Case Study: Operation Access
Strategic Scorecard
The Project
Operation Access, a Bay Area healthcare organization, applied for a Strategic Scorecard Service Grant for guidance on measuring and tracking progress on services and strategic priorities.
The Need
Located in San Francisco, Operation Access (OA) connects medical professionals willing to donate surgical procedures with uninsured individuals in need of care. They are at a critical stage in terms of growth and organizational capacity. The number of patients served has grown continuously since the organization was founded in 1993. The staff has also grown from four to eleven over the last three years, and the number of medical volunteers to over 650. OA needed a way to organize the performance metrics they collected in order to focus their efforts on the most critical issues the organization was facing.
Due to the tremendous need for services and OA’s limited resources, it was clear that the organization needed to organize the data they collected in a way that helped them establish clear priorities. With impending growth in workload, staff size, and budget, they needed to ensure that the data analysis systems they had in place would keep them ahead of the curve. OA reached out to the Taproot Foundation to leverage pro bono consultants’ professional guidance on the wealth of data they collected for reporting and evaluation. Through the Strategic Scorecard Service Grant, OA was able to identify the right data to measure strategic progress, and understand how the organization could best compile and present that data to ensure alignment of all stakeholders.
Due to the tremendous need for services and OA’s limited resources, it was clear that the organization needed to organize the data they collected in a way that helped them establish clear priorities. With impending growth in workload, staff size, and budget, they needed to ensure that the data analysis systems they had in place would keep them ahead of the curve. OA reached out to the Taproot Foundation to leverage pro bono consultants’ professional guidance on the wealth of data they collected for reporting and evaluation. Through the Strategic Scorecard Service Grant, OA was able to identify the right data to measure strategic progress, and understand how the organization could best compile and present that data to ensure alignment of all stakeholders.
"We need to understand our market penetration of services and where the greatest need is."
The Work
The Taproot Foundation’s team of pro bono consultants kicked off the project by interviewing OA’s key stakeholders, including board members, key managers and the President and CEO. The pro bono consultant team discovered that demands for surgery needs differ by county and identified a need for OA to better match demand with supply.
After the team completed discovery interviews, they worked to create a data collection plan and a graphical representation of that data. While there were several ways to capture and display it, the combined team decided on a scorecard that proved to be clear, concise and balanced. After incorporating OA’s feedback, the pro bono team presented the final Strategic Scorecard, and then turned their focus to training and supporting OA staff members. OA staff was then ready to begin using the scorecard in Board meetings as well as with their Program, Finance and Development Committees.
After the team completed discovery interviews, they worked to create a data collection plan and a graphical representation of that data. While there were several ways to capture and display it, the combined team decided on a scorecard that proved to be clear, concise and balanced. After incorporating OA’s feedback, the pro bono team presented the final Strategic Scorecard, and then turned their focus to training and supporting OA staff members. OA staff was then ready to begin using the scorecard in Board meetings as well as with their Program, Finance and Development Committees.
The Impact
The Strategic Scorecard became a vital tool for OA’s staff and Board of Directors. It added sophistication to OA’s analysis of critical information and replaced multiple pages of reports and data. Since the project closed in September 2008, OA has presented and discussed the Strategic Scorecard at multiple Board meetings, published it on their website, and used it to engage funders. The staff is confident that it will continue to add value over time.
According to Benjamin Aune, President and CEO of OA, “As an innovative nonprofit health organization, having a Strategic Scorecard gives us a competitive advantage for funds and more importantly, a way to tell the OA story to the Board, engage the staff, and continue to focus our work in ways that allow us to learn and grow, create value for our stakeholders, ensure financial stability and improve internal processes.” Ben saw so much value in the process OA underwent in creating the Strategic Scorecard, that he himself became a Taproot Foundation Account Director on a Strategic Scorecard project for another nonprofit organization.
According to Benjamin Aune, President and CEO of OA, “As an innovative nonprofit health organization, having a Strategic Scorecard gives us a competitive advantage for funds and more importantly, a way to tell the OA story to the Board, engage the staff, and continue to focus our work in ways that allow us to learn and grow, create value for our stakeholders, ensure financial stability and improve internal processes.” Ben saw so much value in the process OA underwent in creating the Strategic Scorecard, that he himself became a Taproot Foundation Account Director on a Strategic Scorecard project for another nonprofit organization.
The Pro Bono Consulting Team
The pro bono consultant team included professionals with experience in strategic consulting, market research, designing and implementing data management systems, and financial planning and analysis.
Jerry Ball served as Account Director on the team. Jerry is a seasoned Account Director, having completed three Taproot Foundation Service Grants with one currently underway. Jerry is a Vice President at Charles Schwab & Company where he is responsible for integrating and managing advice-related product development initiatives across multiple distribution channels to provide a seamless experience for Charles Schwab & Companies’ clients. Jerry earned a B.A. and MBA from Stanford University.
Deanna Konrath served as Project Manager on the team. Deanna is a results-oriented professional with 16 years experience working on small and large-scale change initiatives at Kaiser Permanente, a company that has been a long time partner and supporter of Operation Access. In fact, Operation Access’ unique service model was co-founded by Kaiser Permanente vascular and thoracic surgeon, Dr. Douglas Grey. Deanna earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at the University of California, Berkeley.
Additional pro bono consultant team members included Strategy Consultant Kathleen McBride, Strategy Associate Beau Wada, and Strategy Associate Patricia Wong. These team members brought 59 years of experience with organizations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Visa, and Adobe Systems Inc.
"An excellent team was selected to work with us. Each brought an area of expertise that proved very beneficial to developing the scorecard and in working directly with my staff over a six-month period."
Deanna Konrath served as Project Manager on the team. Deanna is a results-oriented professional with 16 years experience working on small and large-scale change initiatives at Kaiser Permanente, a company that has been a long time partner and supporter of Operation Access. In fact, Operation Access’ unique service model was co-founded by Kaiser Permanente vascular and thoracic surgeon, Dr. Douglas Grey. Deanna earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at the University of California, Berkeley.
Additional pro bono consultant team members included Strategy Consultant Kathleen McBride, Strategy Associate Beau Wada, and Strategy Associate Patricia Wong. These team members brought 59 years of experience with organizations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Visa, and Adobe Systems Inc.
About the Client
About the Taproot Foundation
Every year, hundreds of nonprofit organizations rely on the Taproot Foundation’s award-winning Service Grant program to provide millions of dollars worth of pro bono Strategy Management, Marketing, Leadership Development & Strategic HR and IT consulting services that better equip them to tackle our society’s toughest challenges.
About the Sponsors
The Strategy Management Practice is presented by Wells Fargo as part of their ongoing
commitment to provide vital support for a nonprofit organization's strategic planning process.
The development of the Strategic Scorecard Service Grant blueprint was generously
underwritten by a grant from Capital One.
Operation Access’ Service Grant was sponsored by S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, a long-time supporter of Bay Area nonprofit organizations that provide quality programs and create sustained benefits for our community.
