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The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is a simple, easy to use and widely accepted evaluation model of public sector services, aimed at improving the procedures governing any public organization. It is a tool that can help public services across Europe to use the techniques of quality management improving their performance. The model arose from the collaboration between the Ministries of Public Administration of the European Union in an attempt to introduce the principles of Quality Management in EU Public Organizations. The Common Assessment Framework has been designed by the Innovation Public Services Group operating in the European Union, after consultation with the CEOs of the Ministries of Public Administration.
The CAF has four main purposes:
1. To express the unique characteristics of organizations wishing to improve their performance
2. To be used as a tool for public administrations to improve their performance
3. To be the "bridge" between the different models used in quality management,
4. To facilitate the comparative performance between public sector organizations.
The advantages of self-evaluation by CAF include the introduction of the concepts of TQM and the Public Management in Public Services and the staff participation in the evaluation process. The implementation of CAF leads to an action plan for improving administration. These actions, after being carried out, are re-evaluated based on the CAF in order to provide continuous management improvement.
Moreover, the Common Assessment Framework adopts common standards and method of assessment, so the conclusions may be comparable, generally accepted and useful in order to establish common policies.
Applying the model, communication contacts are developed between the public organizations of states - members of EU. In addition the National and European Quality Award has been established.
The Common Assessment Framework is feasible to be implemented by a public sector organization if following four phases are implemented:
- Phase I: Identify scope-Building the project team
- Phase II: Breakdown of tasks - identifying the internal functioning of the project team
- Phase III: Collection and rating of identified data documentation and preparation of the evaluation report
- Phase IV: Reporting the action plan for improvement
The results of the CAF implementation provide direct utility in the Management of any public organization as the self-evaluation report is essentially a series of actions for each criterion of the CAF.
The structure of the CAF is composed of nine criteria which relate to key aspects of an organization and are considered in any form of Management analysis (Leadership, Strategy and Planning, Human Resource Management, External Partnerships and Resources, Process & Change Management, customer -citizen oriented Results, Human Resources Results, Results related to the Society, Main Results). Each of the nine criteria is divided into subheadings that identify the main points that should be considered during the evaluation process of an organization.
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