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January 2004 |
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Managing for Results: Strategic
Planning and Performance Budgeting
The only event that
offers so many solutions across such a wide range of city and county
management issues! Local governments continue to cope with increased citizen expectations in the face of budget deficits and revenue shortfalls. The reality of increasingly tight budgets warrants the need for improving performance planning and management across city and county functional areas. Measure the Performance of City & County Programs Emerge with timely strategies for enhancing your department’s performance. From strategic planning and measurement to personnel management and budgeting, CCIS 2004 explores innovations in all major management functions. Moreover, case studies from all major city and county operations are presented—from design and implementation to evaluation of lessons learned. Mitigate Falling Revenues and Improve Financial Management As cities and counties continue to struggle in the wake of a slow economy, containing costs and ensuring strong financial management is more vital than ever. Instead of falling into the mistakes of “feast or famine” budget decisions, you can apply proven solutions presented at CCIS 2004 to navigating tough financial landscapes through improved financial management techniques. Implement Innovations in Your Agency! The innovations presented at CCIS 2004 are researched and validated by the CCIS planning committee (comprised of leading city and county experts) and will be presented as case studies. Learn and build upon them to improve your own organization. Sessions explore the latest practices and solutions to the most pressing city and county challenges—utilizing a peer-based learning approach.
Join us for the fourth annual
City & County Innovations Summit, hosted by the Performance Institute and
an array of good-government organizations in beautiful San Diego on April
28-30, 2004. For more information go to: Managing for Results: Strategic Planning and Performance Budgeting Collin County Imposes Performance-Based Management
Justice of the Peace courts in
Collin County, Texas, served as the county's model to see how
performance-based management can benefit the county. More popular in
county governments than their city counterparts, performance management
offers elected officials more accountability for county departments and
gives an assessment of program results. It involves setting goals and
objectives for departments to follow. Once these goals are quantified,
counties can use performance-based budgeting and performance-based pay to
assess what your accomplishments are. Placing performance expectations
prominently in the budget process encourages departments to identify
streamlined approaches to county management. Rewards for meeting
performance targets often include recognition, access to special funding,
discretionary use of surplus resources, and individual pay for
performance. To view this article go to: Cities and Counties Receive Recognition for Performance Management
The International City/County
Management Association (ICMA) Center for Performance Measurement
recognized 22 cities and counties for their use of performance information
in the management of their local government. These communities are among
the more than 120 cities and counties participating in the ICMA Center for
Performance Measurement. The criteria for both the certificates of
achievement and distinction were determined by the Center’s steering
committee and staff. Communities receiving the certificate of achievement
report performance data to the public through budgets, newsletters, and/or
information provided to city/county councils as well as have a commitment
to coordination, collection and verification of performance data. To view
this press release go to: Bucks County Commissioners Plan to Revive MBO Program
Though Bucks County
government's innovative Management by Objectives program (MBO) fell victim
to budget cuts and a lack of enthusiasm by program participants during 2003,
county commissioners hope it can be revived this year. Commissioner
Charles H. Martin expects county managers to draft objectives for their
departments to meet in 2004. The county's MBO program was launched in
2001. Under the program, department heads were expected to set objectives
for their employees to follow. The program was designed to award the
managers with cash bonuses for developing innovative ways to run their
departments. To view this article register with The Morning Call at: Breaking Down Departmental Barriers in Local Government
According to Jim Ley, County
Manager in Sarasota, FL, breaking down organizational barriers in
government today requires attention from the top and willingness to use
the tools of organizational design, organizational development, strategic
thinking and oversight aimed at action and accountability. It is the job
of County/City Administrators to articulate a vision for their
organization, demonstrate the focus required to sustain attention to the
vision, and the patience to manage the nuances that arise. To achieve
this, there are a broad range of tools that need to be integrated,
including organizational design, people, money, technology and strategy.
