Improving HIV Outcomes in Resource-Limited Countries: The Importance of Quality Indicators

Background: Resource-limited countries increasingly depend on quality indicators to improve outcomes within HIV treatment programs, but indicators of program performance suitable for use at the local program level remain underdeveloped. Methods: Using the existing literature as a guide, we applied standard quality improvement (QI) concepts to the continuum of HIV care from HIV diagnosis, to enrollment and retention in care, and highlighted critical service delivery process steps to identify opportunities for performance indicator development. We then identified existing indicators to measure program performance, citing examples used by pivotal donor agencies, and assessed their feasibility for use in surveying local program performance. Clinical delivery steps without existing performance measures were identified as opportunities for measure development. Using National Quality Forum (NQF) criteria as a guide, we developed measurement concepts suitable for use at the local program level that address existing gaps in program performance assessment. Results: This analysis of the HIV continuum of care identified seven critical process steps providing numerous opportunities for performance measurement. Analysis of care delivery process steps and the application of NQF criteria identified 24 new measure concepts that are potentially useful for improving operational performance in HIV care at the local level. Conclusion: An evidence-based set of program-level quality indicators is critical for the improvement of HIV care in resource-limited settings. These performance indicators should be utilized as treatment programs continue to grow

Pomiar wydajności zarządzania zielonymi łańcuchami dostaw

Only what is measured can be managed properly. And the measurement process should serve a continuous improvement of companies and whole supply chains. Data from the performance measurement system should cause an increase of cooperation and help in taking right decisions about changes at the operational level, and on the other hand, are an important information when redefining strategies. This will allow for the development of the supply chain based on knowledge, in which the scope of cooperation is literally unlimited (including green aspects). There are two basic approaches to measuring the performance of supply chains: a comprehensive measurement that measures the results of the entire chain (which can be divided into individual tiers and levels) and partial measurement when we measure only certain aspects. Often, in practice, only measurement of separately operating companies is practiced by companies, not throughout chains. And the problem is even more evident when it comes to measuring performance of green activities in integrated supply chains. The paper presents the possibilities of evaluation of GSCM performance. The major challenges and obstacles are presented and assessed.Tylko to, co jest mierzone, może być właściwie zarządzane. Proces pomiaru powinien służyć ciągłemu doskonaleniu przedsiębiorstw i całych łańcuchów dostaw. Dane z systemu pomiaru powinny powodować wzrost współpracy i pomagać w podejmowaniu decyzji o zmianach na poziomie operacyjnym, a z drugiej strony może to być ważna informacja przy przedefiniowaniu strategii. Pozwala to na rozwój łańcuchów dostaw opartych na wiedzy, gdzie zakres współpracy jest dosłownie nieograniczony (dotyczy to również aspektów ekologicznych). Istnieją dwa podstawowe podejścia do pomiaru wydajności łańcucha dostaw: kompleksowy pomiar, który patrzy na wyniki całego łańcucha (który można rozdzielić na poszczególne szczeble i poziomy), oraz pomiar częściowy, gdy mierzymy tylko niektóre aspekty. Często praktykowany jest tylko pomiar oddzielnie działających firm, a nie całego łańcucha. Problem jest jeszcze bardziej widoczny, jeśli chodzi o pomiar wydajności działań ekologicznych w zintegrowanych łańcuchach dostaw. W artykule opisano możliwości oceny wyników GSCM. Przedstawiono i oceniono główne wyzwania i przeszkody stojące przed pomiarem wyników zielonych łańcuchów dostaw

Pengukuran Kinerja Rantai Pasok Dengan Metode Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) (Studi Kasus: Ukm Jamu Bisma Sehat, Desa Nguter, Sukoharjo)

The purpose of this research is to measure supply chain performance in UKM Jamu Bisma Sehat. Measurements are made by referring to the whole process of supply chain operation of UKM Jamu Bisma Sehat which are Plan, Source, Make, Deliver, and Return within 4 months. Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) method is used in the measurement process. By identification of the five processes, 21 supply chain performance indicators were obtained. To determine the weight of each indicator, the dimensions and processes in the supply chain hierarchy are used the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. After the weighting then the next is to calculate the overall index so that the value can be obtained by the end of the supply chain. To obtain the final value of supply chain performance, the weighted value is multiplied by the normalization result from the actual data of each indicator. Based on the measurement process, it is found that six indicators need improvement. The six performance indicators are analyzed using the Root Cause Analysis which is Current Reality Tree. Provided the suggestions to the improvements that match the problem based on the root cause of the problem

Interplay between performance measurement and management, employee engagement and performance

