, it has an emphasis on the way in which the actors behave as a result of their influence. A desired scope describes how the behavior, relationships, activities, and / or actions of a person, institution, or group will change if the program is highly successful, and is mentioned in order to highlight the change in behavior. The program contributes to change, but the responsibility and ultimate power for change remain with the direct partners. The desired outcomes are stated in such a way that they reflect the way an actor would behave and relate to others if the program were to use its full potential as a facilitator of change.Graduated signs of progress (for desired achievements). They represent the information that the program can collect to track the steps toward achieving the desired scope. It is a model of change for the direct partner that highlights the depth and complexity of the change that it seeks to generate. They are established as a way for the program to understand and react to the change process that the direct partner has undertaken. Successful changes for partners cannot be against their will, therefore, the signs of progress have to be convenient for both parties, and generate a benefit for both the program and the direct partner.
Some signs of progress may be accompanied by a period of time, but that should not be the main objective, but rather favor a sustained change in the direct partners.
- Strategy maps (for each scope). It consists of identifying the strategies that a program uses to achieve a scope, for this it is necessary to create a strategy map for each desired scope. It is based on proposing the most appropriate type of evaluation method for monitoring and evaluating the program. Organization practices. Its purpose is to determine the organizational practices that the program will use to be effective. It can be supported by:
| Examples for Program Organization |
| a) Search for new ideas, opportunities and resources. |
| b) Seek feedback from the main sources of information. |
| c) Seek the support of the closest higher authority. |
| d) Evaluate and (re) configure products, services, systems and procedures. |
| e) Check the satisfaction of previous customers to obtain added value. |
| f) Share the best knowledge. |
| g) Experiment to stay innovative. |
| h) Reflect at the organizational level. |
SECOND STAGE: MONITORING OF SCOPE AND PERFORMANCE
- Establish priorities for follow-up. It is used to avoid wasting human and financial resources. Its rationale is to define what you intend to follow on an ongoing basis and what you want to assess in greater detail in the future. Can imply:
| Aspects to evaluate |
| a) Progress made by direct partners in terms of scope. |
| b) The practices of the organization that uses the program to remain relevant, innovative and viable. |
| c) The strategies used by the program to promote change in its direct partners. |
- Develop a scope plan. It includes: graduated signs of progress, a description of the level of change, which can be low, medium or high, and a place to indicate which of the direct partners registered a change. Its construction is as follows:
| Construction of the scope plan |
| o Establishment of the desired scope. |
| o What is expected to be done by the partners. |
| o What would be positive to do. |
| o What would be ideal. |
| o The description of the change, contributing factors and actors. |
| o The sources for the evidence. |
| o Unforeseen changes. |
- Design a Strategy Diary (tailored to the Program). it records data on the strategies used to promote a change in direct partners. It is based on knowing whether it has been done well or badly, but above all that it is possible to identify how it can be improved. Design a performance diary tailored to the program. It is based on recording data on the way the program is operating as an organization in fulfilling its mission. Data can be collected using quantitative, qualitative indicators or a combination of both systems. Part of:
| Priorities |
| Seek the support of the closest higher authority. |
| Evaluate and (re) design products, services, systems and procedures. |
| Check the level of satisfaction of previous customers to obtain added value. |
| Share the best knowledge. |
| Experiment to remain innovative. |
| Reflect at the organizational level. |
STAGE THREE: PLANNING THE EVALUATION
- Evaluation plan. This includes:
| Methodology |
| The aspect to be evaluated. |
| The use of the results. |
| The sources of information. |
| The questions to ask. |
| The evaluation methods. |
| The team in charge (Who will use the evaluation? How? When?). |
| The dates on which it will take place. |
| Its approximate cost. |
WORKSHOP RESULTS
Among the main results that can be obtained from an Outcome Mapping design workshop, the following stand out:
- The brief representation of the logic of the changes - at a 'macro' level - to which the program wishes to contribute (vision, mission, desired outcomes and direct partners). The group of strategy maps, indicating the program activities that support each of the achievements (strategy maps) A scale of changes so that each direct partner can carry out the Scope Mapping by perceiving the progress towards the achievement of the achievements (progress signals, achievement diary) A self-assessment sheet to be able to evaluate the internal work of the program and how it is possible to promote a change in its direct partners (organization practices, performance diary). o The data collection sheet, which presents the data on the strategies used by the program to generate a change in its direct partner (strategy diary).The evaluation plan that indicates: the issues and questions related to the evaluation of priorities, a strategy for using the evaluation conclusions, the person in charge of carrying out the evaluation, the date and the cost (evaluation plan).
CONTEXT FOR USING THE SCOPE MAPPING
It should be used at the beginning of a program, once its main focus has been established, through an integrated form of planning, monitoring and evaluation. Because it helps programs focus on making concrete changes in their partners. Outcome Mapping helps the program clarify what it aims to achieve, with whom, and how; encouraging you to analyze more regularly and consistently how to improve your performance.
The MA allows programs to contextualize their performance in relation to:
Design and articulate the logic of the program.
