“Planning is important but the devil is in the execution”. This saying holds true according to the experts like former PCC Executive Director Dr. Libertado Cruz and the current leaders of PCC. Setting the agency target output is easier than detailing the plans of execution to achieve specific targets that have to be acted upon by the program implementers across the country.

One important mandate of PCC is to propagate carabao as a source of income of farming families towards improved general well-being and better nutrition. As a matter of fact, PCC commits to increase the production of genetically improved calves by 5% each year.  To achieve this, PCC is implementing a genetic improvement program (GIP) which uses artificial insemination (AI) and bull loan program as strategies to ensure the production of quality calves.

PCC capacitates and partners with AI technicians and bull handlers to provide income opportunities through the delivery of production services in the communities. Based on the reports, however, the agency had not attained its calf production target except for the year 2018. The non-attainment of target called for the need to implement an effective strategy that will help capture more calf production report.

When Dr. Caro Salces became the new PCC Deputy Executive Director in 2018, he explained his program and emphasized the importance of using the 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX). The 4DX was already introduced to the Center Directors of PCC before but was not fully implemented.

Dr. Salces emphasized that 4DX is an effective tool or strategy because it provides focus on what needed to be done by the program implementers. He declared that the use of 4DX should be revisited and should be implemented to help achieve calf production target.

The 4DX explains that four basic disciplines need to be embedded into an organization to create a culture of execution: (1) focus on the wildly important goal (WIG); (2) act on the lead measures; (3) keep a compelling scoreboard; and (4) create a cadence of accountability.

As part of the implementation of 4DX in PCC, the Center Directors and program coordinators last year decided that the agency’s WIG is to produce 20,663 calves by end of December 2018. 

According to Dr. Salces, PCC conducts many activities but priority should be given to activities that will directly contribute to the attainment of targets committed by the agency to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Agriculture (DA). The Regional Centers are required to submit daily calf production report through a messenger group chat created and managed by the Operations Team. Each center assigned its official 4DX reporter who will post the daily calf production report through the said platform.  The reports are then transformed into tabular and graphical presentation by the Operations Team for better appreciation of the centers.

The presentation serves as a scoreboard that is being shared through the messenger group chat. The graph is simple and communicates daily how close or far is the agency’s actual accomplishment from the target. Dr. Salces also explained that the implementers tend to perform more when they see and compare their scores.

At the regional level, the implementers were suggested to create their own messenger group chat to get real time report from their AI technicians and assisted bull handlers. Unlike message through text, sending of message through messenger doesn’t require much prepaid load as long as the sender has free data or internet connection.  

Aside from daily reporting, 4DX implementers of Regional Centers are required to meet at least 30 minutes each week to celebrate the team’s success and to discuss their plans for the following week. Sense of accountability among staff or team members can be developed and sustained only through active participation in group discussions or meetings.

PCC has proven that the 4DX implementation is effective because the agency was able to achieve and even surpass the 2018 calf production target by 7%. The total calf production last year reached 22,303 reported in advance through the messenger group chat and encoded through the official database early January this year. 

The positive result of the initial 4DX implementation drives the management to continue the use of the strategy to help reach the target this year. The messenger app is being optimized to facilitate the full implementation of the strategy.