By: Kayleigh P. Marques
March 16th, 2023

Clear Impact Suite, which consists of Scorecard and Compyle, is a powerful tool that enables the effective implementation of Results-Based Accountability (RBA). RBA is a data-driven decision-making framework that helps organizations and communities identify the Results they want to achieve, measure progress toward those Results, and make data-informed decisions to improve their Programs and strategies. Clear Impact Suite provides a comprehensive platform for organizations to apply RBA principles and achieve measurable community impact.

business-woman-with-lg-flat-screen-tv-mockup-template

In this blog post, learn how Clear Impact Suite (Scorecard & Compyle) supports the entire Results-Based Accountability implementation process from A to Z. We’ll also explore the differences between the two software systems, present example use cases, and provide helpful resources.

Table of Contents:

  1. What is Clear Impact Scorecard?
  2. How Scorecard Supports Results-Based Accountability
    1. Define and Organize All RBA “Objects” (Results, Indicators, Programs, etc.)
    2. Engage in Data-Based Decision-Making
    3. Support Collaboration and Communication
  3. More Ways Scorecard Supports RBA
  4. Data Collection for Results-Based Accountability (Or, Why We Created Compyle)
    1. Collect and Analyze RBA Data
    2. Understand Individual Program Performance
    3. Support Collaboration and Communication
  5. The Differences Between Compyle and Scorecard (And Why You Need Both)
  6. How Clear Impact Suite Facilitates Accountability
  7. Supporting Results-Based Accountability in Diverse Sectors and At Different Levels of Implementation
  8. Final Thoughts & Training Resources
  9. Helpful Links

scorecard 7.0 screenshot in laptop

Scorecard is a performance management and strategic planning software platform that allows organizations to create custom dashboards to visualize RBA data, create Turn the Curve Action Plans, and report progress to funders, stakeholders & the public.

1. What is Clear Impact Scorecard?

Scorecard is a performance management and strategic planning software platform that allows organizations to manage, analyze, and report the quantitative and qualitative needed to implement RBA effectively. It enables organizations to track Indicators and Performance Measures, monitor progress toward Population and Program Results, analyze data to identify trends and patterns, and engage in Turn the Curve Action Planning. Scorecard users can create custom dashboards to visualize data, communicate progress to stakeholders, and report data publicly.

2. How Scorecard Supports Results-Based Accountability

1. Define and Organize All RBA “Objects” (Results, Indicators, Programs, etc.)

Scorecard supports RBA implementation in several ways. First, it provides a framework for defining and organizing all RBA “objects,” including Strategies, Results, Indicators, Programs, and Performance Measures. Users can manage these objects according to the Population Accountability and Performance Accountability distinction while still being able to see the connections between all objects. Don’t use RBA terminology in your organization? No problem! The software’s language is entirely customizable, so you can continue using your chosen terminology. For example, the Vermont Department of Health uses the term “Outcomes” instead of “Results,” and they use an “O” to denote Outcomes in their public performance scorecards. You can check out all their public scorecards here.

2. Engage in Data-Based Decision-Making 

Second, Scorecard supports a data-based approach to decision-making. The software provides visualization tools (like color bands, trendlines, notes, and targets) to help teams analyze data and identify trends. Even better, all Scorecard visualization tools meet accessibility guidelines so that more people can participate in decision-making. You can read more about our accessibility efforts in this blog post. Additionally, users can complete a Turn the Curve (TTC) Action Plan for every measure they desire with built-in TTC prompts. These prompts are also customizable, so you can include virtually any information you need to create effective plans. With accessible data disaggregation functionality, users can compare performance across different geographies and demographics and quickly identify areas of improvement. With accessible, real-time data, organizations can adapt their plans to ensure they’re engaging in continuous improvement.

