PROJECTS

The Kaizen Company, as a subcontractor to Development Alternatives International (DAI), supported the USAID-funded Effective Governance Program (EGP) in the West Bank. Based on guidance from USAID, Kaizen built upon the existing Palestinian Authority (PA) Centers of Excellence (COE) Program that it established and implemented on the preceding USAID-funded Palestinian Authority Capacity Enhancement (PACE) from 2008-2012.

Under PACE, Kaizen personnel worked closely with national staff and PA ministry employees to launch and sustain an internally-led assessment and reform planning program, which led to a number of reforms within the PA as well as supporting structures to sustain those reforms, with differing degrees of success.

As the EGP continued to engage with ministry stakeholders to improve citizen service delivery, aspects of the COE methodology and principles were leveraged to more effectively meet project needs for service delivery reform. Kaizen prepared a refined approach for integrating service delivery reforms in the PA ministries based on experience in implementing the COE methodology in a number of countries in the Middle East region, as well as the ability to implement targeted service delivery-focused, HICD-driven approaches that align with the PA-specific COE methodology.

Kaizen supported the EGP to build the PA’s COE program by conducting the following activities:

• Analyzing performance gaps, and documenting and providing lessons learned and high level recommendations for programmatic and strategic shifts in the COE approach
• Developing a strategic approach that adapts COE concepts to support the implementation of EGP’s citizen service metrics and methodology for service excellence.
• Crafting supporting messages to be communicated to ministry personnel and leadership to support engagement and buy in
• Based on feedback loops, developing appropriate sustainability mechanisms and finding functional homes for improved initiatives within the PA ministries
• Providing strategic and technical guidance, reporting, adjustment, and surge support for additional interventions as needed

Kaizen’s work reinforced citizen and customer service principles and feedback mechanisms by leveraging ministry COE culture, resources, and team members. Ultimately, this work supported the establishment and sustainability of citizen-centered, results-focused, feedback-driven reforms within targeted ministries to achieve the overall vision of citizen-based motivation to drive service improvement.