Focusing on Inputs, Outputs, and Outcomes: Are International Approaches to Performance Management Really so Different?

Abstract

Abstract: The focus of performance information appears, on the surface, to differ among Canadian, Australian, and US federal governments. While these countries emphasize different aspects of performance, their federal guidelines on performance measurement share important common ground — the logic model. A performance logic model helps clarify the linkages between inputs, activities, and process and outputs, short- and long-term outcomes, and impacts. The model assists both analysts and managers to articulate the cause-effect theory of a program or service and should answer the fundamental questions about WHY an initiative exists, WHAT the expected outcomes are, WHO the program or service will reach and HOW it will be delivered. There is a tendency for organizations to focus on measurement before first describing the logic of their enterprise. International practice suggests that Canadian, Australian, and US approaches all promote the understanding of program logic before measurement. Such an understanding will be key to the successful implementation of performance management initiatives in each of these countries.