Regional Workshop on Performance-based Planning and Programming
Next Steps
Advancing performance-based planning and programming will take a concerted effort from all groups involved in the planning process. Some of the key steps identified by participants included:
- Establish best practices. Specific topics noted included reporting, data access and collection methodologies, proven strategies to improve newer performance measurement areas (such as for livability), and how to organize agencies for performance (e.g. develop a core set of measures at the strategic level with more measures identified at the bottom). A best practice guidebook or a Federal performance management website were both suggested.
- Facilitate buy-in. This needs to happen both internally and externally. Measures need to be institutionalized at all levels of the agency. Achieving this will take both education and direction from agency leaders.
- Outreach and public engagement. If agencies around the country are engaged in performance management, a national level outreach campaign could be an effective way of driving the public to local or regional websites that provide opportunities for input and engagement. There may be an opportunity to gather broad public perspective through a customer survey utilizing the American Community Survey process.
- Share experiences. Successful performance management will grow from agencies learning from one another. Providing a mechanism to identify and share best practices will go a long way to helping agencies implement the approach described at the workshop. Scan tours and peer-to-peer workshops are effective. Inviting the Federal partners to the workshops would facilitate the communication, allowing them to hear directly from agencies about their issues.
