Try, learn and adjust

A 'try, learn, adjust' approach will help us to continually improve Mana Whaikaha.

Mana Whaikaha is a prototype – the first model of a completely new disability support system. We know we will not have everything right in the Mana Whaikaha prototype from day one so we will be making changes, based on what we learn, as the prototype unfolds. We call this process a 'try, learn, adjust' approach.

Learning cycles

There will be a number of learning cycles with the 'try, learn, adjust' approach. Each cycle involves asking: What are we developing? So how well are things working? Now what does this mean for what we do next?

A developmental evaluation will support the 'try, learn, adjust' approach

Developmental evaluators will work alongside Mana Whaikaha to support the 'try, learn, adjust' approach. They will use lots of different ways to get information about how things are working and to understand where improvements are needed. This means developmental evaluators may be in touch with you from time to time to find out how things are working for you and your whānau. The feedback you provide will help the team to fine-tune Mana Whaikaha so it is delivering the best possible experience and is helping you to achieve the life you want.

An outcomes evaluation will tell us how well Mana Whaikaha is working over time

An outcomes evaluation will also be undertaken to help us understand what difference Mana Whaikaha is making in terms of quality of experience and life outcomes for disabled people and their whānau over time.

To help us know what difference Mana Whaikaha is making, we have conducted a Baseline Study. The Baseline Study involved speaking to disabled people and whānau and a survey of service providers and support workers. The Baseline Study gives us a good understanding of what things were like before Mana Whaikaha and provides a reference point for understanding how things are changing since the start of Mana Whaikaha.