A roadmap to measuring performance.(Commentary)(Performance data)

There can be little dispute these days among state and local government officials about the importance of communicating accurate, fair, and comparable data about the quality and efficiency of service delivery to citizens.

Performance data is essential to developing strategic plans, measuring progress toward goals, assessing policy alternatives, and making sound management decisions. Since 1994, the Center for Performance Measurement, created by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA),has helped participating jurisdictions improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their public services through the collection, analysis, and application of performance information. The ICMA center and other organizations have helped local governments to implement the following best practices:

Citizen participation: A diverse collection of local governments now routinely uses citizen surveys to establish priorities, get feedback from residents regarding city services, and examine community perceptions regarding quality-of-life indicators.

Budgeting for performance: Other jurisdictions have effectively implemented broad performance measurement and management as a permanent tool when developing the annual budget--linking strategic goals with departmental objectives, establishing specific performance objectives, and identifying and adhering to best practices.

Long-term and cross-agency measurement: Some jurisdictions use performance management to align department services and programs with strategic priorities, report on service efforts and accomplishments, conduct multiyear comparisons, and provide quantitative information regarding the economic, financial, and demographic status of the jurisdiction.

Despite the increasing and successful use of performance management among state and local governments, there exists no commonly accepted framework or guidelines. In response to this challenge, 10 leading state and local government organizations have joined forces to create the National Performance Management Advisory Commission. *

The work of the Performance Com-mission will build on the successful model of the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting, which was established in 1995 and whose three-year work plan produced a comprehensive set of budgeting principles and practices that has become the guide for state and local governments. The Performance Commission's two-year mission will be to design a voluntary, comprehensive framework for performance management that supports and guides state and local government efforts in accessing and implementing performance management and measurement systems.