Public Value Strategy Training Course: Legitimacy, Capability and Citizen Outcomes

Programme Summary

Public value strategy is the subject of this one-week training course for senior public sector leaders and programme directors, ending in a public value strategy for one programme. Public bodies are judged on outcomes that citizens value, yet their mandate, legitimacy and delivery capability are often discussed apart. The programme links these through the strategic triangle, then applies each tool to one programme of the participant's own. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this programme on public value strategy to mixed-organisation cohorts.

The Business Case

Public bodies that lack a clear public value strategy report activity rather than results, lose support from those who authorise their work and struggle to explain what citizens gain. Leaders who build a public value strategy around legitimacy, capability and measured outcomes can justify their choices.

• Stakeholder Support: Strengthens as the authorising environment is mapped and engaged deliberately.
• Delivery Fit: Improves as operational capability is tested against the outcomes promised.
• Outcome Reporting: Becomes clearer as value delivered is measured beyond outputs.

Principles and Evidence Base

• Mark Moore's strategic triangle: It tests a strategy against public value, the authorising environment and operational capability, and it frames Sessions 1, 2 and 5.
• OECD work on trust in government: It treats citizen outcomes, legitimacy and responsiveness as central, and it shapes Sessions 2 and 4.
• OECD work on public sector innovation: It supports the involvement of citizens and partners in delivery, and it informs Session 3.

Intended Participants

• Senior leaders who set the direction of a public programme and answer for its results.
• Programme directors who must turn a mandate into outcomes citizens notice.
• Policy and strategy heads who prepare the case for a new initiative.
• Managers who engage oversight bodies, partners and service users.
• Advisers who design measures of value delivered.

Typical functions include health, education, social services and municipal administration.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to define public value for a programme in terms citizens recognise.
2. Participants will be able to diagnose the authorising environment that gives a strategy legitimacy and resources.
3. Participants will be able to evaluate the operational capability needed to deliver a strategy.
4. Participants will be able to construct outcome statements and co-production options for a programme.
5. Participants will be able to prioritise measures that show value delivered rather than activity.
6. Participants will be able to justify a public value strategy to an oversight body or board.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Public Value and the Strategic Triangle

What counts as public value, and how does the strategic triangle test whether a strategy is worth pursuing?

• OECD Trust in Government Reading Guide
• Strategic Triangle Canvas
• Public Value Definition Worksheet
• Mandate and Outcomes Statement
• Value Versus Output Test

Day 2: Diagnosing Legitimacy and Capability

Who authorises the strategy, and does the organisation have the capability to deliver it?

• Authorising Environment Map
• Stakeholder Legitimacy Grid
• Operational Capability Audit Sheet
• Citizen Needs Evidence Summary
• Mandate and Capacity Gap Chart

Day 3: Designing Outcomes and Co-Production

How are outcomes that citizens value defined, and who must contribute to deliver them?

• Citizen Outcome Statement Template
• Co-Production Options Matrix
• Service Journey Map
• Legitimacy Building Plan
• Partner Role and Contribution Chart

Day 4: Measuring Public Value Delivered

How is the value actually delivered shown to citizens, oversight bodies and staff?

• Outcome Indicator Set
• Value Delivered Scorecard
• Trust and Responsiveness Measures
• Evidence Review Protocol
• Value Reporting Template

Day 5: Applying the Tools to One Public Value Strategy

Do the triangle, legitimacy, outcome and measurement tools hold together in one strategy?

• Applying the Session 1 Canvas to the Participant's Programme
• Using the Session 2 Map on a Live Initiative
• Testing the Session 3 Outcome Statement Against Co-Production Options
• Checking the Plan Against the Session 4 Scorecard
• Completing the Public Value Strategy

Methodology

The programme uses a case analysis method built on anonymised programme papers, stakeholder maps, service journey records and short written cases from health, education and municipal bodies. Participants work in small peer groups on a programme of their own, challenge one another's triangles and receive facilitator feedback on every map, statement and scorecard.

• Suggested activity: Testing a live programme against the three points of the strategic triangle and recording the weakest.
• Suggested activity: Mapping who authorises a strategy and ranking the three relationships that matter most.
• Suggested activity: Drafting a citizen outcome statement and rewriting it after peer challenge.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a public value strategy for one programme. It holds a strategic triangle canvas, an authorising environment map, a capability gap chart, a citizen outcome statement, co-production options and a value delivered scorecard. The strategy is used at work to brief a board, open discussions with oversight bodies and guide the first planning cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is training in public value strategy suitable for leaders who have not worked with the strategic triangle before?

Yes. The programme assumes experience of leading or supporting a public programme and builds public value strategy from the definition of value upward.

Which models does public value strategy rest on in this programme?

It rests on Mark Moore's strategic triangle, together with OECD work on trust in government and on public sector innovation.

How is the strategy document for public value strategy used at work?

You use it to brief a board, open discussions with oversight bodies and guide the first planning cycle of your programme.

How does learning public value strategy differ from a programme on government leadership?

It centres on defining and measuring the value a programme creates for citizens, while government leadership centres on a leader's influence, team direction and decisions.