Performance Management Blog

Archive for the ‘Government’ Category

KPIs and Dashboards in practice: TrackDC an innovative District of Columbia Performance Management initiative

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Performance measurement and reporting for control is not the sole purpose of tracking results against targets. One of its very important dimensions is that of enhancing accountability towards stakeholders; in private-owned organizations, reporting is directed mostly to shareholders and managers, whereas in governmental institutions, communication is directed towards the entire community served.

Usually, government accountability and reporting comes in the shape of annual performance reports, made public on the various agencies’ or local cities’ websites. smartKPIs.com – KPIs in practice section – includes various such annual reports, the ones below being only a part of the tens of governmental reports contained:

However, more complex initiatives are on their way, governments seeking not only to release a descriptive report covering one year’s activity, but also put in place more user-friendly reporting tools, with increased usability, based on Performance Management Dashboards.

A pioneer in this area seems to be the District of Columbia, which developed an online application called TrackDC, where citizens can visualize Key Performance Indicator results in graphs, check Budget distribution and spending, have access to permanent news and learn more about agencies and their Performance Plans and Accountability Reports.

Source: District of Columbia, 2010

The website contains individual pages for all the 53 agencies, with agency profile section, the annual Performance Plans and Reports, Performance Indicators, Customer Service data and Budget & Operational information.

For a complete picture, you can access for example the District Department of Transportation page:

Source: District of Columbia, District Department of Transportation, 2010

The Department’s 2010 Performance Plan includes performance measures in areas ranging from Finance, Contracts and Customer Service, to People, Properties and Risk. Several examples are the following:

% Sole-source contracts
% Variance between agency budget estimate and actual spending
% Employee turnover rate
# Square feet of office space occupied per employee

You can see that the Agency Responsiveness Quality Assurance Result for Q4 was of 97,09 %, against a 87,47 % Citywide Average.

You can also check the daily Website Traffic Dashboard, covering website traffic numbers for the last month’s period.

The Key Performance Indicators vary from one agency to another, being broken down from the objectives and initiatives each individual agency identifies. However, reporting is the same for each agency, covering the sections mentioned above.

References

District of Columbia (2010), “Track.DC”, available at: http://track.dc.gov/ (accessed 15 March 2010).

Tags: Dashboard, District of Columbia, Key Performance Indicators, Performance Management, Performance Measures, TrackDC
Posted in Business Intelligence, Government, KPIs in practice, Performance Management, smartKPIs.com | No Comments »

All time high for New York City high school graduation rate

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

In a recent press release, the Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein announced that New York City’s four year high school graduation rate rose to all time high of 63 % in 2009.

“After a decade of stagnation, New York City’s graduation rate has increased for eight consecutive years” said Mayor Bloomberg. “And not only are more students graduating than ever before, but the number of students dropping out has been cut nearly in half in just the past four years alone. We won’t be satisfied until every student graduates from high school, but our City’s principals and teachers deserve enormous credit for the significant progress we’ve made.”

Photo credit: Edward Reed, New York City Office of the Mayor

When evaluating the performance of the high school academic education, the New York city used he following key performance indicators:

# Students earning Regent diplomas
% Drop-out rate
% Graduation rate
# Graduated students

According to the press release, “since 2005, when New York City began calculating graduation rates using its current methodology, the June graduation rate has risen by 12.5 points. The dropout rate has been cut nearly in half during the same period, falling to a new low of 11.8 percent-a decline of 10.2 points since 2005. In all, 3,300 additional students in New York City graduated in June 2009 compared to June 2008, with that number rising to almost 6,200 additional students when August graduates are counted.”

There are many academic institutions around the world that measure their performance on an annual basis, using different performance indicators. For more examples of performance analysis, reports or statistics in educational systems local, national or international based, visit the Academic Education section of smartKPIs.com KPIs in practice. Also, visit the KPI examples for the Education& Training industry, for more specific performance indicators.

