Government Performance Management

Government Embracing Evidence-Based Policy Making

In naming Jeffrey Zients to be Chief Performance Officer and Deputy Office of Management and Budget Director, President Obama signaled that the federal government would continue to build on the performance focus and reinventing government efforts of the past two administrations. Zients will help “streamline processes, cut costs, and find best practices throughout our government,” Obama said when he announced the nomination. Zients will be expected to lead the president's efforts on contracting reform, eliminating waste in the budget, building a performance agenda and creating more transparency in federal finances.

Those challenges faced by government organizations are not that different than those of business. They need to do more with less, only all under the watchful eye of legislators, the media and the general public. And those challenges are best met with good performance management practices. Good government performance management needs solid strategic thinking and planning, clear articulation of key strategic objectives, transparent measurement of progress toward those objectives and analysis and communication of results to stakeholders.

Building a High-Performing Government

The Obama administration's management agenda will be based around six themes designed to create a High-Performing Government:

Putting Performance First: Replacing PART with a New Performance Improvement and Analysis Framework

Ensuring Responsible Spending of Recovery Act Funds

Transforming the Federal Workforce

Managing Across Sectors

Reforming Federal Contracting and Acquisition

Transparency, Technology, and Participatory Democracy

Government Performance Management Articles & White Papers

Improving Government Performance

By Howard Rohm
Do your government leaders have a clear strategy? Is that strategy communicated with clarity? Do you have a disciplined way of prioritizing between competing progams and services under tighter and more strigent budgets?
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Using the Balanced Scorecard to Align Your Organization

By Howard Rohm
Balanced Scorecards, when developed as strategic planning and management systems, can help align an organization behind a shared vision of success.
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balanced scorecard puzzle pieces

Award for Excellence

The Institute honors Mecklenburg County, NC with an Award for Excellence. The County's focus on citizens has successfully transformed the county government and positioned it for a tough economy.
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Charlotte, NC

Putting Out Fires (Literally) with a Balanced Scorecard

The Northwest Fire District (AZ) needed to re-create its strategic plan and decided to use the Institute’s Nine-Steps® framework in an effort ensure the plan was reflective of the needs of its stakeholders.
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fire district strategic planning

An Archive of Helpful Government White Papers

Compiled by Paul Arveson
Most of these public domain documents were written for the US Department of the Navy Total Quality Leadership (TQL) Office around 1994.
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Any Strategy in Your Strategic Plan?

By Howard Rohm
Is your strategic plan devoid of strategy? Read the latest article by Institute CEO Howard Rohm to find out.
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Close Move

Government Agency vs. Private Sector Management
Most of the literature on the Balanced Scorecard and other management theories is oriented around the values and needs of private-sector companies.

The Relevance of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to Non-Profit Organizatoins: Changes in the Corporate Governance, Organization, Financial Reporting, Mangement Responsibility and Liability by John Knubel
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was enacted in response to Enron, Worldcom (MCI), Health-South and several other recent episodes involving corporate fraud, mismanagement and abuse of power.

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday, the third day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-six

On October 25, 1996, OMB Director Franklin Raines issued a memorandum setting forth guidance under the Information Technology Management Reform Act (ITMRA).

Government Performance and Results Act of 1993
AN ACT to provide for the establishment of strategic planning and performance measurement in the Federal Government, and for other purposes.

Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (excerpt)
AN ACT to provide for the establishment of strategic planning and performance measurement in the Federal Government, and for other purposes.
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Improving Governement/Nonprofit Mission and Generic Processes by Paul Arveson

Senior management is where most of the strategic functions exist, but general oversight covers all functions.

Seven Steps Toward "300" by Paul Arveson

The above figure shows a hypothetical record of efforts by a mediocre 'baseline' Government agency to achieve a score of 300

Improving an Everyday Process: The Meeting Cycle by Paul Arveson
Why are we so slow getting rid of paper-based processes? Is it because we aren't really convinced of the business case for IT (Information Technology)?

It improves the bottom line by reducing process cost and improving productivity and mission effectiveness.

A presentation given at the City-County Summit in San Diego, CA. March 2003

A workshop presentation given at the City-County Summit in San Diego, CA March 2003

a presentation by Howard Rohm

White Papers

Most of the following public domain documents were written for the US Department of the Navy Total Quality Leadership (TQL) Office around 1994.

Measuring Performance in Government Research Agencies by Paul Arveson
Private companies exist to make money for their shareholders, owners and employees.

Integrating Baldrige with the Balanced Scorecard by Howard Rohm
Learn how the Baldrige assessment and the Balanced Scorecard can be integrated
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The Convergence of Strategy, Performance and Enterprise Architecture in the US Federal Government
by Paul Arveson
Enterprise architecture is playing an increasingly important role in plans to improve management.
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The Value of Corporate Information Technology Initiatives
by Paul Arveson
Government agencies should emulate large private-sector companies in their aggressive use of IT to enhance business activities.
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Close Move

Government Performance Measurement & Management Course Offerings

Performance Management for Government

The course focuses on the development and maintenance of strategic performanced management systems in federal, state, and municipal governments, with case studies, examples and hands-on exercises. This course includes discussion of different frameworks for performance management, including the balanced scorecard, the logic model, process flow models, and cause-effect models.
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Developing Meaningful Performance Measurements for Business and Government

Performance measures are a key output from a balanced scorecard system. This course provides essential guidance and allows participants to practice developing meaningful strategic and operational performance measures for balanced scorecard systems. Participants are taught what to measure, how to measure directly and indirectly, how to set targets and thresholds, how to develop composite measures using lower level performance measures, how to measure outcomes, outputs, processes, and inputs and more.
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Government Embracing Evidence-Based Policy Making

Building a High-Performing Government

Government Performance Management Articles & White Papers

Government Performance Management Course Offerings