Purpose - The literature recognises the importance of the interplay between performance measurement, performance management, employee engagement and performance. However, the nature of this phenomenon is not well understood. Analysis of the literature reveals two dimensions of organisational control, technical and social, that are used to develop a conceptual framework for studying this phenomenon. Methodology - We conducted explorative action research involving pilot and control groups from two departments of a UK bank. Our Findings show that an intervention on the social controls has led to changes in technical controls of the performance measurement system resulting in significant improvement in employee engagement and performance. Limitations - The research was undertaken with two cases from a single organisation. Further fine-grained, longitudinal research is required to fully understand, in a wider range of contexts, the interplay between performance measurement, performance management, employee engagement and performance. Practical implications - Our work contributes to the wider theory on performance measures and gives practical guidance on how organisations might design their performance measurement systems to enhance employee engagement and performance. Originality - Our study makes three main contributions. First, we introduce a new theoretical framework based the organisational control theory that provides a robust theoretical basis for future research. Second, through nine propositions we establish a clear causal relationship between performance measurement, performance management, employee engagement and performance. Third, we identify a gap in knowledge concerning design of organisational controls in the context of the process that is being managed

On the use of machine learning algorithms in the measurement of stellar magnetic fields

Regression methods based in Machine Learning Algorithms (MLA) have become an important tool for data analysis in many different disciplines. In this work, we use MLA in an astrophysical context; our goal is to measure the mean longitudinal magnetic field in stars (H_ eff) from polarized spectra of high resolution, through the inversion of the so-called multi-line profiles. Using synthetic data, we tested the performance of our technique considering different noise levels: In an ideal scenario of noise-free multi-line profiles, the inversion results are excellent; however, the accuracy of the inversions diminish considerably when noise is taken into account. In consequence, we propose a data pre-process in order to reduce the noise impact, which consists in a denoising profile process combined with an iterative inversion methodology. Applying this data pre-process, we have found a considerable improvement of the inversions results, allowing to estimate the errors associated to the measurements of stellar magnetic fields at different noise levels. We have successfully applied our data analysis technique to two different stars, attaining by first time the measurement of H_eff from multi-line profiles beyond the condition of line autosimilarity assumed by other techniques.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

IT service management: process capability, process performance, and business performance

As technology is at the core of almost every leading industry, organizations are increasingly scrutinizing their Information Technology (IT) group’s performance so that it is more in line with overall business performance and contributes to the business’ bottom line. Many IT departments are not equipped to meet these increasing IT service demands. They continue to operate as passive-reactive service providers, utilizing antiquated methods that do not adequately provide the quality, real-time solutions that organizations need to be competitive. Organizations need efficient Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) processes in order to cut costs, but ironically, in order to implement highly capable processes, there are significant costs involved, both in terms of time and resources. A potential way to achieve better performing and higher capable processes is to employ methods to compare an organization’s processes against best-practice standards to identify gaps and receive guidance to improve the processes. Many of the existing methods require large investments. Holding back progress towards best practice for financial benefit in the IT industry is the reluctance of many IT organizations to embrace the business side (specifically Service Portfolio Management and IT Financial Management) aspects of ITSM. Service Portfolio Management (SPM) is used to manage investments in Service Management across an organization, in terms of financial values. SPM enables managers to assess the quality requirements and associated costs. IT Financial Management aims to provide information on the IT assets and resources used to deliver IT services. Providing a Service Portfolio and practicing IT Financial Management requires a high level of maturity for an organization. It seems reasonable and logical that the organization’s Chief Information Officer should be able to articulate and justify the IT services provided, report the costs (by service) incurred in delivering these services, and can communicate the demand for those services, that is, how they are being consumed and projections on how they will be consumed in the future. However, a major investment in terms of time and resources may be needed to catalogue such information and report on it. The research problem that this paper addresses is the lack of a pragmatic model and method that associates ITSM process maturity (process capability and performance) with financial performance for organizations that lack mature ITSM processes. Previous studies have reported on cost savings, but there is currently no measurement model to associate ITSM maturity with financial profitability; which in turn prompts the research question: How can the association of ITSM process capability and process performance with financial performance of an organization be determined? This research iteratively develops and applies a measurement model that presents a pragmatic and cost-effective method to link ITSM process capability and process performance with business performance by operationalizing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to support Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and associating CSFs with business risks to determine business performance. This study employs a scholar-practitioner approach to changing/improving processes using action research and an adaptation of the Keys to IT Service Management Excellence Technique (KISMET) model to guide the process improvement initiative. This technique leads to the second research question: How can the ITSM measurement framework be demonstrated for CSI? The research was based on a single case study of a global financial services firm Company X that had implemented the ITIL® framework to improve the quality of its IT services. The study found that the measurement framework developed can be used as a starting point for self-improvement for businesses, identifying gaps in processes, benchmarking within an organization as well as guiding an organization’s process improvement efforts. The measurement model can be used to conduct What-If analyses to model the impacts of future business decisions on KPIs and CSFs. The measurement model presented in this study can be quickly implemented, adapted and evolved to meet the organization’s needs. The research offers an example from which other organizations can learn to measure their financial return on investment in ITSM improvement