The challenge
The Policy Support Unit (PSU) of the APEC Secretariat provides research and analysis to support discussions and decision-making by APEC fora. In its mid-term review of the PSU, Sustineo found that the PSU’s monitoring and reporting of its performance was largely activity-based and provided little insight into the utilisation of its work and resultant benefits to APEC fora or member economies. The review report recommended the development of a more strategic and outcomes-focused approach to measuring PSU’s performance, guided by an overarching performance framework.
The PSU subsequently engaged Sustineo to develop a Performance Framework to provide the basis for measuring and monitoring for performance reporting and evaluation purposes. The purpose of the Performance Framework is to identify the PSU’s planned outputs and outcomes, including longer-term impacts that its work contributes to, as well as the indicators, data sources, and data collection and analysis methods to measure performance against the framework.
Our approach
Sustineo’s approach was based on the collaborative development of the Performance Framework through relationship building and participatory engagement with the PSU and its stakeholders. The team designed a mixed-method approach, including interviews and desktop reviews to analyse key documents, along with discussions with staff and the PSU Board to validate initial findings and directions and elicit input and feedback to further refine and finalise the framework.
Outcome
The Performance Framework is based on two key components: a detailed program logic articulating the PSU’s intended results, and a results table with indicators and data sources to measure PSU performance in relation to those outcomes. The framework recognises the challenges in implementation and is based on a staged approach that, where possible, builds on and strengthens existing data collection processes. The final framework accurately reflects PSU’s work in the broader APEC context and clearly identifies the PSU’s contribution to longer-term impacts for APEC member economies.
