Improving Government Effectiveness

Tracy Gallo – State of Vermont

June Sweeney - Office of the State Auditor

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Performance Measures

What are they and Why are they important to me?

Look Familiar???

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Performance Measures – Where do they fit?

Strategic Planning•Vision/ Mission

•Goals•Objectives

•Actions

Performance Management•Regular meetings

•Annual review•Goal setting

•Regular feedback

Budget•Planning

•Inputs/outputs•Rescissions

Rules•Policies•Statutes

•Requirements•Regulations

Planning•Program•Project•Grant

•Contracts

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Everywhere!

Strategic Planning•Vision/ Mission

•Goals•Objectives

•Actions•Performance Measures

Performance Management•Regular meetings

•Annual review•Goal setting

•Regular feedback•Performance Measures

Budget•Planning

•Inputs/outputs•Rescissions•Performance

Measures

Rules•Policies•Statutes

•Requirements•Regulations•Performance

Measures

Planning•Program•Project•Grant

•Contracts•Performance Measures

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What are Performance Measures?

Performance measures provide a series of measures, expressed in qualitative, quantitative or other tangible terms that indicate whether current performance is reasonable and cost effective.

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Types of Performance Measures

Input – These measure resources dedicated to specific programs, or what we put in.

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Types of Performance Measures

Output - Output measures are often stated in nonfinancial terms, and report what comes out.

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Types of Performance Measures

Process Measures- These measures compute either inputs/outputs or inputs/outcomes indicators and provide information on how efficient an organization is at achieving its program goals.

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Types of Performance Measures

• Outcome - Outcome measures gauge how well a program accomplished its goal.

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Evaluating your Performance Measures

What questions do I need to

ask?

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Performance Measures in Government

Performance measures Are a Management Tool to assist with:

Strategic planning. Focus Decision making Allocation of resources and determining

appropriation levels. Help focus efforts and inform the public about the

efforts of their government. Monitoring & accountability. For purposes of audit.

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What is happening at the State Level?

Performance Measures Working Group Challenges for Change

– Performance Contracts & Grants

Performance Management System The Summit: Center for State Employee

Development/ Courses

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PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Monitoring tools:– Help guide government – Make it accountable to the taxpayer.

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ACCOUNTABILITY

Governments are responsible to provide information necessary for the citizenry to be able to assess the government’s performance and to justify its use of public funds.

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ACCOUNTABILITY

5 Main Uses of PM Information (GASB study):

1. Increase government accountability

2. Increase citizen engagement

3. Support citizen decision making

4. Enable citizens to analyze, interpret, and evaluate public performance

5. Increase citizens’ confidence in government

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PERFORMANCE REPORTING

Widely communicated through a variety of channels and methods– Print– Broadcast media– Internet– Mail– Telephone– Etc.

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PERFORMANCE REPORTING

Citizen-centric Reports– 2 to 4 pages– Charts, Graphs and Bullet Points– Performance Measures– Objectives– Results (Good and Bad)– Opportunities and Challenges– http://www.agacgfm.org/citizen

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PERFORMANCE REPORTING

Clearly state major goals and objectives

State actual performance results

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PERFORMANCE REPORTING

Explain why results are as they are– Maintain objectivity– Learn lessons from satisfactory and

unsatisfactory results– Recognize success and attribute fairly– Avoid defensiveness

PERFORMANCE REPORTING

Identify an action plan for improving results– Focus on the future

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32 V.S.A. 307(c)

A statement of mission and goals; A description of indicators used to measure

output and outcome; andA description of the means and strategies for

meeting the needs of the agency or program, including future needs and the achievement of the goals under which it provides services.

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PERFORMANCE MEASURE AUDIT

Dept of Economic Development Goal:– “An improved standard of living and quality of

life for all Vermonters through increased and improved available job opportunities”

Measure:– “Contact 400 businesses through outreach

programs”

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PERFORMANCE MEASURES

An organization should have a mix of measures.

– Output– Outcome– Efficiency (a.k.a. Process)

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PERFORMANCE MEASURE AUDIT

Vermont Economic Progress Council

– Outcome measures Example: No. of jobs created

– Efficiency/Process measures Example: Cost per job created

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PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Efficiency is the relationship between inputs and outputs– Resources / Results

If outputs are used without consideration of outcomes, efficiency may be achieved at the expense of the outcomes of the service

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RESPONSIBILITY

Doing the right things

Doing things right

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PROCESS EFFICIENCY

By getting citizens more involved because they now understand what their government is focusing on, outcome-based processes and measures tend to become more important and efficiencies in those processes are more likely to occur.