2. Performance Management

The governor established the framework for statewide performance management through the implementation of the Arizona Management System (AMS). At the executive level, the Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) and the Government Transformation Office (GTO) collaborate in overseeing strategic planning, performance data management, and process improvement through structured problem-solving. GTO has a full-time staff of leaders in the development and sustainment of continuous improvement and innovation, emphasizing service excellence and process efficiency. Each cabinet agency has established an Office of Continuous Improvement (OCI) to assist in implementing and sustaining AMS.

Cabinet agency executive leadership teams conduct monthly business reviews, at which they discuss the performance of their scorecard metrics against targets established on their scorecards. Agencies that are more mature in their adoption and deployment of AMS will also include progress on their strategic plan and budget status. As part of AMS, agency staff receive training in problem-solving techniques that they apply to underperforming metrics or initiatives. AMS standard work, tools, and training materials are provided on the Resources page of the Arizona Management System.

In addition, Arizona has established Communities of Practice (COPs) for agency strategic planners and AMS practitioners throughout the state. These COPs enhance communication, accelerate learning, identify best practices, solve common problems, and develop standard work and resources across state agencies.

California state agencies and departments have their own, independent performance management systems and continuous improvement cycles. Department-level performance management systems include: the Department of Social Services Cal-OAR CalWORKs monitoring system and the Department of Education’s School Dashboard, which documents state and local education performance across a variety of measures. For the Department of Health Care Services, California Board of State and Community Corrections and the Department of Developmental Services program monitoring dashboards and reports serve as a key continuous improvement and transparency tools; many departments implement associated performance and quality incentives. The Department of Aging’s Data Dashboard for Aging, the COVID-19 recovery SMARTER plan, and the statewide Climate Goals and Adaptation Strategy track progress towards key indicators and better targeted efforts, including specific outcome-oriented goals.

A 2013 Colorado law required all state agencies to submit annual performance reports to the Colorado state legislature. Reports must include: (1) performance measures for the major functions of the department; (2) performance goals for at least the subsequent three years; (3) a description of the strategies necessary to achieve those goals; and (4) a summary of the department’s most recent performance evaluation. The Governor’s Director of Operations and Cabinet Affairs oversees the development and execution of statewide performance goals. The Governor’s Office of Operations maintains the statewide performance management system required, by law, to be published on an annual basis. The office provides guidance on developing annual strategic goals and annual performance plans and identifies opportunities for process improvement (CRS 2-7-204). Consistent with this management system, executive branch agencies continue to identify annual Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) that align with their agency’s mission, the statewide strategic goals, working group goals, and the Reimagine State Government Initiative.

To support the Governor’s strategic priorities, the Governor’s Office of Operations maintains working groups (Economic Development, Environment and Renewables, Health, and Education and Workforce) with cabinet members and relevant leadership, including: deputy directors, division directors, and/or key program staff, as needed. Those working groups set annual performance goals aligned to support the Governor’s priorities and progress toward the goals displayed on the Governor’s Dashboard with data updated monthly. The Office of Operations, Office of State Planning and Budgeting, and Policy Office within the Governor’s Office regularly coordinate to provide feedback on performance goals, budget requests, and legislative items, respectively. Additionally, the Governor’s Office will be launching a website where the public can review the spending of ARP SLFRF, and the outputs and outcomes that the state is receiving as a result.

GreenerGov CT is a statewide effort to measure progress in environmental sustainability, by reducing energy use, water, waste, and greenhouse gas emissions while lowering operating costs for the state of Connecticut’s government facilities and operations. Connecticut’s state agencies have continued to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% below 2001 levels; reduce waste disposal by 25% from a 2020 baseline; reduce water consumption by 10% from a 2020 baseline; and set additional sub-goals by 2030. The state centralized collection of hundreds of thousands of utility bills from across the state’s operations and facilities to share expenditures and water, energy, fuel, and emissions impacts in a public-facing Data Dashboard. GreenerGovCT leadership is composed of executive leaders from the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM), Department of Administrative Services (DAS), and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), with senior sustainability officers designated by each executive branch agency. GreenerGovCT reports progress in the 2022 GreenerGov CT Progress Report.

A 2017 Indiana law created the Indiana Management Performance Hub (MPH) within the state’s Office of Management and Budget, which is overseen by the statewide Chief Data Officer (CDO). The law mandates the CDO to oversee a variety of performance management and continuous improvement activities such as advising each executive state agency to identify and implement continuous process improvement in state government, and conducting operational and procedural audits of executive state agencies. As such, the CDO and MPH regularly assist with key performance indicators’ tracking for agencies.

In 2019, the Governor appointed an Assistant Secretary to lead the Office of Program and Performance Management within the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. The role leads the Office of Performance Management and Oversight, which measures the performance of all public and quasi-public entities engaged in economic development, tying its financial and programmatic support to economic outcomes on behalf of the state.

