Defining Performance Management
Performance management is about achieving the goals of the organisation and its community. It requires the setting of effective standards and targets, monitoring of performance against those targets, identifying slippage and opportunities for improvement. And delivering change.
It needs co-ordinated planning, consistent monitoring and effective reporting systems. Change decisions need to be taken by managers and members based on facts about performance. Performance data needs to be robustly scrutinised and challenged, not just ‘noted’.
What are the Key Elements of Performance Management?
Research by the IDeA has identified the following performance management checklist to improve performance management arrangements:
1. A clear vision
2. Focus on outcomes
3. Commitment and accountability
4. Democratic and community engagement
5. An enabling corporate core
Behind these five elements is a more detailed checklist. A check of the full list shows that Great Yarmouth Council is fairly well ‘fit for service’ against this list and is still improving.
Performance Management at Great Yarmouth Borough Council
The CPA inspection team said of performance management (based on July 2003):
“The council now has a performance management framework which links ambitions to council priorities, corporate objectives and performance targets which cascade down to service performance plans and individuals through staff appraisals”
and
“Service plans are presented in a consistent format across all services making it easier to make comparisons and identify any omissions. Performance indicators that show performance not improving or stagnant are addressed by the council and corrective actions reflect an understanding of why and what needs to be done for improvement”.
Review and reporting
Progress against both national and local performance indictors is reported to the Scrutiny Committee on a ‘risk’ basis quarterly, half yearly and annually. Reporting is supported by performance management software that provides full performance indicator details, trends, and comparison against other authorities performance levels.