December 1996

Measurement Activities in Full Swing

The deadline is coming. Time is growing short. Federal agencies are actively designing their strategic plans and measurement systems in order to comply with requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. GPRA requires Federal agencies to prepare (1) strategic plans that define an agency's mission and long-term general goals, (2) annual performance plans containing specific targets for program accomplishment, and (3) annual reports comparing actual performance to the targets set in the annual performance plans. Full-scale implementation of GPRA will occur for FY99. In budget and planning terms, that's right around the corner.

Because good measures are needed for the GPRA annual reports, several agencies have had the foresight to develop guidelines and handbooks for Federal managers on planning and creating organizational performance measurement systems. Supervisors and employees need to be aware of strategic plans and agency measurement systems so they can develop employee performance plans that support the strategic plan and tap into the measurement systems.

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• Department of Energy (DOE)
• Defense Contract Management Command (DCMC)
• National Performance Review (NPR)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). With the assistance of the NASA Headquarters Continual Improvement Office, and with input and advice from individuals across the agency, Dennis C. Kinlaw, Ed.D., was commissioned to develop the Measurement Planning Handbook and its accompanying workbook. The handbook and workbook available by calling the Kennedy Space Center at 407-867-2512 cover a variety of measurement methods, techniques, and tools needed for building specific measures, regardless of the size or the complexity of the organization. These materials give NASA managers a common framework for the way the agency approaches the task of measuring its performance.

Department of Energy (DOE). DOE has developed a handbook entitled How to Measure Performance. (It can be downloaded from the DOE web site at http://www.llnl.gov/PBM/.) This measurement handbook offers three systematic approaches to performance measurement:

• The first approach, the "Performance Measurement Process," was developed by the DOE Nevada Family Quality Forum and is quite detailed, outlining an 11-step process for measuring performance.
• The second approach, "Developing Performance Indicators...A Systematic Approach," was used at Sandia National Laboratories. It is less detail-oriented than the first, and uses a fictitious company for illustrative purposes.
• The third approach, "Developing Performance Metrics," was developed by the University of California. This method is broadest in scope.

Defense Contract Management Command (DCMC). In FY95, DCMC published its Metrics Guidebook, which describes a family of performance measures designed to be used at all levels of the organization. Each product area selected for measurement was chosen because of its relevance to the Command's strategic plan and because it is a significant activity critical to meeting customer needs. The Command compiles metrics data from each Contract Administration Office around the country and produces a copy of this data on a monthly basis through its metrics database which can be accessed on-line by everyone in the organization. The database contains both the current and past performance for each metric in the guidebook.

National Performance Review (NPR). Measurement is key to managing for results. The NPR has published a resource guide, Reaching Public Goals: Managing Government for Results, which is intended to point Government employees towards information that can help them improve Government performance. Because one of the key topic areas covered by the guide is measurement, this guide may be useful for managers and employees designing measurement systems to track progress towards achieving GPRA goals. For further information, you can contact NPR at 202-632-0150.