Since 1999, Managing for Results has been the State of Maryland’s strategic planning, performance measurement, and performance informed budgeting program. In 2015, the Governor signed an Executive Order that created the Governor’s Office of Performance Improvement. Through this program, all agencies and departments must seek continuous improvement and pursue opportunities for cross-agency collaboration to meet the strategic goals. They are required by a 2021 statute to establish performance metrics and measure achievement towards strategic goals to ensure accountability and transparency. The metrics reported are reviewed by legislative analysts and included in their budget analyses for the General Assembly. The Maryland Department of Budget and Management’s Managing for Results initiative publishes annual performance reports as part of the state’s budget process. These reports track agencies’ key goals, objectives, and performance measures.

The Minnesota governor’s chief of staff convenes weekly goal review meetings for the administration’s strategic goals. During these meetings, the governor’s chief of staff discusses performance, progress, and next steps for hitting these goals. Further, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) publishes performance data for all state agencies in its biennial budget documents. In addition to being available for use by executive branch officials, these data are available to legislators and their staff as they develop budget and policy recommendations.

A 2018 Oregon statute requires agencies to submit key performance measure data to the Legislative Fiscal Office on a regular basis, in addition to sharing reports publicly to indicate Oregon’s progress toward identified measures. Oregon also has a Key Performance Measures system in which agencies report regular progress on identified measures to the legislature and the governor’s office. With the development of Oregon’s Racial Justice Council, the state is in the process of establishing a centralized vision for racial justice and equity that includes guidance for agencies on identifying strategic objectives and measures to support racial equity and in evaluating services from a community-focused standpoint. Progress of the vision in terms of budget accomplishment and legislative support are summarized in a Racial Justice Council April 2022 presentation.

In 2018, the Pennsylvania Governor signed an executive order that created the Office of Performance Through Excellence, to serve as the commonwealth’s central performance management and continuous improvement office. The office is led by an executive director that serves as the state’s chief performance officer. The commonwealth has a standard performance management framework known as Results PA that the Office of Performance Through Excellence (OPE) and several agencies have adopted at various levels. One component of Results PA is a series of monthly or quarterly team meetings dedicated to assessing progress toward goals; discussing the status of key outcome and process measures; identifying problem-solving or process improvement opportunities; and celebrating team successes. OPE staff support agencies in the development of their Results PA routines and periodically attend the agencies’ performance management meetings. Commonwealth employees discussed their experience with Results PA on a virtual conference panel in January 2021, and a panel discussion in February 2022.

The Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) applies the PULSE framework – Performance, Utilization, Leadership Support, and Execution – to manage and improve performance of the programs and agencies within the secretariat. EOHHS delivers on the Governor’s and secretariat’s strategic priorities through a project management approach focused on outcomes and collaboration. The framework is largely driven by the need to assess and define project-specific goals and success measures, in partnership with the departments, for secretariat review. PULSE includes:

• Problem diagnosis and strategic planning;
• Project management;
• Resource strategy and active resource management; and
• Performance and program evaluation.

Tennessee’s Governmental Accountability Act of 2013 established a statewide performance management system, Transparent Tennessee, managed by the Office of Customer Focused Government (CFG). The Office of Customer Focused Government and the state’s Chief Operating Officer continuously track and monitor performance data and report publicly available operational performance on Transparent Tennessee’s dashboards, which include specific goals, targets, and performance data for each of the state’s strategic priorities. The site also includes state fiscal data as well as OpenMaps, which showcases key metrics and an interactive budget tool.

A 2021 Utah law tasked the executive and legislative branches with jointly overseeing and improving the performance of state agencies. Together, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget (GOPB) and the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst (LFA) collect performance data as stipulated in appropriations bills and for new funding allocations, in support of annual budget planning.  Data pertaining to these performance measures are published on performance.utah.gov and cobi.utah.gov. GOPB and LFA also lead an efficiency evaluation process to improve agencies’ operations. An Efficiency and Process Improvement Committee (EPIC) advises GOPB on agency performance and efficiency. EPIC is composed of representatives from the Department of Government Operations, representatives from four state agencies, the Chief Innovation Officer, GOPB’s Director of Operational Efficiencies, and a representative from LFA. In 2022, the committee has developed a resource repository to centralize efficiency improvement resources to support agencies to improve performance.

Vermont measures progress toward the goals of its five-year strategic plan, established by a 2017 Vermont executive order, through dashboards that track progress on the economy, affordability, vulnerability, and modernization. As required by a 2014 law and a related executive order, the Office of the Chief Performance Officer (CPO) also publishes annual Programmatic Performance Measure Budget Reports aimed at integrating strategic planning, performance management, and budgeting.

In 2017, Vermont’s Governor launched the Program to Improve Outcomes Together, (PIVOT) in conjunction with the Governor’s Government Modernization and Efficiency team. PIVOT combines outcomes-based improvement and Lean process improvement into a unified effort. Vermont’s CPO oversees the implementation of the continuous improvement effort, which is aligned with strategic outcomes and indicators enacted by the state legislature. PIVOT aims to “move the needle” on indicators aligned with the state’s strategic plan.