Related links:

New York Times: Large High Schools in the City Are Taking Hard Falls, Published: January 25, 2010
New York Times: More New York High Schools Get A’s, Published: November 16, 2009
New York Times: N.Y. Senate Renews Mayor’s Power to Run Schools, Published: August 6, 2009
U.S. Department of Education: Race to the top Program

References:

New York City, Office of the Mayor, Press release (2010), available at http://www.nyc.gov/cgi-bin/misc/pfprinter.cgi?action=print&sitename=OM&p=1268301741000, (accessed 10 March 2010)

smartKPIs.com (2010) “KPIs in practice examples for the Academic Education industry”, available at http://www.smartkpis.com/kpi_examples_in_practice/industries/education-training/academic-education/ (accessed 10 March 2010)

smartKPIs.com (2010) “KPI examples for the Education& Training industry”, available at http://www.smartkpis.com/kpi/industries/education-training/pag2.html (accessed 10 March 2010)

Tags: Bloomberg, Database of KPIs, Indicators, Key Performance Indicator, Key Performance Indicators, New York City, Performance Indicator, Performance Management, Performance Measures
Posted in Government, KPIs in practice, Library of KPI examples, Measure, Performance Measurement, smartKPIs.com | No Comments »

The Innovation Capacity Index

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

A useful resource for managing innovation performance at national level is the The Innovation for Development Report. The report “provides a comprehensive look at the role of innovation in enhancing the development process” at national level. The first section of the report presents the Innovation Capacity Index, a methodological tool for measuring innovation at national level.

The Innovation Capacity Index (ICI):

Definition: A global standard to be used across the world with governments, in all countries.

Purpose: To assess and to reflect the country ability to create an environment to support and encourage innovation.

Importance: The ICI is proposed as a policy tool in order to promote dialogue between countries regarding policies and institutions that foster an environment for enabling innovation.

Over 60 factors playing a major role for ICI:

Human Capital endowment
Regulatory and Legal framework
Institutional environment
Infrastructure for research and development
Adoption and use of information and communication technologies

The relative importance of these factors varies, depending on the country development level and the political regime that policies are being implemented.

The report also contains the 2009-2010 ICI rakings of 131 countries. The top 20 is:

The complete list can be accessed on the report website: ICI rankings 2009-2010 (pdf)

Practical perspective on ICI:

ICI Rank 1: Sweden, the top performing country for 2009, serves as a benchmark for other countries through:

The country’s excellent policy framework that turned the private sector into the main engine of innovation
Open and transparent government
Universal social protections
High level of competitiveness and productivity

For further reading:

The Innovation for Development Report official website.
The Innovation Capacity Index: Factors, Policies and Institutions Driving Country Innovation, Augusto López-Claros, Yasmina N. Mata

Tags: Action Research, Indicators, Innovation
Posted in Government | No Comments »

The KPI Database on smartKPIs.com continues to grow – Over 900 KPI examples published to date

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

www.smartKPIs.com registered users can now select their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from over 900 Performance Measures documented and published in the online database. The team focused in the last few days on the Information Technology and Corporate Social Responsibility.
The functional areas with the highest number of documented measures are:

Within the industry categories, the highest numbers of documented KPIs are in:

Example of a documented performance measure: % Online public procurement

User experience on www.smartKPIs.com

Learn: To learn more about performance management and Key Performance Management visit the Resources section.
Explore: To explore the library of KPI examples by navigating the functional area and industry directory, visit the Browse KPIs section.
Customize: To build your customized KPI library by saving favorite examples for later use, visit the My KPIs section.
Contribute: To propose a new example of KPI, visit the Submit KPIs section.
Collaborate: To collaborate with other users and to discuss KPI examples, add comments on each KPI description page.

Tags: Customised KPI library, Database of KPIs, Indicators, KPI example, Library of KPIs, Metrics, Performance Measures, Retail
Posted in Customized KPI library, Government, KPI, Library of KPI examples, Measure, smartKPIs.com | No Comments »

Consumer price index (CPI) – Focus on Australia

Saturday, November 28th, 2009

The consumer price index (CPI) measures the rate at which the prices of consumer goods and services are changing over time. It is a key statistic for purposes of economic and social policy-making, especially monetary policy and social policy, and has substantial and wide-ranging implications for governments, businesses, and workers as well as households. (Consumer price index manual: Theory and Practice, 2004)

Annual and Quarterly CPI Inflation Rates, Australia

Source: The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies, ABS, Statistics.

The consumer price index indicates a price change for a constant market basket of goods and services from one period to the next within the same area (city, region, or nation). The percent change in the CPI is a measure estimating inflation. The CPI can be used to index (i.e., adjust for the effect of inflation on the real value of money: the medium of exchange) wages, salaries, pensions, and regulated or contracted prices. The CPI is, along with the population census and the National Income and Product Accounts, one of the most closely watched national economic statistics.

