2.3 How do we get people to understand the difference between indicators and performance measures?

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

3.7 How do we help people identify performance measures for their program or service?

The Short Answer There are many different ways to do this (see  3.1). Here’s one approach that goes directly to performance measures themselves: All performance measures (that have ever existed for any program in the history of the universe) fall into one of four categories, derived from the intersection of quantity and … Read More

3.8 What are the differences between the 4 quadrants?

The Short Answer (1) There are many classification schemes or typologies for performance measures that have used over the years. The 4 quadrant typology is a new way to account for all the different kinds of performance measures. And it can be used to diagnose other classification schemes for performance … Read More

3.9 What is the difference between 4 Quadrant performance measures and logic model performance measures?

The Short Answer 1. The 4 Quadrant method and logic model methods can be seen as complementary, not contradictory, approaches. 2. The 4 Quadrant model goes directly to the identification of performance measures, without a lot of preliminaries: What do we do? (quantity of effort = # clients served, # activities … Read More

3.10 How do we identify performance measures for administrative functions like personnel, budgeting, etc.?

Check out the updated version of this page here! The Short Answer 1. For each administrative activity, identify the measures (in the upper right quadrant) that describe how well that activity is performed. These usually have to do with timeliness (e.g. % of invoices paid in less than 30 days, … Read More

3.12 How do we select the most important ” headline” performance measures for my program or service?

The Short Answer 1. Identify the measures for which you currently have data. 2. Choose the most important using a forced choice process, asking: “If you had to talk about your program with just one of these circled measures, which one would it be?” 3. Identify your data development agenda … Read More