8

Performance Measurement

Performance measurement enables stakeholders to assess the effectiveness of the strategic plan and enables managers to evaluate the performance of individuals and agencies tasked with accomplishing the tactics and objectives of the strategic plan.

To facilitate review and evaluation, managers in some jurisdictions assemble all assignments from the strategic plan into one list. This list can become an action plan and can be used to monitor assignments, determine performance, and adjust work schedules. It can also form the basis of a regular progress report to the community.

A comprehensive list of all the measures and tactics from the various sections of the strategic plan enables agency managers to evaluate the impact on available resources of new or expanded assignments. Does this agency have enough staff hours to accomplish the items on its portion of the list? Do the new work levels require additional funding or facilities from which to work? What other tasks or expenses can be cut back or delayed in order to assume these new responsibilities?

The measurable benefits and costs of objectives and tactics in the strategic plan should be considered at many levels. At the highest level, what is the relative importance of the program vis-à-vis other programs that must compete for the same limited funding? At the department level, objectives and tactics must be related to the department’s mission, capabilities, and resources. The department must also be able to collect the data necessary to measure success. At the program level, outcome measures can be used to help make decisions about whether constituent services are being provided in the most effective and efficient manner possible. At the level of the unit or the individual, outcome measures can influence pay and promotion decisions.

For all of the reasons cited above, a single listing of all of the measures from all of the objectives and tactics listed in the plan can be very useful. Some communities have begun to apply a balanced scorecard model to strategic planning objectives: a weighted index of performance metrics is assessed within the context of acceptable ranges of outcomes. The format that is best for any given community must be the format its leadership finds most comfortable.

The city of Kingsport, Tennessee, lists very general performance outcomes to be expected from each of the goals in its strategic plan. In the plan adopted by the mayor and aldermen of Kingsport in May of 2003, one goal was to “create a healthy economy by continuing efforts to expand and diversify the economic base.” One strategic objective under this goal was to become a “smart city.” The very succinct and easily understood summary of that objective and its measures is shown below.

Goal:

Create a healthy economy by continuing efforts to expand and diversify our economic base

Strategic objective:

Make Kingsport known as a “smart city,” exemplifying high-quality educational initiatives

Measures:

• Number of students enrolled in higher education institutions in the city
• Percentage of high school graduates who go on to post-secondary education
• Number of high school students who enroll in RCAT [Regional Center for Applied Technology, a collaborative effort of Northeast State Technical Community College and the city of Kingsport]
• Number of students enrolled in post-secondary distance learning in Kingsport
• Percentage of high school graduates who earn post-secondary degrees or certifications
• Vocation survey score (Is the educational system producing what area business needs for its workers?)
• ACT/SAT scores of city school students
• Percentage of households with high-speed Internet
• Number of graduating seniors obtaining ASQ [American Society for Quality] Quality Improvement Associate certification.

Gaithersburg, Maryland, also offers concise measures of performance.

Strategic direction:

Implement traffic and transportation strategies to improve the safety, structure, and function of streets, transit, bikeways, and sidewalks within the city

Critical measures:

• Number of speed studies completed
• Number of citations for traffic violations
• Average reduction of speed after a traffic calming measure has been implemented
• Number of new sidewalks and bike paths.

Appendix G shows performance measures listed in the section on community safety in the strategic plan for Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte’s measures provide a complete and easily scanned picture of the plan’s expected results.