ABSTRACT
Measuring performance and communicating the results of government programs and service efforts is a critical task for public managers. The goals of data collection and presentation should be twofold. First, performance information has the capacity to improve management decision making. Second, it provides an opportunity to connect management decisions to the expectations of citizens and their elected surrogates. Managers must, therefore, translate performance information and other data from technical terms and spreadsheets to graphics and narratives that highlight patterns and explain results for a broad public audience.
