The Short Answer (from 1.1) 1. Choose among the many approaches to performance measurement. Make sure it makes sense to you, make sure it is useful to managers, make sure it addresses the most important measures, those that tell you whether and to what extent clients/customers are better off, and make sure … Read More
3.2 How do we get people to understand the difference between population results and program performance accountability? (reprise)
The Short Answer (1) Population well-being is clearly beyond the responsibility of any one organization or any one level of government. It is beyond government itself. It requires a whole range of public and private partners. (2) Programs and agencies serve client and customer groups that are (almost … Read More
3.3 What is the difference between indicators and performance measures? How do Results-Based Accountability fit together?
The Short Answer Indicators are about whole populations. Performance measures are about client populations. Indicators are usually about peoples’ lives, whether or not they receive any service. Performance measures are usually about people who receive service. Indicators are proxies for the well-being of whole populations, and necessarily matters of approximation and compromise. Performance measures … Read More
3.5 Where do we start in an organization that wants to do this?
The Short Answer (1) Start small. Don’t do it for the whole enterprise in a single budget cycle. Try it out with your best managers. Work out the bugs so it is actually useful to them. Then… (2) Work from the bottom up. Grow it up through your organization. (3) … Read More
3.4 What is the relationship between performance measurement, performance accountability and evaluation?
The Short Answer (1) Performance accountability and performance or program evaluation both make use of performance measures. Evaluation is part of performance accountability. (2) Different purposes: Evaluations provide a structured, disciplined analysis of how well a program works, so that managers and funders can make judgments about how and whether to change, continue or terminate a program … Read More
3.6 Where do we start in an organization that doesn’t want to do this?
The Short Answer 1. Start small and start with what you can do without “permission.” 2. Keep it low visibility and low risk until it is clearly useful Full Answer (1) The answer to this question very much depends on your position in the organization. The truth of the matter … Read More