• The practice of CQI enables direct service organizations to increase outcomes by clearly defining their intended results and path to achieve them, embracing the best available evidence of what works and of the systemic barriers that hinder progress, examining their performance, and using the resulting insights to continuously improve their work.  
  
• Unlike third party evaluations, CQI offers opportunities for ongoing program learning and improvement of day-to-day activities so that services are better delivered and more effective.  
  
• The practice of CQI leads to professional development for program staff and improved satisfaction among program participants.  

Root Cause is focused on supporting the practice of CQI of social service programs in a geography working towards common outcomes.  We partner with nonprofit organizations, public agencies, philanthropies, and others who work aims to improve people’s lives.

Root Cause has developed a holistic approach to strengthening the capacity of social service providers to apply CQI principles in their programs.  Our approach enables organizations to:

• Clearly define intended results and the path to achieve them.
• Use the best available evidence of what works.
• Understand the barriers that hinder progress.
• Use data in real time to decide what actions to take.  

• Lay the Groundwork:  The path to practicing continuous quality improvement starts with a clear vision of what quality looks like and an understanding of how a program works.      
  
• Assess Program Strengths & Challenges:  Program leaders complete an online assessment that focuses on three areas:  1) Life Outcomes and Indicators; 2) Program Quality; and 3) Performance Measurement Capacity.  The results of the assessment are the foundation for ongoing collaboration between program staff and Root Cause CQI coaches.
  
• Set Improvement Cycle Priorities: Root Cause coaches review CQI Assessment results with program staff and together they identify opportunities for strengthening their practice.
  
• Plan / Do / Study / Act (Repeat): Root Cause coaches support program staff to implement  Plan / Do / Study / Act (PDSA) improvement cycles that strengthen program capacity in priority areas.  The PDSA cycle can be repeated as often as the program chooses to focus on various areas of the CQI Assessment.
  
• Strengthen Capacity & Culture:  Programs retake the assessment to gauge how their capacity has improved after an appropriate amount of time has passed since PDSA cycles have been completed.  Successfully building and sustaining a CQI practice depends on creating a culture that fosters learning and a spirit of inquiry. Programs that excel collect and use data in ways that go beyond compliance with funder requirements or other external performance standards, and create time and space for staff to develop skills that support CQI practices.