3. Support Collaboration and Communication

Third, Scorecard supports collaboration and communication across teams and stakeholders. Users can share data, performance dashboards, reports, and Turn the Curve Action Plans with internal teams, external teams, partners, funders, and the public. For example, users can directly embed their Turn the Curve Action Plans or performance dashboards on their website pages. You can see examples of what embedded Turn the Curve Action Plans look like on our website here. Users can also share links to their data and plans in emails or social media. Finally, Scorecard users can collaborate and share data with other users with our “Partner Connect” functionality. Partner Connect lets participating users view each other’s scorecards privately within the system. Scorecard’s sharing and collaboration tools help all partners have access to the real-time data they need to engage in shared strategies. By providing a shared platform for data-driven decision-making, Scorecard supports a culture of accountability and transparency within organizations and communities. Go here to read a case study of how public data sharing helped one Clear Impact Suite client create more buy-in for their programs. 

3. More Ways Scorecard Supports RBA

You can read more about how Scorecard supports Results-Based Accountability in this article. You’ll learn how the software supports the full RBA training and implementation process from start to finish, including how it:

  • Is the only RBA support software on the market.
  • Organizes data with adherence to the Population-Performance distinction.
  • Allows you to see connections between different levels of accountability, 
  • Allows you to aggregate and disaggregate data for equity efforts.
  • Supports transparency and accountability via public data sharing.
  • Guides you through a Turn the Curve Action Plan for every measure.
  • Contains built-in RBA training.

Woman using Compyle on laptop

In order to deliver effective RBA-informed Programs, organizations must collect vast quantities of data from program participants, staff, partners, stakeholders, and the community. They must also be able to analyze changes in program participant data over time. Compyle allows users to collect, analyze and share client-level data, analyze data over time, and collaborate with partners.

4. Data Collection for Results-Based Accountability (Or, Why We Created Compyle)

1. Collect and Analyze Program and Client-Level RBA Data

Effective RBA implementation requires collecting and analyzing two main kinds of data (Population and Performance) to inform decision-making and measure progress toward desired Results. Many nonprofits source their Indicator data from government agencies and large networks dedicated to producing this kind of data. But we noticed many organizations needed help finding and collecting Performance-level data. When working with RBA practitioners, one of the most common questions we hear is, “where do we get the data for Performance Measures?” This question inspired us to create Scorecard’s complementary data-collection software, Compyle. Compyle provides a comprehensive platform for data collection, case management, surveying, and survey response analysis.

2. Understand the Impact of Programs on Clients

To continuously evaluate the quality and impact of Programs on Program participants, organizations must be able to collect the data they need to craft meaningful Performance Measures. They must also be able to measure changes in the data over time. The most important Performance Measures speak to the effect of Programs on participants’ quality of life. However, it is also vital to understand measures of program quality (like accessibility). Compyle allows users to collect all this information directly from Program participants, staff, and others. The system enables users to create any custom form to collect qualitative and quantitative data from individuals so they can optimize service delivery. For example, users can create surveys, evaluations, assessments, applications, and more. Furthermore, Compyle allows users to send surveys to the same individuals over multiple instances so they can analyze how responses change over time. This is something that many other surveying tools can’t do.

3. Support Collaboration and Communication

Furthermore, effective RBA implementation hinges on collaboration and communication among many people. No single person, team, or organization can be held responsible for changing complex social problems. That’s why — similar to Scorecard — Compyle offers functionality to facilitate communication and collaboration. In addition to engaging in case management, organizations can use Compyle’s surveying tools to collect feedback from community members, distribute grant applications, communicate with donors, and evaluate employee satisfaction. Organizations can also manage partner referrals in the system and share data and documentation back and forth with partner organizations. Organizations can collect virtually any data they need (internally and externally) to do their jobs effectively.

Clear Impact Software Suite

Collect, organize, analyze, and report the data you need to implement RBA effectively.

Schedule a custom, private demo of Clear Impact Suite. 

Book Private Demo

differences scorecard compyle

Examples of the type of data you can track in Scorecard vs. Compyle. Scorecard tracks “big picture” data like RBA Indicators and Performance Measures, and Compyle tracks client-level information needed to engage in case management and optimize program delivery.

