Public Affairs 7554: Performance Management in the Public Sector

By the end of this course, students should successfully be able to:

• Explain why performance measurement matters for public and non-profit organizations
• Summarize the different types and levels of metrics
• Determine and prioritize objectives and goals
• Create performance data that can be used facilitate organizational effectiveness and efficiency
• Employ performance data to successfully manage an organization’s operations, people, and fiscal resources

Reading materials may be required. Consult your instructor's syllabus for details.

• Video introduction 3%

• Discussions, First Draft, and Peer Review 21%

• Scatter plot exercise 12%

• Major Written Assignments 40%

• Final Paper 15%

• Final Presentation 9%

Scatterplots are a tool or practice used to inform decision-making in organization by reviewing performance and funding trends.  For this activity, you will work in small groups of 4 – 5 to collaboratively draft out responses to the Scatterplot Exercise (located in Carmen).  Use the discussion board to talk further about the case and work on your collaborative responses to each question.  Once it is completed, please submit your finished Scatterplot Exercise for a grade. 

This is the first assignment.  You are required to develop a logic model of an organization of your own choice.  This requirements for this assignment is a paper, double spaced and between four to five pages a four (approximately 1000 words); a one-page logic model, a two-page (500 words) narrative of the logic model (double spaced); and a one to two page (250 to 500 words) reflection/response to peer comments.  The required font is Times New Roman.  The paper should be submitted as a .doc or .docx file. 

Develop a balanced score card for your organization by filling in the goals and measures you will use to evaluate measures that drive organizational performance along four dimensions: financial, internal business, innovation and learning and customer perspectives.  Put at least three sets of goals and objectives under each of the four dimensions.  Provide a 500 word narrative (single spaced, Times New Roman, size 12 font): to describe why the goals and measures are important and why they are valid; whether these measures will be collected from existing sources (and where), or if you need to start a new data collection process (and if yes, who should be in charge in collecting relevant measures) (size 12 font, Times New Roman)

The purpose of this assignment is to understand the budget of an organization and link performance measures to the organizational budget. 

1. You will need to select an organization and gain access to its annual budget information from your organization.  If you do have access to your organization's budget, then go to step 2. If you do not have access to your organization's budget, then go to step 3.
2. Check the budget and determine if the format of the budget is a line-item budget or performance budget.  If it is a line-item budget, then go to step 2a. If it is a performance budget, then go to step 2b.
   1. Does your organization have a performance management system in place?  If yes, try to link the performance measures to the line-item budget and come up with your own performance budget.  If not, then design your own performance measures and link these measures to the line-item budget. Follow example Figure 9.3 on Page 249 in the textbook. Make sure you assign dollar values and corresponding performance goals to each budget item. You should also present budget and performance goals for both the current year and next year.  Use as much space as you want for the budget table and provide a 500-word narrative (size 12 font, Times New Roman) to justify your budget and goals.
   2. Since your organization has already adopted a performance budget, your tasks is to evaluate:
      1. Whether the performance measures are valid;
      2. Does the performance budget improve performance;
      3. Your recommendation for improvement with the performance budget system. You are required to present the budget table and a 500-word (size 12 font, Times New Roman) narrative.
3. If you do not have access to your organization's detailed budget, you can "cook" the books. In other words, you will create an imaginary performance budget for your organization.  Follow example Figure 9.3 on Page 249 in the textbook. Make sure you assign dollar values and corresponding performance goals to each budget item. You should also present budget and performance goals for both the current and following year.  Use as much space as you want for the budget table and provide a 500-word narrative (size 12 font, Times New Roman) to justify your budget and goals.

“Stakeholder engagement requires the identification of the roles the public plays in public management in order to maximize resources and address needs” (Poister et al., 2015).  For this assignment you will conduct an audit of stakeholders in your organization that includes that also includes the specific type or role of each stakeholder.  Next, you will design a figure or graphic image to illustrate the stakeholders in your organization.  Then, you will develop a strategy to effectively engage each stakeholder which should also have actions steps to solicit feedback.

The deliverables for this assignment are a figure or images that provides details of the stakeholders in the organization, and a 500-800 word narrative that includes the information needed from each stakeholder, your strategies to engage then and collected feedback, and your plan to analyze the information you collected.

The final paper is a synthesis of your previous four assignments (logic model, balanced scorecard, performance budgeting and stakeholder feedbacks) The overall goal for this paper is to present a performance management system for your organization.  Specifically, your paper should include a title page, an executive summary (one page, 300 words, single-spaced), introduction, Logic Model, Balanced Scorecard, Budget Plan, Stakeholder Feedback, and conclusion.  Tables, figures and charts are not included in the page count.  The minimum is 10 pages double-spaced or 3000 words up to 15 pages maximum. 

You will need to add content to make a smooth transition from one section to another for this assignment.  This will ensure that the paper has a good flow to it.  It is expected that you will include revisions from past feedback provided by me and your peers.

Writing Consulting:  Students wishing to have additional help with the writing of their papers can meet with a consultant at the Writing Center (https://cstw.osu.edu/writing-center).

The final presentation is also a culmination of everything we have done in class!  It should be in video format.  You will record a 10-minute presentation that covers your final paper.  Just like your final paper, your presentation should include an introduction, Logic Model, Balanced Scorecard, Budget Plan, Stakeholder Feedback, and conclusion.  The presentation will count as 9% of your grade.  And, you will be graded the organization and quality of your slides and the clarity in which you present information (your peer should be able to follow your logic).  Please submit your final presentation to the assignment section and the designated discussion forum.