|
|
Performance
Measurement Fundamentals
What is Performance Measurement?
Performance measurement
is the use of statistical evidence to determine progress toward
specific defined organizational objectives. This includes both
evidence of actual fact, such as measurement of pavement surface
smoothness, and measurement of customer perception such as would
be accomplished through a customer satisfaction survey. In a service
industry such as transportation, the performance measurement process
starts by defining precisely the services that the organization
promises to provide, including the quality or level of service
(e.g. timeliness, reliability, etc.) that is to be delivered.
The performance measurement process starts by defining the services
that the organization promises to provide. There are often good
opportunities for collecting feedback from system users in “real
time,” since the transportation service is often “consumed”
at the same time it is “produced.” Performance measures
provide information to managers about how well that bundle of
services is being provided. Performance measures should reflect
the satisfaction of the transportation service user, in addition
to those concerns of the system owner or operator.
(after
NCHRP Project 8-32(2), "Performance-Based Planning Manual
(Preliminary Draft)")
An alternate,
more succinct definition from the National Performance Review:
Performance measurement: A process
of assessing progress toward achieving predetermined goals, including
information on the efficiency with which resources are transformed
into goods and services (outputs), the quality of those outputs
(how well they are delivered to clients and the extent to which
clients are satisfied) and outcomes (the results of a program
activity compared to its intended purpose), and the effectiveness
of government operations in terms of their specific contributions
to program objectives.
Why Have
Performance Measurement?
-
Set goals
and standards
-
Detect and
correct problems
-
Manage,
describe, and improve processes
-
Document
accomplishments
In general,
a good measure:
-
Is accepted
by and meaningful to the customer
-
Tells how
well goals and objectives are being met
-
Is simple,
understandable, logical, and repeatable
-
Shows a
trend
-
Is unambiguously
defined
-
Allows for
economical data collection
-
Is timely
-
Is sensitive
A successful
performance measurement system:
-
Comprises
a balanced set of a limited vital few measures
-
Produces
timely and useful reports at a reasonable cost
-
Displays
and makes readily available information that is shared, understood,
and used by an organization
-
Supports
the organization's values and the relationship the organization
has with customers, suppliers, and stakeholders
A typical
definition of a measure includes
-
A specific
goal or objective
-
Data requirements,
such as the population the metric will include, the frequency
of measurement, and the data source
-
The calculation
methodology, including required equations and precise definition
of key terms
-
Reports
in which the data will appear and the graphic presentation
that will eventually be used to display the data
-
Any other
relevant rationale for the measure
A clear
data collection plan helps streamline the data collection process:
-
Identify
how much data need to be collected, the population from which
the data will come, and the length of time over which to collect
the data.
-
Identify
the charts and graphs to be used, the charting frequency,
the type of comparison to be made, and the calculation methodology.
-
Identify
the characteristics of the data to be collected attribute
data are things that can be counted; variable data are things
that can be measured.
-
If the performance
measure is new, try to identify existing data sources or create
new sources. All data sources need to be credible and cost
effective.
Source: Serving The American Public:
Best Practices In Performance Measurement (http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/npr/library/papers/benchmrk/nprbook.html)
|
