Performance Measurement

Performance measurement systems offer many benefits to organisations:

Linking strategic objectives and operational plans.

Stimulating and documenting organisational learning.

Encouraging discussion across departments and functions.

Exploring how programmes and projects achieve their effects.

Illustrating achievements and therefore increasing staff morale.

Strengthening relationships with funders.

However, in practice, performance measurement systems often fail to meet their potential because they:

Concentrate on what is easy to measure rather than what is meaningful.

Are externally imposed and do not develop ownership within the organisation.

Fail to apply appropriate quality checks to data.

Concentrate on outputs rather than outcomes.

Are not integrated with management information systems.

Report too late or too irregularly to inform decision making.

Do not report in a form or time frame that users find meaningful or useful.