EFQM-Based IT Performance Assessment & Continuous Improvement Model

The project focused on designing and implementing an EFQM-based IT performance assessment and continuous improvement model for the IT departments of Tehran Municipality’s 22 districts. The model was developed not merely as a ranking and evaluation mechanism, but as a structured framework for identifying improvement opportunities, supporting organizational development and strengthening the overall performance of regional IT departments. The project was built around several key objectives: Performance Assessment: Establishing a structured and consistent framework for assessing the performance and organizational capabilities of regional IT departments. Benchmarking: Enabling comparison of IT performance across the 22 municipal districts and identifying strengths, weaknesses and improvement opportunities. Continuous Improvement: Shifting the focus from assessment and ranking toward practical improvement and organizational development. Management Feedback: Providing each assessed IT department with structured feedback reports, including identified gaps, strengths and recommendations for improvement. Organizational Development: Supporting major improvement initiatives, including the review and development of IT organizational structures and management approaches. Strategic Alignment: Developing a strategic model and communicating it to regional IT departments to support alignment and implementation. Participation & Governance: Involving regional IT departments in the assessment and improvement process through a dedicated policy and decision-making council. Training & Culture Building: Conducting training and awareness activities to familiarize IT personnel and managers with the assessment framework and promote a culture of continuous improvement. The assessment approach was adapted from EFQM principles and used structured assessment criteria to evaluate organizational performance and identify areas requiring improvement. Following each assessment cycle, the results were communicated to the respective IT departments through feedback reports and improvement recommendations. The assessment outcomes were also used as a basis for defining broader organizational improvement initiatives at the municipal level.

Resistance to change among the IT managers of the municipal districts – the need for support from district managers to implement the improvements resulting from the project.

EFQM-based IT performance assessment model Assessment criteria and evaluation framework IT department assessment results Benchmarking and performance analysis Individual feedback reports Improvement recommendations and roadmaps Strategic improvement model Training and awareness materials Organizational improvement initiatives

22 municipal IT departments assessed using a structured EFQM-based framework Established a consistent approach for IT performance assessment and benchmarking Shifted the assessment focus from ranking to continuous improvement Provided structured feedback and improvement recommendations following assessments Supported organization-wide improvement initiatives in IT structure and strategic management Increased regional IT department participation in performance improvement and decision-making