5. The Differences Between Compyle and Scorecard (And Why You Need Both)

Scorecard is like a “big picture” data software, and Compyle is a “close-up” of one section of the data where you can see private individual details. For example, Compyle can track participant satisfaction broken down by gender over time. Scorecard could show how those satisfaction rates compare to the average satisfaction rate by gender of all similar programs in a geographic area.  

Compyle could also be seen as the origin of your Program-level data sets, including all personal identifying information. In contrast, Scorecard is where you analyze and turn deidentified, aggregate data into Turn the Curve Action Plans. 

You can learn more about the differences between Scorecard and Compyle and how they work together here. 

6. How Clear Impact Suite Facilitates Accountability

RBA requires individual and group accountability for carrying out action plans. That’s why both Scorecard and Compyle offer accountability and project management functionality. For example, Scorecard users can manage the completion of strategies and action plans with built-in Gantt charts and assign actions directly to other users. Scorecard also offers “Accountability Scoring” to help users understand how timely their data is, how often they’re active in the system, and how well they’re using the software. You can learn more about Accountability Scoring here. In Compyle, users can encourage accountability by sending form completion reminders to staff and program participants. 

public health reaccreditation tool

Clear Impact Suite supports Results-Based Accountability initiatives across diverse sectors and levels of implementation. For example, some government health departments use Scorecard to perform Community Health Assessments and create Community Health Improvement Plans.

7. Clear Impact Suite Supports Results-Based Accountability in Diverse Sectors and At Different Levels of Implementation

Clear Impact Suite can support RBA implementation in various settings, from government agencies to nonprofit organizations and community groups. For example, a city government could use Scorecard to track progress toward Results related to reducing crime, increasing economic growth, and improving access to public services. The city could use Compyle to manage programs aimed at achieving these outcomes, such as community policing initiatives, small business development programs, and job training programs.

Nonprofit organizations and community groups can also benefit from using Clear Impact Suite to implement RBA. For example, a nonprofit organization focused on addressing homelessness could use Scorecard to track progress towards Results related to reducing homelessness and increasing housing stability. The organization could use Compyle to manage Programs aimed at achieving these Results, such as supportive housing programs, eviction prevention programs, and rapid rehousing programs.

Clear Impact Suite can also support cross-sector collaboration and partnerships. For example, a community collaborative focused on improving early childhood development could use Scorecard to track progress towards Results related to kindergarten readiness and early grade reading proficiency. The collaborative could use Compyle to manage Programs aimed at achieving these outcomes, such as parent education programs, early childhood education programs, and home visiting programs. By sharing data and coordinating efforts across sectors, the collaborative could achieve greater impact and improve outcomes for children and families.

Clear Impact Suite can also support RBA implementation at different levels of an organization, from individual programs or departments to the entire organization. For example, a nonprofit organization could use Scorecard to track performance data for each Program while simultaneously monitoring overall organizational performance measures like financial health, employee satisfaction, public perception, and aggregate Program impact. The organization could use Compyle to manage Partner relationships while also using it to manage department-level data collection projects.

You can see how diverse Clear Impact Suite customers are in our list of case studies.

You can also see what types of sectors we serve in our Company and Services Overview.

8. Final Thoughts

Clear Impact Suite provides a comprehensive platform for implementing Results-Based Accountability from A to Z. Scorecard enables organizations to track all RBA objects (Results, Indicators, etc.) and make data-driven decisions using built-in Turn the Curve Action Planning. Compyle enables organizations to collect data, engage in case management, and evaluate survey response data over time. By using Clear Impact Suite, organizations can achieve a more significant impact and improve Results for their communities.

You can sign up for a custom, private demo of Clear Impact Suite here. 

9. Helpful Links

Doula,Therapist,Care,And,Treatment,For,Pregnant,Couple

Read Next…

Clear Impact Suite Case Study: SisterWeb (Sharing Data Publicly)

Read Case Study