Workshop Agenda — FREF Implementation Evaluation Review

Date & Time

Thursday 13 March, 10:00 – 12:30

Format

Working Session (Hybrid)

Attendees

~10 (SA, M&E, Leadership)

Session Purpose

Review the evaluator's findings and recommendations as a team. Walk away with:

Shared understanding of what worked and what needs to change
Prioritised recommendations (budget-feasible vs out-of-scope for now)
Assigned owners for each priority
30-day action plan for low-hanging fruit

10:00

15 min

Welcome and Context Setting

Frame the session: why we're here, what we're working toward, and how we'll work together today.

🔹 Quick overview of the evaluation process and scope

🔹 Walk through the one-page summary (key findings)

🔹 Confirm session ground rules: candid feedback, decisions over debate, forward-looking

✓ Shared context established

10:15

30 min

Team Reflections: What Resonates, What's Missing

Each team shares their perspective on the evaluation findings AND surfaces additional learnings, insights, or improvement areas not captured in the report.

🔹 Student Advancement ~10 min: Cohort management, student engagement, wraparound services

🔹 M&E ~10 min: Data, monitoring, service provider performance

🔹 Leadership / Finance ~10 min: Operating model, budgets, university relationships, systems

🔹 For each team: What else do we need to implement in 2026 to improve as a service provider? What did the evaluator not capture?

✓ Team perspectives + additional improvement areas captured

10:45

10 min

☕ Break

Quick reset. Grab coffee, stretch.

10:55

40 min

Recommendation Review and Prioritisation

Walk through the evaluator's 7 recommendations AND the team-generated items from the previous session. Prioritise all of them together.

🔹 Review evaluator's 7 recommendations (~3 min each, ~20 min total)

🔹 Review team-surfaced items from Session 2 (~15 min)

🔹 Classify ALL items into three buckets:

🟢 DO NOW — Low-hanging fruit, within budget, actionable in 30 days

🔵 PLAN — Important, needs design/resources, implement this programme cycle

⚪ PARK — Out of scope or budget for now, revisit later

🔹 Key lens: What moves us from reactive delivery to proactive, quality-driven service?

✓ Unified prioritised list (evaluator + team recommendations)

11:35

30 min

Action Planning: Owners, Timelines, Quick Wins

For every "DO NOW" and "PLAN" item, assign an owner and set a concrete next step.

🔹 For each prioritised recommendation:

— Who owns this? (Name, not team)

— What's the first concrete action?

— By when? (30-day targets for quick wins)

🔹 Identify any blockers or dependencies

🔹 Agree on reporting/check-in rhythm for progress

✓ Action plan with named owners and deadlines

12:05

10 min

Wrap-Up: Summary of Decisions and Next Steps

Recap what was decided, confirm commitments, and close.

🔹 Read back the prioritised list and action owners

🔹 Confirm when the first check-in will happen

🔹 Capture any unresolved items for follow-up

🔹 Final reflections: one word from each participant on what they're taking away

✓ Aligned team with clear commitments

12:15

15 min

Buffer

Built-in overflow time. If discussions run long, this absorbs it. If not, everyone gets 15 minutes back.

📋 Pre-Read for Attendees (Send by Wednesday Morning)

Review the one-page summary document (attached)
Come prepared with your team's top 3 learnings from the 2025 cycle
Think about: Which recommendations matter most to your function? What can realistically be done in 30 days?
Important: Beyond the evaluator's 7 recommendations, what else does your team believe needs to change or improve in 2026? Come ready to share these. We will prioritise them alongside the formal recommendations.