Government Performance Management Training Course: Indicators, Targets and Delivery Tracking

Programme Summary

Government performance management is the subject of this one-week training course for senior public sector managers, performance units and programme delivery leaders, ending in a performance framework for one government programme. Public bodies must show what they achieve with the resources they hold, and leaders need reliable information to act on it. The programme links objectives, indicators, targets, delivery tracking and results reviews, then applies each tool to one programme. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this programme on government performance management to mixed-organisation cohorts.

The Business Case

Public bodies that cannot show progress against objectives tend to discover delivery problems late, argue over whose figures are right and spend review time on data rather than decisions. Leaders who run government performance management with clear indicators, owned targets and regular reviews act earlier and give ministers, boards and oversight bodies a record of results they can rely on.

• Delivery Variance: Narrows as milestones and targets are tracked regularly and recovery actions are logged.
• Reporting Effort: Falls as one set of defined indicators replaces competing measures.
• Decision Quality in Reviews: Improves as leaders discuss causes and actions rather than disputed numbers.

Principles and Evidence Base

• OECD In Search of Results: Performance Management Practices: It describes how governments set objectives, select indicators and use performance information, and it frames Sessions 1 and 2.
• OECD public governance reviews: They treat results orientation, delivery capacity and accountability as one public management system, which shapes Sessions 3 and 4.
• Results-based management as described in OECD sources: It links resources and activities to results through a results chain used throughout the programme.

Intended Participants

• Senior managers who are accountable for the results of a ministry, agency or programme.
• Performance unit leads who define indicators and report progress to leadership.
• Programme delivery leaders who track milestones and resolve delivery problems.
• Planning and budget officers who connect targets to resources.
• Oversight and review staff who use performance information to challenge delivery.

Typical functions include health, education, transport and municipal services.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to construct a results chain linking resources, activities and outcomes for a government programme.
2. Participants will be able to evaluate indicators for relevance, definition and data quality.
3. Participants will be able to set baselines and targets that can be tracked and owned.
4. Participants will be able to design a delivery plan with milestones, risks and accountabilities.
5. Participants will be able to diagnose causes of variance in a results review.
6. Participants will be able to justify a performance framework to leadership with a clear report.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Results Orientation and Performance Objectives

What does a results-oriented public body commit to, and how are objectives stated so they can be tracked?

• OECD Performance Management Practices Reading Guide
• Results Chain Diagram
• Objective Hierarchy Map
• Mandate and Outcome Statement
• Performance Management Cycle Chart

Day 2: Indicators, Baselines and Performance Information

Which indicators show progress, and is the information behind them reliable enough to use?

• Indicator Selection Matrix
• Baseline and Target Setting Sheet
• Performance Data Quality Checklist
• Indicator Definition Card
• Information Use Review Grid

Day 3: Targets, Delivery Plans and Accountability

How are targets turned into delivery plans with owners, and who answers for results?

• Target Cascade Table
• Delivery Plan Template
• Responsibility and Accountability Matrix
• Delivery Risk Register
• Dependency and Milestone Tracker

Day 4: Delivery Tracking and Results Reviews

How are progress and problems reviewed regularly so that leaders act on them?

• Delivery Dashboard Layout
• Results Review Meeting Agenda
• Variance and Cause Analysis Sheet
• Recovery Action Log
• Performance Report for Leadership

Day 5: Applying the Tools to One Performance Framework

Do the objectives, indicators, targets and review routines hold together for one programme?

• Applying the Session 1 Results Chain to the Chosen Programme
• Selecting Indicators with the Session 2 Matrix
• Setting Targets with the Session 3 Cascade
• Running a Session 4 Results Review on Sample Data
• Completing the Performance Framework

Methodology

The programme uses a data workshop method built on anonymised indicator sets, delivery plans, review papers and short written cases from health, education and municipal bodies. Participants work in small teams on one programme, test indicators against sample data, rehearse results reviews with peers, and receive facilitator feedback on every definition, target and report.

• Suggested activity: Rating a set of indicators for relevance and data quality and discarding the weak ones.
• Suggested activity: Converting a broad objective into targets with named owners.
• Suggested activity: Chairing a mock results review and recording the agreed actions.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a performance framework for one government programme. It holds a results chain, a short indicator set with definitions, baselines and targets, a delivery plan with owners, a dashboard layout, a results review routine and a leadership report. The framework is used at work to brief leadership, agree targets with delivery teams and run the next review cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is training in government performance management suitable for managers who have not worked in a performance unit?

Yes. The programme assumes familiarity with public programmes and budgets, and builds government performance management from objectives and indicators upward.

Which models does government performance management rest on in this programme?

It rests on OECD performance management practices, OECD public governance reviews and results-based management as described in OECD sources.

How is the performance framework for government performance management used at work?

You use it to brief leadership, agree targets and owners with delivery teams, and run regular results reviews in your own organisation.

How does learning government performance management differ from a programme on public sector reform?

It centres on indicators, targets, delivery tracking and reviews of results, while public sector reform centres on changing structures and strategy.