Translating the EFQM model into the courts

What is it about?

The purpose of this paper is to develop an assessment guide based on the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model criteria. The meaning of the quality principles that underline the EFQM model was discussed with the court administrator, judges, prosecutors and justice officers of a selected court. Those perspectives were taken into account when translating the criteria and criterion parts of the EFQM model. The assessment guide was validated by an experts’ panel. The resulting guide includes a description of the various criteria and criterion parts and the identification of key focus areas, while giving some illustrative examples of initiatives and indicators that could be looked at under each model dimension.

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Why is it important?

Courts have been under pressure to become more accountable and responsive organisations. In this context, self-assessment models that drive attention to the way resources are being used and to the results that are being achieved, incorporating the views of different stakeholders, are of particular interest. The assessment guide proposed can be used to undertake self-assessment exercises in different courts. There is a lack of studies on the measurement of courts’ performance apart from the publication of simple lists of process indicators. The assessment guide developed in this study is perhaps one of the most comprehensive resources for assessing the quality of a court.