To view this article go to: Strategic Planning and Change Management in Chesterfield County
In a recent Performance
Institute conference, Fran Pitaro, Director of General Services in
Chesterfield County, VA, presented on "Strategic Planning and Change
Management" focusing on the successes seen in that county. These have led
it to be a "best-practice" in state and local governments. He highlighted
the successes in its performance goals, measures and services while also
being an employee-friendly atmosphere. As Director of General Services,
Mr. Pitaro is responsible for providing timely services in a manner that
is transparent, accountable and performance-based. To view this
presentation go to: 2004 Summit on Project Management in Government – Acquire the Latest Project Management Innovations for your Agency (March 8-10, Arlington, VA)
In order to succeed in project
management, managers need to understand the existing principles, methods
and tools of project management, as well as the processes that have proven
to be successful in other agencies and complex contracting and outsourcing
processes. Join us in Arlington and for two days concentrate on developing
the basic and advanced skills needed to manage a project in a structured
and performance-based environment. Currently there is a growing viewpoint
that government project managers should be both full-time and certified,
acknowledging the lack of fundamental project management skills. This is
partly due to the fact that government programs of all types are being
held accountable for their performance and streamlined allocation of funds
and resources in these fiscally tight times, all the way down to the
project management level. Whether your interest is measuring and
evaluating performance in your project management practice, or the
development of policies and protocols to track and manage projects and
organizational change, this summit promises to be a valuable opportunity
for a peer-to-peer exchange of ideas that focuses on leading strategies
and best practices among project management specialists. For more
information go to: Workforce: Strategic Management of Human Capital Orange County to Undergo Organizational Restructuring
The Board of Supervisors in
Orange County, CA, plans to reorganize the county's government structure.
County top executives say that this will save money and streamline
government. James D. Ruth, the county's executive officer, said the plan
will give him more time to focus on larger issues by reducing from 17 to
seven the number of top managers who report directly to him. The board is
also placing labor contract negotiations under the county financial
officer's supervision instead of the human resources manager, after recent
criticism of the human resources department by the grand jury. The grand
jury alleged in a report last year that the county had been too generous
in negotiating salaries and benefits with the unions that represent many
of the county's more than 17,000 employees. To view this article register
with LA Times at: Cleveland Negotiates Personnel Cuts to Offset Budget Deficit
Mayor Jane Campbell plans to
cut more than 700 city jobs to help offset a $61 million deficit in this
year's budget. The deepest cuts would be in the police and fire
departments, which would lose 263 and 150 jobs, respectively. That would
leave about 1,560 police officers and 850 firefighters in the city.
Cleveland can reduce the number of police and firefighters who lose their
jobs if their unions agree to major concessions. For instance, the city
would save $2 million and 14 police positions if the Cleveland Police
Patrolmen's Association agrees to give up a clothing allowance for one
year. Officers are now entitled to about $1,100 a year to buy uniforms.
