citizen service The sentiment persists that nothing ever changes in government. Citizen expectations continue to grow, yet without a force for change, real progress isn’t possible. Driving change demands defining the core values in government that the citizens are seeking and then re-engineering government services to align with those values. Reevaluating outcomes to reflect the needs of the ultimate customer—the taxpayer—is the foundation of creating a new culture in government. A culture of service.
		taxpayer transparency Once you have defined results, how do you communicate those results to the public? In order to instill pubic confidence, agencies must tell their performance stories. Not through budgets, but through public accountability reports and results reports. Citizens are so busy, they often don’t listen to what government says—so the message of results, and the line between tax dollars and progress in communities to address problems has to be repeated until absorbed.
		management accountability Defining strategy is the talent of most managers and executives. However, strategy defined is not the challenge, strategy execution is. In government, it is policy executed that haunts managers. The root of the problem lies in the perception that the workforce is unmanageable and resistant to change. Driving the workforce to implement policy and then utilizing internal reporting systems to acknowledge status of initiatives is the responsibility of management, but also a system of accountability through transparency.
		organizational efficiency Efficiency is based on recognizing what’s not working and moving the money to processes and programs that produce the best results. Efficiency is about calculating costs and identifying cost drivers, budget busters and bleeders and reallocating capital to optimize resources for the greater good. Defining the cost per unit of service, per square mile of land paved, per child educated, per acre of wetland restored—this is the first step in creating efficient actions.
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The Strengths of The Performance Institute

best practices foundation
The Performance Institute has spent years studying successful processes in government, identifying common patterns and developing the tools and methodologies to implement those best practices. Our solutions are evidence-based, and we know what’s been tried, what’s happening now, what works and what doesn’t. This information has been compiled into a best practice database, which serves as an invaluable source of reference and comparison.

from government, for government
The methodologies created by the Institute were built from the reality of public sector experience. We know first-hand the processes and policies of government. After years of working with government managers, we developed management approaches driven not by mandates or corporate practices, but to achieve results. Government has unique challenges, but the strength of the Institute is that we understand them.

an independent voice
The Performance Institute has a passion for public service and a mission to help deliver excellence to the taxpayer. Once you have identified the change desired to improve citizen services, the Institute is prepared to help you define the desired end state, create a strategic implementation architecture, and show transparency to the public. We won’t tell you what you want to hear; it is our responsibility to simply get the job done.