Performance Management
The Strategy Team is working with staff members across the organization to develop a comprehensive performance management plan that supports a high performance culture that benefits our tax payers.
Performance management includes identifying, collecting, analyzing, and reporting on indicators that show how well the organization performs, both internally and in the delivery of services to the public.
We're making progress in 10 key areas of performance management:
- Strategic planning & budgeting: Find new ways to consider performance data in measuring progress toward strategic plan goals (for the overall organization, departments and/or individuals), making management decisions and considering financial issues
- Business process improvements: Embed with departments to learn where processes get complicated. Provide coaching to identify solutions that save time and money, improve service delivery and productivity, and increase accountability.
- Public reporting: Develop graphs, color-coding, dashboards, etc., to highlight performance above/below expectations or varying significantly from past or comparable data. Make data available for informed decision making.
- Training: Conduct informational or training sessions for staff on performance measurement topics or send staff to external training sessions. Consider the particular needs of new employees in performance measurement training efforts.
- Data verification: Create a system for a periodical review of performance measures, their use, and the controls in place to ensure the reliability and validity of data
- Accountability: Develop policies and rewards that encourage a continuous improvement mindset focused on creating meaningful measures, reporting them regularly and using the data to make informed decisions/recommendations
- Discussions & process improvement: Create opportunities for staff discussions about performance measurement issues, template revisions and internal process improvement efforts
- Networking: Share our performance measurement experiences and lessons learned with the community and external partners
- Leadership: Create an internal emphasis on performance measurement that makes it pervasive in the organizational culture. Take opportunities to network around performance management, and present and share data.
- Satisfaction surveys: Conduct and report surveys that measure the satisfaction of the general public and employees
Benchmarking
Cabarrus County is participating in the North Carolina Benchmarking Project.
Established in 1995, the Benchmarking Project allows counties and municipalities to compare their service and performance trends with other participating units. The program offers opportunities for robust analysis, peer conversations, and best-practice development.