The city also could save 70 firefighter jobs if the union agrees to
several concessions, including pay cuts and more flexible scheduling
rules. To view this article go to: Building and Maintaining a Diverse Government Workforce – Implementing and Measuring Innovative Diversity Recruitment Strategies (February 19-20, Arlington, VA)
Across government, HR
departments realize that a diverse workforce is absolutely mandatory in
order for an agency to be successful. Human Resources specialists in the
federal government are responsible for complying with stringent new
federal mandates while simultaneously preparing their agencies to cope
with the looming wave of federal retirees. To access solutions for
achieving diversity targets, agencies are invited to attend Building and
Maintaining a Diverse Government Workforce, this February 19-20 at the
Performance Institute in Arlington, VA. The Summit offers two days of
interactive training sessions that will provide innovative strategies and
practical solutions to build and maintain a diverse and high-quality
workforce. For more information go to: 2004 Government Communications Summit – Improving Program Performance with Internal and External Communication Planning (February 10-12, Arlington, VA)
Given the constantly changing
environment in which agencies communicate, they need to equip themselves
with the tools and techniques needed to advance their agency’s mission and
ensure coordinated communications among management and staff. The 2004
Government Communications Summit will explore innovations and strategies
that will help the public information officer and the government
communicator get their messages conveyed and get them heard. Emerge from
this conference with the tools to break through the clutter of information
and deliver your message to the media and to the public. This conference
will assist you in analyzing the values of your target audience and
develop value-based messages that will hit home. Use the hands-on
application session to help prepare a comprehensive plan for responding to
crisis situations and ensuring that your agency is prepared for a sudden
flow of media attention. Join us at the 2004 Government Communications
Summit as communicators from throughout the government gather to explore
new standards of excellence. For more information go to: Technology: E-Government and Information Technology Making Business Cases for IT Projects
In Montana, local governments
are trying to figure out the return on investment of government IT
projects. Under Montana’s ROI process, any agency proposing a new
information technology project has to have the proposed project’s
financials in good order. The business case the agency presents has to
show how a program can audit and verify the fiscal returns or reductions
in cost that the agency claims the investment will provide. It is
relatively easy to calculate the hard numbers, such as a reduction in the
cost of a transaction. However, agencies have to determine the value of
the “soft benefits.” To achieve this, points are awarded for intangible
gains. For instance, if customer satisfaction with an existing system is
good and an agency wants to build a new project that will not take
customer satisfaction to a higher level, the project gets no points in
that category. Or, if users can adopt the technology in one month, the
project scores points; if it will take six months, it gets few or none. To
view this article go to: Survey Results Show How Local Governments Use GIS Technologies
In the summer of 2003, a
national survey was conducted to examine how local governments are using
geographic information technologies. The survey is part of a collaborative
effort, sponsored by the US Department of Interior, to work with local
governments to develop a national Geospatial One Stop (GOS) system.
Geospatial One Stop is an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sponsored
E-Gov initiative that would more effectively organize, broaden and
accelerate Federal Government plans to develop and provide improved access
to Geospatial data. The final survey analysis as well as a web-based
interactive reporting tool that local governments can use to compare their
GIS operations with other governments are now available online. For more
information go to: New Castle County, Delaware, Introduces Innovative Service to Communicate with Citizens
New Castle County’s Chief
Financial Officer, Ron Morris, has introduced an innovative service to
keep residents aware of many aspects of that county’s finances. The County
has developed a multimedia CD-ROM entitled The Bottom Line. Users can
receive the product for free and simply insert it into their personal
computers to experience a 25-minute presentation featuring video,
photographs, graphics and narration. Morris said he hopes the CD-ROM will
appeal to people who may not have the background or time to read through
the county’s annual budget summary and financial report. The CD gives an
overview, including some of the most important numbers. The challenge in
writing the script, was to provide enough details to appeal to those with
a financial background, and at the same time, make it general enough so
that the average person would understand it. The CD-ROM has also been
transferred to video so it can be shown to community groups and civic
organizations. The pilot project could become an annual production. For
more information go to: CIOs are Being Hired to Bolster Top Management in Local Agencies
A growing number of local
agencies, and even a state legislature, are hiring CIOs to bolster their
top management teams. The Virginia Beach City Public Schools hired a chief
information officer to keep up with the rapid changes technology brings to
education. Strategic planning for technology did not exist in Virginia
Beach schools before the new CIO came on board. Now, the CIO is part of
the superintendent’s leadership group and participates in the
decision-making process. This is part of a growing movement to place CIOs
in agencies and have them become part of the management team. In addition
