Driving Reform Through Strategic Goal-Setting

Ikaso supported the top priorities of a state’s social service agency to achieve transformative systems change by leveraging a goal-setting model to structure and enhance collaboration on large, and complex cross-agency initiatives. Example projects include 1) enhance long-term services and supports for older adults and people with disabilities; 2) reduce wait time for individuals found incompetent to stand trial; 3) identify systemwide solutions to serve children with high acuity needs.

The Challenge

Implementing a complex, large-scale reform effort across diverse program areas that often operate independently of one another, while promoting data-informed goal setting and tracking to ensure the overall objective reaches its intended outcomes in a timely manner.

The Outcome

Our clients exceeded ambitious metric-based objectives, through Ikaso's support in developing and executing a strategic plan, rallying resources, and building team buy-in and culture.

Values-Centered Approach

Our work on these projects exemplifies the Ikaso values of collaboration and resilience. We served as the project management hub to guide workstream leaders in setting and tracking data-informed goals that are shared across program areas. This includes support in identifying and overcoming barriers through thoughtful partnerships and resource prioritization.

Highlighted Results

• In reference to the example projects previously mentioned, the following key outcomes have been achieved via 3 key projects across 8 agencies/divisions and 24 unique goals

  1. Enhance long-term services and supports for older adults and people with disabilities

  1. Successfully launched new Medicaid program to serve over 120,000 older adults 

  2. Supported the transition of oversight and administration of 3 Medicaid waiver programs for older adults and individuals with disabilities

  3. Successfully launched a new initiative to improve Medicaid eligibility 

  2. Reduce wait time for individuals found incompetent to stand trial

  1. Project leaders reported a 50% reduction in service wait times related to the objective of one initiative within the first quarter of this work, and attributed the project goal-setting and structure as a critical factor to early success

  3. Identify systemwide solutions to serve children with high acuity needs

  1. Facilitated two cross-agency workgroups (consisting of members from four state agencies, three divisions, and the Governor’s Office) in their identification of 35 improvement opportunities to improve the system’s services for children with high acuity needs

  2. Support four core program workstreams and three projectwide support workstreams

  3. Launched three programs to serve children with high acuity needs with updates to an existing Medicaid program for children with high acuity needs expected in 2026