Dear Reader:
The following document was created from the MTAS electronic library known as MORe (www.mtas.tennessee.edu/more). This online library is maintained daily by MTAS staff and seeks to represent the most current information regarding issues relative to Tennessee municipal government.
We hope this information will be useful to you; reference to it will assist you with many of the questions that will arise in your tenure with municipal government. However, the Tennessee Code Annotated and other relevant laws or regulations should always be consulted before any action is taken based upon the contents of this document.
Please feel free to contact us if you have questions or comments regarding this information or any other MORe material.
Sincerely,
The University of Tennessee
Municipal Technical Advisory Service
1610 University Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37921-6741
865-974-0411 phone
865-974-0423 fax
www.mtas.tennessee.edu
The performance measurement process involves three phases. If you are measuring a complicated program, you will use all the steps discussed below. When measuring a discrete, narrowly defined program, you may not use all the steps. The steps are not necessarily in sequential order.
Here’s an example.
Pre-Performance Measurement Steps
Step 1—Identify the program or service. (State the program or service you are going to measure.) The (your city’s name) Sanitation Department.
Step 2—Identify the vision, mission, or objective. To provide the residents of (your city’s name) with timely, cost effective collection of household refuse.
Step 3—Identify program activities. (List or describe the program service or activities.)
Step 4—Determine program targets (criteria against which to measure success).
Performance Measurement Steps
Step 5—Determine program inputs (resources your government will spend to operate or implement the program or service).
Step 6—Determine program outputs (the amount of program activity or workload).
Step 7—Determine program efficiency measures (costs per unit of output).
Performance Measurement Reporting
The last step is reporting on the process. As with any major initiative, communication is vital to success. The manager needs to report performance measures results internally to staff, upward to city management and elected officials, and outward to the public. The information learned from the performance measurement process should be used to manage. It should help determine which services to deliver, how to prioritize, how to allocate resources, and how to reward performance.
Additional Resources
For those who want to know more, there are many resources on performance measurement. An MTAS consultant would be happy to provide technical assistance to your department. A few informational sources are listed below. Other resources are available on the Internet.
Links:
[1] http://www.apwa.net
[2] http://www.icma.org
DISCLAIMER: The letters and publications written by the MTAS consultants were written based upon the law at the time and/or a specific sets of facts. The laws referenced in the letters and publications may have changed and/or the technical advice provided may not be applicable to your city or circumstances. Always consult with your city attorney or an MTAS consultant before taking any action based on information contained in this website.
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