Performance management can be challenging from a methodological perspective, and the chapters in part 2 address key methodological concerns in some detail. Focusing on performance measurement as the critical element of the larger performance management process, the first question to be addressed is what to measure. Chapter 3 discusses the use of program logic models to identify outcomes and other performance criteria and then presents various classes of measures, including measures of output, efficiency, productivity, effectiveness, service quality, customer satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness. Chapter 4 focuses on tying performance measures to programmatic or organizational goals and objectives.
Second is the question of how to measure these various dimensions of performance. Chapter 5 discusses the definition and systematic assessment of operational indicators in terms of validity and reliability, timeliness, usefulness, and a number of other criteria.
Third is the question of what to do with the performance data once they have been collected. Chapter 6 illustrates a number of kinds of tabular, graphical, and pictorial formats for displaying performance data as interesting and useful information. Finally, chapter 7 discusses the analysis of performance data, emphasizing the importance of comparisons—of current performance levels against past or recent trends, of actual performance against targets, across organizational or programmatic units, or against other agencies or programs, for example—as well as more in-depth analytics in order to provide real information in an appropriate context.