Managing for Results

2. Performance Management

The state has achieved better outcomes through an enterprise performance management system that engages state leaders in using performance data to continuously improve results.

Washington

Leading Example

Within Results Washington (Results WA), the Governor’s performance audit liaison fosters the process among auditors, executive branch agencies, the Governor’s Office, the Office of Financial Management (OFM), and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). The liaison also serves as a resource for guidance and escalation. Part of the liaison’s role includes working with the audited agencies and OFM or OCIO to provide a joint response to each performance audit. If the auditor finds gaps and makes recommendations, the response includes specific agency actions and due dates that the liaison tracks and publishes on Results Washington’s website through completion.

In 2020, Results WA implemented a new Public Performance Review (PPR) process, which is one part of performance management and continuous improvement in Washington. The PPR process includes a monthly meeting with the Governor, leaders, agency experts, and community members designed to: focus on a cross-agency project tied to the Governor’s priorities; hear from those impacted by the project – those with lived experiences and those who are customers and process partners in the community; and engage in discussions and problem-solving on relevant issues. In 2022, Results Washington presented seven cross-agency projects to the Governor during the public performance reviews. Some of these projects developed and piloted standards for statewide objectives. Currently, project data are shared as part of the PPR process and the data are expected to be accessible on the website by early 2023. Public performance reviews for 2021 and 2022 are linked here.

In 2020, the Washington State Legislature established the Washington State Office of Equity, which is housed within the Governor’s Office. The office will provide a unified vision around equity for all state agencies with the goal of reframing state government to work in a way that bridges opportunity gaps and reduces disparities to improve equitable and just outcomes for state residents. As a result, all state agencies are currently completing organizational equity readiness baseline assessments and gathering state employees, customers, and stakeholders’ insights to co-create its five-year equity strategic plan, performance data, outcome measures, and performance dashboards, as described by the 2020 law.

Promising Examples

Arizona

Arizona

California

California

Colorado

Colorado

Connecticut

Connecticut

Indiana

Indiana

Massachusetts

Massachusetts

Maryland

Maryland

Minnesota

Minnesota

Oregon

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Rhode Island

Tennessee

Tennessee

Utah

Utah

Vermont

Vermont