Premier
With reference to his reply to question 1 of 21 November 2024:
- (a) What is the total expenditure incurred by the provincial government on sourcing the Problem-driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) methodology, (b) how much was allocated to (i) training, (ii) implementation and (iii) any associated activities and (c)(i) what is the detailed list of departments that have implemented the PDIA methodology and (ii) what are the specific programmes, projects or activities in each department where this tool has been applied;
- in reference to the PDIA methodology’s ability to enhance collaborative problem-solving, whether the provincial government had previously faced challenges with planning and stakeholder relations that necessitated the adoption of this external methodology from the Harvard University; if so, (a) could he elaborate on these challenges and (b) how has the PDIA methodology specifically addressed them;
- (a) what is the relationship between the Economic War Room and the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (EDP) and (b)(i) why and (ii) what are the need and relevance of the PDIA methodology in the light of the existence of the EDP with its stated goal of being “a public benefit collaborative intermediary organisation, the EDP supports diverse stakeholders in harnessing each other’s energy, knowledge and resources for collective action. We design and facilitate collaboration that improves interventions addressing society’s most pressing development challenges”;
- (a) what is the total expenditure on the Economic War Room from its inception to date and (b) what is the breakdown of (i) the expenditure, (ii) donations received, (iii) operational costs and (iv) the outcomes achieved thus far?
(1)(a)and (b) Refer to question 4 below.
- (i) The PDIA focus is based on convening teams rather than within individual departments. The roll out of the methodology resulted in touch points within all Western Cape Government (WCG) departments. As a result, the methodology can now be used routinely across government.
(ii)The initial teams which were convened during the pilot phase were:
- Commuter mobility – Problem statement “Commuter bus operations and their passengers are unsafe as they have been subjected to increased attacks over the last few years”
- Safety – Problem statements “People arrested multiple times for violent crimes are not arrested and not kept behind bars”
- and “The implementation of protection orders does not address safety effectively in domestic relationships”
- Fixed Capital and Property Development – Problem statement “Job losses and declining economic activity in the construction and property development industry in the Cape Town metropole”
- Procurement – Problem statement “ Procurement practices hampering service delivery and innovation”
- Jobs/LED – Problem statement “There are not enough jobs in the Western Cape”
(2)(a) The Western Cape Government has always seen itself as a leader in the quality of its service delivery and constantly seeks innovative ways of improving its services to residents. This particularly methodology is well-known within the national government too, as the same Harvard Growth Lab team worked on a major study into inequality in South Africa, in partnership with, amongst others, the Presidency and National Treasury.
- The PDIA methodology has assisted by providing officials with tools that can assist them to better deal with complex problems.
(3) (a) The EDP was a participant in some of the Economic War Room teams’ discussions.
(b) (i) The PDIA methodology is a highly specific methodology that was not an existing area of expertise of the EDP. Their participation was intended to expose a wide range of potential partners to the methodology who could lead such processes in the future, and to ensure their expertise on the teams.
(ii) As part of a continuous drive to improve service delivery, the Western Cape Government sought to be innovative in capacitating officials to think differently and use enhanced skills in their places of work. In this light, the WCG resolved to adopt the PDIA methodology as a tool to enhance the skills of officials to solve complex, transversal problems.
(4)(a) (i) – (iv):
Employee related costs | R1 683 930 |
Admin (recoveries stationery etc)
| R1 689 |
Technology tools (Prezi, Miro) | R 3 256 |
Expert consultants | R1 860 610.23 |
Workshops | R32 584 |
Capacity Building - Harvard Leading Economic Growth (LEG) Course for training of 2 WCG coaches | R 210, 548.00 |
Total | R3 812 617.28 |
2023/24 – no spend was incurred after 2022/2023 as capacity was built and the programme was then rolled out internally.
There were no monetary donations but rather Harvard’s Growth Lab shared institutional expertise with the Western Cape Government. This was regarded as a form of donation because it involved offering valuable resources—knowledge, skills, and experience—developed over years of practice and investment. The Growth Lab has also worked with National Treasury, the Presidency of South Africa, the South African Reserve Bank, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, the Department of Human Settlements, the Industrial Development Corporation, the City of George, the City of Cape Town, the City of Polokwane, and the Municipality of Makhado.
