What tools are most useful when developing a Performance Management system?
Having a tool that allows you to analyze data over time is critical. This will allow you to see trends, both good and bad, related to your measures. Simply looking at data in a “snapshot” will not tell the entire story. – Chad Brown, Licking County Health Department
Deploy a system that is easy to use and understand. Purchasing a software system is not the solution for implementing performance management. Software systems are tools that can be used to manage more advanced performance management processes, but are not necessary. If an Excel spreadsheet, or Word document, are easy to update and understand among staff, they can often be more effective that learning a new and potentially cumbersome application. – Emily Frantz, ALPHA
Minnesota Department of Health has a Performance Management website that has been very helpful in understanding Performance Management as a system. http://www.health.state.mn.us/qi/ There are a lot of good graphics and tools to assist in learning PM and how it relates to quality improvement. Public Health Performance Improvement Network (phPIN) listserv provides you with an opportunity to ask all kinds of questions to PH professionals across the country. Or simply ask others what they are doing and utilize their lessons learned and best practices to help guide you. –Laurie Dietsch, Columbus Public Health
I’ve found two books and the tools and resources provided by these two authors/their companies to be most helpful in creating a PM system:
Results that Last by Quint Studer; related materials found at https://www.studergroup.com.
Trying Hard Is Not Good Enough by Mark Friedman; related materials found at http://resultsaccountability.com/publications/.
– Anne Goon, Public health consultant and former health commissioner at Henry County Health Department
Next Question: How did you train your staff in Performance Management?