It is one of several price indexes calculated by most national and international statistical agencies such as: The International Labour Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the Organisation for Economic and Co-operation and Development, the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the World Bank.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. department of labor, the CPI for all urban consumers rose 0.2% in September 2009. “The index has decreased 1.3% over the last 12 moths on a not seasonally adjusted basis”.

The latest issue released by Australia regarding CPI, was in June 2009 and the conclusions accordingly to the report were:

The all group CPI:

Rose 0.5% in the June 2009 quarter, compared with a rise of 0.1% in the March 2009 quarter.
Rose 1.5% through the year to June 2009 quarter, compared to an annual rise of 2.5% to the March 2009 quarter.

Overview of CPI movement:

The most significant price rises this quarter were for automotive fuel (3.6%), hospital and medical services (3.6%), rents (1.4%), furniture (3.7%) and house purchases (0.8%).
The most significant offsetting price falls were for deposit and loan facilities (-4.3%), vegetables (-6.9%), fruits (-7.6%) and overseas holiday travel and accommodation (-3.4%).

For the historical perspective on CPI, consult the Historical Consumer Price Index Data.

References:
International Labour Office (2004), Consumer price index manual: Theory and Practice
http://www.bls.gov/CPI/
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/6401.0Mar%202008?OpenDocument

Tags: CPI, Government, KPI example, Metrics, Performance Measures
Posted in Government, KPI, Performance Measurement | No Comments »

IQPC podcast on Government Performance

Friday, October 9th, 2009

A sneak preview for the upcoming Government Performance Monitoring & Accountability Conference, organised by IPQC in Melbourne, between October 27 – 29, 2009.

Podcast link: http://www.iqpc.com/Event.aspx?id=215484

Guest speaker: Susan Calvert, Director Strategy and Project Delivery Unit, DEPARTMENT OF PREMIER & CABINET, NSW.

Podcast time plot:

00:50 Could you tell us about your background in politics and performance monitoring?
01:12 How do you track the impact of your changes to policy implementation?
02:05 How does the Government measure ’soft’ policies or programs like social and environmental issues?
03:09 The Global Financial Crisis has required a shift in priorities for government with immediate performance, and increased transparency for Government expenditure, how can government respond?
04:18 What new processes are being explored to align measurement of performance across levels of Government?

Tags: Government, Podcast
Posted in Events, Government, Performance Management, Performance Measurement, Podcast | No Comments »

Government Performance Monitoring & Accountability Conference

Friday, October 9th, 2009

There are 19 more days until the start of the Government Performance Monitoring & Accountability Conference, organised by IPQC in Melbourne, Australia.

The conference agenda is structured on two days ( October 27-29, 2009 ) and will focus on:
* How to develop and sustain a flexible and responsive performance framework in order to monitor and evaluate your programs and services.
* How to take a whole-of-government approach to continuously improved services, policy implementation and programs.
* How to strengthen both vertical and horizontal accountability practices with integrated operations to support your strategic planning.

In addressing these issues, the conference will benefit from the insight of an impressive list of speakers, that includes Performance Management Practitioners from various Australian Goverment Departments:

Susan Calvert, Director Strategy and Project Delivery Unit, DEPARTMENT OF PREMIER & CABINET, NSW
Chris Jones, Manager – Strategic Performance and Information Management, CENTRELINK, ACT
Kathy Corbiere, Executive Director, Strategic Projects – Strategic Policy and Evaluation, Disability Services, DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITIES, QLD
Terry Mehan, Deputy Director-General, Performance and Accountability, QUEENSLAND HEALTH
Anna Rados, Manager -Performance Unit, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, VIC
Maria Katsonis, Executive Director – Public Policy and Organisation Reviews, STATE SERVICES AUTHORITY, VIC
David Dobbs, Director Performance Evaluation Taskforce – Local Government Group, DEPARTMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND PLANNING, QLD
Javier Lopez, Senior Program Coordinator, PUBLIC SECTOR PERFORMANCE COMMISSION, SA
David Reid, Director Performance Review, OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR GENERAL, WA
Alex Dolan, First Assistant Secretary, Employment and Compliance portfolio, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
Ben Jensen, Analyst, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD)
Bella Sutherland, Program Manager, STATE SERIVCES COMMISSION, NEW ZEALAND
Ian Primrose, Managing Director, IAN PRIMROSE & ASSOCIATES.