ABSTRACT

This chapter explains the obstacles and a challenge involved in performance measurement efforts and provides guidance on how to overcome them. It provides a summary of the theoretical and practical considerations that guided and informed the research. The cost of establishing and implementing a performance measures system was also raised as a possible barrier. The barriers to adopting and implementing performance measurement systems fall into two broad categories: practical issues and political issues. Practical issues include the cost of data collection, available personnel, analytical skills, and the ability to attract and sustain participation from stake-holders. Performance measurement is geared to the production of knowledge that can be used by an organization’sinside and outside stakeholders to make decisions. Performance measures information should be available to all decision makers at all levels in the organization. The International City/County Management Association Comparative Performance Measurement Consortium Project, a consortium of cities and counties formed to develop comparative performance measures, faced these issues.