Prioritise change using impact graphs

Template

Impact graphs are used to measure the impact of different tasks and prioritise change. This template is designed for use by senior leadership teams in staff one-to-ones, or in team or whole staff meetings.

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What an impact graph does

An impact graph considers the workload for each task a staff member or team does, and the impact the tasks have on teaching and learning.

If a task has:

  • a low workload and a high impact on teaching and learning, this suggests the task is worthwhile and doesn’t require any changes
  • a high workload and a high impact on teaching and learning, this suggests the task is still worth completing but should be streamlined if possible
  • a low workload and a low impact on teaching and learning, consider whether it could be amended to have a higher impact or discontinued
  • a high workload and a low impact on teaching and learning, it should be amended, refined or discontinued as soon as possible

How to use the impact graph to prioritise change

Identify the tasks that contribute to workload

Talk about all the tasks that make up the staff member’s or team’s workload. Write each task on separate post-it notes as you discuss them.

Examples of tasks could include:

  • feedback and marking
  • data collection and analysis
  • summative assessments
  • lesson planning and finding resources
  • communications, including staff meetings and emails
  • calendar or time constraints
  • administration and finance

Prioritise which tasks to change

After you’ve listed all the tasks, talk about how much work each one involves and its impact. Then, put each task in the corresponding spot on the impact graph.

Next steps

Tasks identified as high workload and low impact should be your main area of focus. Consider whether these practices could be stopped, amended to make them less time-intensive, or refined so they have more impact.

If the tasks written on the post-it notes have been thought about more broadly, you may now want to explore each one in more depth. Think about whether there are any tasks that can be refined to reduce workload and increase impact, or stopped altogether.

You can use the Address workload issues section of the workload reduction toolkit to address any specific workload issues you identify.

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