The 5 Ps of Research

People, Programs, Process, Performance, and Peripheral

The 5 P's refers to a theoretical model of five factors that Wall Watchers analysts would like to consider in-depth when researching ministries. The 5 P's framework gives an element of much needed structure to qualitative analysis consistent with our belief that it is the People and Process factors within a organization that produce the Program and Performance outcomes for that institution. All external factors, regulatory boundaries and demographics are the Peripheral. Viewed in isolation, each of these factors provides only a partial picture, but looked at collectively, the factors contribute to a comprehensive assessment of a ministry.

When making research priorities and gathering information, the theoretical model needs to be brought into the light of reality. Tough decisions need to be made at times between an extensive in-depth research project versus a timely on going product.

Some factors may overlap, but looked at from a slightly different perspective. A few of the items within each factor are as follows:

  1. People
    • Founders
    • Board members
    • Top management
    • Key employees
    • Volunteers
    • Related organizations
    • Sister organizations
    • Professional affiliations
    • Alliances and relationships
    • Statement of Faith
    • Volunteers - #, role they play
    • Related Organizations - identify major ones, nature of relationship
    • Organization/Entity Chart
    • Partners and Competitors - auditors, lawyers, suppliers, partners, competitors
    • Major donors - degree of reliance (percent of support from top donors), individual or foundation
    • Founders - influence and current involvement
    • What individuals have the most impact on the ministry's direction and success?
    • What are the backgrounds and responsibilities of the top officers in the organization?
  2. Programs
    • Activities
    • Locations
    • Methods
    • Message
    • How they do them - methods, strategies
    • Who they are for - target audiences
    • Where and when they occur - national vs. regional, churches vs. homes, annual vs. ongoing
    • What are the common goals shared by all of the organization's programs?
    • What are the organization's core programs that contribute to the overall mission?
    • How important of a role does communicating a certain message play in the carrying out of each program?
    • What is the source of the message conveyed in programs?
    • Besides funding, what are the greatest challenges and obstacles to carrying out programs?
    • What is the most significant cost component the programs?
  3. Process
    • Accountability to the Board
    • Internal control
    • Succession plan
    • Strategic management
    • Ministry Process (core business processes)
    • Resource management processes
    • Program Development - How they determine what to do and how to do it, how they evaluate program success
    • Legal process assessment- International law, regulatory compliance, fundraising law, defending against lawsuits, conflicts of interest
    • Human Resource - HR manual, SOF requirement, compensation philosophy, hiring policy, use of volunteers, what positions exist
    • Technology - How sophisticated are office systems, how they maintain a web presence, how they ensure security of systems
    • What internal processes are most critical to the success of the ministry?
    • How does the organization determine its long-term strategy for carrying out its mission?
    • What is the ministry's general approach to dealing with donors and the public?
    • What processes does the organization use to ensure proper stewardship and reporting of financial resources?
    • What kind of Internal Control policies?
    • Any investment policy or philosophy on investments?
    • What is the frequency and types of financial reporting?
    • What are the significant accounting policies, like for cost allocation?
    • What are the key relationships that keep the organization accountable to their Board, their peers, the Christian community, and the public?
    • What associations do they belong to?
    • How do they keep donors informed?
    • How do they communicate the mission, goals and objectives both internally and externally?
  4. Performance
    • Program outcomes
    • Revenue growth
    • Ratios and ratings
    • What are the key performance measures that the ministry monitors to ensure that it is operating efficiently and effectively?
    • What financial ratios (if any) does the organization monitor to assess its own performance?
    • What are the most significant performance trends the organization is currently experiencing (e.g. revenue growth/decline, people fed)?
    • What significant events have occurred that have affected the performance or outlook for the ministry's financial situation?
    • How does the ministry utilize program outcome measurements to improve the way it carries out its mission?
    • Ratios - Understand reasons for outliers, understand reasons for high or low ratings
    • Trends - understand reasons for trends in major financial variables, understand major changes or events affecting financial information
    • Specifics - understand issues identified in the notes to financial statements and odd line items
    • Program outcomes - understand results and trends if they track this information
    • How do they measure your program outcomes?
  5. Peripheral
    • What external forces (e.g. political, economic, etc.) have the most impact on the ministry?
    • Political/Legal Regulatory: What political, legal, and regulatory bodies does the organization deal with?
    • Resource Availability: What are the significant outside resources that the organization depends on?
    • Demographic Environment: What areas or people groups benefit most from the ministry's programs?
    • Does it have a Statement of Faith and if so what values can be gleaned by it?

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