Just a thought….Ideas 4 Making Performance Management a

Reality

By Brian Shelton

Agenda

• COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, & COMMUNICATE some more!

• Outline• Key Strategies

• Objectives• Tactics

• Sources• Next steps

Overview

• Specific Next Step Ideas Proposed are directly aligned to the specific Section XI Performance Measures items A-G in the County’s adopted Financial Policies.

• Additional comments by Councilors at the FY2010 Budget Hearings about the Performance Measures are directly addressed as well.

Ideation Objectives

• The purpose is to develop specific next management steps for converting the performance measurement emphasis to that of performance management.

• Senior Management Team must become more engaged and have a stake in what is going on for this to work.

• If SMT cannot communicate about this, then let someone else do it.

A Plea

• No idea is a bad idea – maybe it just won’t work for this jurisdiction’s people or politics.

• Take risks in moving these proposals up the command structure if you think an idea has merit and could work well in the longer term.

• LA Scores needs more commitment of time and resources to shine.

SOURCES STUDIED & APPLIED

• Los Alamos County, Steve Lynne, CFO

• IBM Center for the Business of Government Press

• GFOA Practice Recommendations

• ICMA Press & Center for Performance Measurement

• Association of Governmental Accountants

• City of Mesa, Arizona

• King County, Washington

• Results Leadership Group, LLC

• The Performance Institute, Program Auditing

• Washington State Transportation Board

Preamble and Policy Item F – “Be Monitored and Used in Decision Making Processes”

• Strategy # 1: Integrate performance management into County’s management culture by Communicating with each other.• Objective 1 – Include performance measurement

and management experience in senior level job requirements when hiring or promoting.

• Objective 2 – Include performance measurement and management information in new hire orientation.

• Objective 3 – Include a comprehensive overview of the LA Scores system to new Councilor orientation.

Preamble and Policy Item F – “Be Monitored and Used in Decision Making Processes”

• Strategy # 1: Integrate performance management into County’s management culture by Communicating with each other.• Objective 4 – Strike a balance between locally

grown and nationally developed standards• Objective 5 – Invest staff managers’ professional

reputations and prestige in performance management and measurement

• Objective 6 – Reduce the cost of providing the performance information.

• Objective 7 – Hold training for dashboard with Arizona ICMA Consortium.

Policy Item F – “Be Monitored and Used in Decision Making Processes”

• Strategy # 2: Institutionalize and Communicate “Performance Measurement Accountability” to the Community• Objective 1 – Reposition & define the role of

performance management on staff• Objective 2 – Retain and recruit specific talent for

maintaining and growing performance management initiatives

• Objective 3 – Council should also formally establish government transparency and accountability as part of their priority to the County’s citizens.

• Objective 4 – Identify public spaces and media to “be reported externally” – Policy Item E.

Preamble & Policy Item F – “Be Monitored and Used in Decision Making Processes”

• Strategy # 3: Institutionalize citizen priorities – Communicate with citizens• Objective 1 – CAO could ask Council to

establish a Progress Indicators Commission. Let the commission help guide the shape and feel of the community as it evolves.

• Objective 2 – Measure citizen perceptions of service quality and overall satisfaction with various dimensions of County services and programs. Give citizens feedback.

ALL THE OTHER POLICY ITEMS A, B, C, D, G

……are important for institutionalizing the scorecards and the system, but really do not concern management practice.

• ITEM A – Strategic goals and objectives aren’t there to provide performance management.

• ITEMs B & D – We are measuring by CPM.

• ITEM C – Need to identify the right ones in the first place, which has to do with expertise, not management.

• ITEM G – Assessing effectiveness of key programs requires a program audit.

Summarize

• Review ideas

• Check requirements and restrictions

• Trim list to top ideas

Next Steps

• Describe what happens next:• Research the ideas generated?• Follow up with larger group?

• Generate action items for follow-up:• Start turning ideas into reality