Although measurement is a critical component of performance management, measuring and reporting alone have rarely led to organizational learning and improved outcomes. Performance management (PM), on the other hand, encompasses an array of practices designed to improve performance through systematic data analysis and a team-based approach that facilitates learning and improvement while strengthening a focus on results. The principles and practices upon which the performance management efforts of the Innovation and Performance Division are derived are based on a comprehensive review by the National Performance Management  Advisory Commission (NPMAC) who published a work titled, A Performance Management Framework for State and Local Government: From Measurement and Reporting to Management and Improving. The NPMAC was comprised of multiple state, county and municipal associations focused in the areas of policy, governance, performance management, and budgeting. It included a total of eleven, prestigious sponsoring agencies, such as the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), National Association of Counties (NACo), and National League of Cities (NLC), to name a few. The full document can be pulled up with this link and many of the best practices associated with performance-driven strategic management that the Division is implementing come from this extensive, multi-faceted report, such as:

Cascading System - The cascading system of performance measurement represents a formal approach to linking individual and departmental objectives and strategies with organization-wide goals and priorities. Performance measures are linked to goals and objectives in our strategic plan. Goals and associated objectives, initiatives and measures that support these goals cascade downward, from the overarching goals derived from the Commission's strategic plan framework, to the goals and objectives of our goal teams and operational work plans of each department. Service measures and metrics that track program activities, as well as Action Steps toward accomplishing Strategic Initiatives, are tracked monthly and quarterly for progress achieved toward overarching goals, objectives and program outcomes. With the County Commission's completion of the planning phase through the development of the Strategic Plan, performance management in St. Lucie County now encompasses all eight, best practice activities identified by NPMAC:

1. A planning process that defines the organizational mission and sets organizational priorities that will drive performance.(The completed strategic plan framework is the planning phase of the performance.) 
2. A process for engaging the public and identifying community needs. (Stakeholder meetings combined with the National Community Survey accomplished this initially and this continues with ongoing outreach and budget workshops.)
3. A budget process that allocates resources according to priorities. (Budget requests supporting strategic initiatives are considered first for funding based on identified priorities.)
4. A measurement process that supports the entire performance management system. (Our PM process was improved to not just report monthly, quarterly and annual measures and metrics, but to track progress toward Strategic Initiatives.)
5. Accountability mechanisms. (Independent staff in County Administration's Innovation and Performance Division are assigned the PM role. In addition, our senior executive team meets quarterly with department directors to review data collected on both strategic plan initiatives progress and departmental metrics.)
6. A process for analyzing and reporting performance data. (The ClearPoint Strategy software provides charts and graphs as analytical performance tools used in quarterly reviews and data are reported through Scorecard reports).
7. A mechanism for collecting, validating, organizing, and storing data. (Data entry dates and reminders are sent out monthly to departmental scorecard administrators with the software providing performance target comparisons and trends. Data is input directly by departments and stored in the cloud with integrated reporting tools within the PM software package.)
8. A process for using performance information to drive improvement. (Ongoing metrics collection, quarterly dashboard reviews, our Six Sigma certification program and regular, intentional, detailed reviews of program performance through Six Sigma Project Teams drive improvement.)

Performance management is not an event, a program, or a quick fix intended to address only current issues. St. Lucie County's performance management system is strategic, focused and sufficiently flexible to adapt to inevitable changes that occur over time. Systematic, ongoing performance management requires a sustained and dedicated effort. Organizations that have implemented and institutionalized performance management know that it is a constantly evolving process. If the full benefits of performance management are to be achieved, these efforts must continually grow and evolve as a regular part of doing business. The Innovation and Performance Division maintains an active and sustained focus on performance-driven strategic management in partnership with each department and the senior executive team in County Administration.