Public Performance Measurement and Reporting Network

About PPMRN

The Public Performance Measurement and Reporting Network (PPMRN) started as a project sponsored by the National Center for Public Performance and Rutgers School of Public Affairs & Administration and funded by a Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant.

PPMRN is a web-based tool created to enhance the performance measurement and reporting field by providing free resources to the greater community.

Our Mission

The Public Performance Measurement and Reporting Network aims to strengthen connections among citizens, government officials and administrators, nonprofit managers, academics and other groups that focus on the measurement and improvement of public sector performance.

Statement on the Value of Performance Management and Reporting

Performance measurement and reporting serves three purposes:

Informs government policy and management practices and should lead to: performance improvement and policy development that results in better practice and alignment of governmental services to community need.
Provides data that enables accountability and transparency.
Enables informed communication between citizens, government and nonprofits to foster trust.

Performance measurement is an evidence-based tool that informs decision-making at all levels and by all stakeholders. It encourages continuous service improvement and organizational learning to make services more efficient and effective. As such, what is being measured reflects what an organization values. A performance measurement system is characterized by indicators permeating the mission, the strategic plan, the budget and day-to-day operations. An effective performance measurement system is reliable and valid so as to positively impact decisions ranging from policymaking through resource allocation to implementation. A performance measurement system’s indicators are commitments to what an organization aspires or promises to achieve in the near term and long term. A performance measurement system enables government and nonprofits to advance the interests and values of its stakeholders, including citizens, only to the extent that all stakeholders have opportunities for input into the system. A performance measurement system helps government and nonprofits add value to the lives of citizens.

Performance measurement enhances accountability if the information collected, utilized and reported is not only accurate, but also clear, available and relevant at every level of decision-making and to all stakeholders. As such, the reported data has to strike an appropriate balance between being comprehensible to stakeholders and useful to decision-makers and managers. Accountability includes, but is not limited to, reporting. Reporting should encourage and enable managers to use stakeholder feedback so that program modifications and adjustments are possible. Reporting should also enable stakeholders to understand how actual performance significantly differs from expected performance. Accountability implies that performance measurement data must be fit for use in decision-making in terms of quality, detail and timeliness; measurement must capture geographic and demographic nuances. Accountability implies that data are subject to independent review. Accountability means that disaggregated data must address the interests of different audiences via performance reports.

Performance measurement and reporting, by enhancing transparency and participation, augments the level of trust that citizens have toward their governments and nonprofits. As such, performance measurement that is accessible to citizens helps to generate a more trusting relationship between citizens, government and nonprofits. Trust and accountability are linked when the specific informational needs of different stakeholders are satisfied. Trust in government and nonprofits on the part of citizens is built when citizens are given opportunities to listen, ask questions, and provide meaningful input toward both the data to be produced and the performance measures to be used. Trust in citizens on the part of government and nonprofit managers is built when citizens take an active role in utilizing data to assess and improve government and nonprofit performance.

Our Goal

The goal of the Public Performance Measurement and Reporting Network is to promote the use of valid, reliable data as a key element in improving the delivery of public services.

In support of the Network, the National Center for Public Performance has implemented a series of initiatives: A comprehensive and continuously updated database of publications and cases; national conferences and workshops; measurement-based publications; an online Public Performance Measurement Certificate; and an e-newsletter.

Short Guide to Public Performance Measurement

This short guide is designed to assist local government managers, elected officials, academics and citizens in understanding the basics of Public Performance Measurement.

What is Performance Measurement?

The movement toward a more responsive and transparent government at all levels has been growing steadily over the past decade. This movement has intensified the need for more efficient and effective government that delivers services to citizens. Performance measurement and reporting is designed to provide the type of information critical for decision-makers to allocate limited resources across constituent programs and services, in order to yield the best possible results.

What is the purpose and value in measuring public performance?

Public performance measurement is a means for governmental agencies and organizations to improve their service delivery by tracking and monitoring departmental and organizational progress. It is important for governmental agencies to monitor their services because they are publicly funded entities.

There are four main reasons why governments choose to use performance measurement.

Performance measurement creates a more accountable government.
As government funding ultimately comes from taxpayers, government officials prioritize citizens as a key constituency. Many governmental agencies find it important to communicate the progress of their programs/departments to their citizens and use a measurement and reporting program to do so.
Performance measurement helps to improve performance.
Similar to how businesses have been using performance measurement to track sales, losses and profits year-over-year and analyze results, governments use performance measurement to monitor their services to the public and the amount of funding that is spent on each program and department. This tracking and analysis allow government to improve their services for the following year.
Performance measurement stimulates creativity and productivity in an agency.
A growing number of municipalities have used performance measures to create incentives to stimulate productivity and creativity within their workforce. Performance measurement systems and performance reports allow employees to pinpoint operational areas of concern and generate ideas on how to overcome these obstacles.
Performance measurement helps to improve budget processes.
Performance measurement can help governments cut costs by analyzing performance from year to year, helping them to determine if there are unnecessary costs associated with a program or department. Performance measurement also keeps a record for governments as to whether agencies have kept within their budget, and the reasons for the increase or decrease in funding accordingly.

How is public performance measured?

Most governmental agencies begin the process of measuring performance through one or two key departments of government, such as fire and police. Services that are offered through these departments are tracked by measures. “Performance measures may address the type or level of program activities conducted (process), the direct products and services delivered by a program (outputs), and/ or the results of those products and services (outcomes).” (Artley, Will & Stroh, Susan (September 2001). The Performance-Based Management Handbook (Vol. 2). Washington D.C.: Training Resources and Data Exchange Performance-Based Management Special Interest Group.).

What is a Public Performance Measurement system?

A Public Performance Measurement system is a tool that agencies and organizations use to measure public performance. Most performance measurement systems allow public managers to identify key performance measures, measure performance systematically, track and analyze performance data, display performance data in comparative graphs and charts, and generate performance reports in order to communicate progress internally and externally.

What is Performance Reporting?

Performance reporting summarizes all the indicators and compares actual results to previously identified targets. Besides comparisons with targets, performance reports may also include comparisons made with “… 1) a previous period; 2) similar jurisdictions; 3) technically developed standards or norms; 4) geographical areas of client groups within the same jurisdiction; and 5) public sector/private sector costs and results with similar organizations. Performance reporting formats will vary depending on the circumstances.”

Performance reports should be made accessible to employees within an organization or agency and to the public, and should be created in a way that allow for progress comparisons between previous years and/or similar jurisdictions.