- What are our development goals? How can our program contribute to achieving these goals? Review internal and external data for monitoring What are we doing to drive achievement of outcomes? To what extent has our performance been correct? ?
List examples of positive performance and areas for improvement.
- What has worked well? Why? Have all the necessary strategies been considered? Are we scattering by resorting to too many strategies?
Evaluate the expected and unexpected results.
- Who has changed? How did the change take place? If the change has not taken place as expected, is it necessary to change tactics or rethink our expectations?
Collect data on the contribution made by the program in generating changes in its partners.
- What activities / strategies were used? o How did the activities influence and bring about change in individuals, groups or institutions?
Establish evaluation priorities and prepare an evaluation plan.
- What are the strategies, relationships, or issues that merit further study? How can we collect the necessary data, and what sources should we turn to?
DIFFERENTIATION WITH OTHER METHODS
This new approach significantly modifies the way in which objectives are set in a program, as well as the way its performance and results are evaluated. Its originality lies in a methodology that leaves aside the evaluation of the impact of a program on development (understood as a certain change in situation; for example, the importance of a policy, the consummation of poverty or the solution of a conflict), and on the contrary, it focuses on the alterations in the behaviors, relationships, activities and / or actions of the people, groups and organizations with which a development program works directly.
During the construction of this approach, the following specific differences can be observed with respect to other models:
- It establishes a vision of human, social and environmental progress by virtue of which the program works to make its contribution. It is not based on a cause-effect framework, but, on the contrary, recognizes that change is produced by multiple events (non-linear). It focuses on the monitoring and evaluation of the factors and actors that fall within the scope of direct influence of the program. It does not attempt to attribute the achievements to a single intervention or series of interventions, but rather analyzes the logical links between interventions and behavior changes. It focuses on changes that take place in the behavior of those individuals, groups and organizations with whom a program works directly. Social, environmental or political changes are not a target for Outcome Mapping.Program contributions to development are planned and evaluated based on their influence on the partners with whom it works to bring about change. Development is achieved by and for people
While traditionalist evaluation methods seek to establish their parameters based on the physical or tangible results obtained, the MA focuses on establishing and determining the ideal conditions of behavior where it is allowed to maximize its areas of opportunity. For example: in a program that aims to provide communities with access to clean water through facilities with filters for purification, in a conventional method it would be enough to count the total of filters that have been installed and subsequently the changes in relation to water pollutants before and after such installations. Instead,The Scope of the Mapping consists of paying close attention to how important it is to change the behavior of the consumers of said service, since the water could stop being drinkable in the future if the consumers do not have the ability to maintain its quality..
The MA is not intended to replace traditional assessment methods, since it is intended to complement these methods by paying specific attention to the significant changes involved in covering human behavior.
CONCLUSION
The Process Scope Mapping is applicable to any type and size of organization, because it has the flexibility to be implemented from the planning of the activities or situations of interest, until they are already underway, being executed through of the application of their evaluation and respective feedback.
It is a methodology that through the development of a workshop lasting three days allows facilitating the ability to collect all the aspects and elements that make up a company, favoring its processing and presenting the results or alternatives in a summarized and easily applicable way.
It can be seen how important its implementation is in all those companies that aim to unify their variables and processes for better management and correct decision-making, allowing them the opportunity to determine and detect the benefits that can be acquired with it. scope directed towards the behavior of their human talent.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Arrieta, JP (2009). Mapping Scopes. Retrieved April 4, 2017, from http://www.entremundos.org/databases/Mapeando%20alcances%20con%20socios%20locales.pdfNavarro, CM (2004). Process Mapping for Comex company. Retrieved April 4, 2017, from http://catarina.udlap.mx/u_dl_a/tales/documentos/lad/rodriguez_n_cm/capitulo_5.h tml # Pool, YV (June 6, 2014). Process mapping. Retrieved on April 4, 2017, from Columna Universitaria: http://yeux.com.mx/ColumnaUniversitaria/que-es-y-para- que-servicios-un-mapeo-de-processes / Sarah Earl, FC (2002). Outcome Mapping. Retrieved on April 4, 2017, from Incorporation, learning and reflection in development programs: https://www.outcomemapping.ca/download/Mapeo_all%20Manual.pdf Treviño, IM (2015).Documentation and optimization of processes in a passenger transport company. Retrieved on April 4, 2017, from http://www.ptolomeo.unam.mx:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/132.248.52.100/7893/tesis.pdf?sequence=1Zamora, AH (November 18, 2016). Definition and stages in the Mapping of Processes. Retrieved April 4, 2017, from https://www.gestiopolis.com/definicion-etapas-mapeo-procesos /
GRATITUDE
Sincere gratitude to the Technological Institute of Orizaba, for becoming and continuing to reign as the parent home of our professional training. To the Division of Graduate Studies and Research (DEPI), for encouraging us to search for a better future. To the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) for the support and backing it gives us. Finally, and in a special way, to Dr. Fernando Aguirre y Hernández, a pioneer in the construction of a different vision and results.
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