to several large school districts, some local housing agencies have
brought their own CIOs on board, and so has at least one state
legislature. To view this article go to: Procurement: Competitive Sourcing and Contracting San Francisco Mayor Calls for Major Overhaul of Contracting Program
San
Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom called for a top-to-bottom overhaul of the
city's contracting program, with a focus on the sole-source contracts
awarded to companies and individuals without the benefit of a competitive
bid. Newsom directed departments to provide the mayor's office and the
city controller a list of all sole-source contracts, describe the services
they provide, the dollar amount, the expiration date and other terms, and
why the contract wasn't put out to competitive bid. In addition, he wants
all contracts that have been on the books for 10 years or more to
automatically be put out to bid. Such contracts include everything from
operating homeless shelters to providing budget analysis to the Board of
Supervisors to staffing the physician ranks at
San Francisco General Hospital. To
view this article go to: Baltimore County to Review Contracting Practices
Baltimore County, MD, will
undergo the first major changes to entice minority contractors in nearly
20 years. The aim is to give minority and women-owned businesses more
opportunity and a bigger share of county spending. The county
usually meets its goal of giving 10 percent of construction business to
minority firms, 2 percent to women-owned firms, and at least $750,000 a
year in other spending to minority firms. However, those goals have not
been evaluated or changed since they were instituted in the early 1980s,
and the county trails other large Maryland counties, such as Anne Arundel,
Howard and Montgomery, in minority contracting. To view this article
register with The Baltimore Sun at: Clackamas County, Oregon, Awarded the APWA Public Works Project of the Year
The county’s Department of
Transportation and Development (DTD) won the American Public Works
Association (APWA) Public Works Project of the Year. This award was
established to promote excellence in the management and administration of
public works projects by recognizing the alliance between the managing
agency, the consultant, architect, engineer and the contractor who
complete public works projects. The county DTD received the award in the
category of Disaster or Emergency Construction/Repair for a project
costing less than $2 million. The county was forced to close a bridge in
July 2002 after cracks in the substructure columns were found during a
routine inspection. The entire project took only six weeks, from notice to
completion, providing a simple, quick and cost-effective permanent bridge
repair and only costing the county $196,000. To view the press release go
to: Performance-Based Contracting – Increase Cost Efficiency and Improve Program Performance Through Competitive Sourcing! (April 21-22, Washington, DC)
With the recent Congressional
approval of the Services Acquisition Reform Act (SARA), the government has
mandated that its contracts are performance-based. Agencies are now
required to develop and manage contracts which focus on results, not on
how the activity is carried out. This new legislation has also established
new guidelines and restrictions for government contracts which can often
be confusing without proper training. In order to comply with the new
mandates, it is essential that your agency receive updates on the latest
best practices and innovative strategies for successfully developing,
implementing and maintaining performance-based contracts. For more
information go to: Program Innovation: Fairfax County IT Project Management Program The importance of effective management of IT projects in Fairfax County has long been recognized as critical to delivering a high quality product. Managing an IT project to successful completion, on time and within budget, is extremely challenging, even for experienced IT professionals. Successful completion of such a project is dependent upon project managers possessing not only knowledge and understanding of the highly technical aspects of an information technology project but also the skills associated with managing projects in a dynamic environment. During the late 1980's and early 1990's Fairfax County's internal auditor's office conducted several audits of information technology projects, and recommended that the County establish a Countywide IT Project management-training program in consultation with IT Project Management professionals. Provide training to both the Department of Information Technology (DIT) and agency personnel prior to undertaking extensive IT projects, and establish industry approved guidelines for assignment to the role of IT project manager. This need was further highlighted in a consultant's report released in 1996. The following year the Acting County Executive's response to the Board of Supervisors about the study included that DIT will establish an IT Project Manager training and certification program within 3 months, with certification of a cadre of IT Project Managers within 6 months. In addition, DIT and agency personnel would not be assigned project management responsibilities until certification requirements have been completed. In 1997, DIT reviewed other organizations' project management practices and conducted a survey of County information technology managers to determine the type of knowledge and skills needed to enable County staff to function effectively as project managers. Based upon the results of the review and survey, a County project management program and course was designed and implemented. In 2001, the County's IT Project Management (ITPM) program was redesigned to include the project management core competencies included in the Project Management Institute's (PMI) body of knowledge. PMI is the professional credentialing organization for project management professionals. Fairfax County's new ITPM program has incorporated current industry approved ITPM practices to ensure sound high quality project outcomes. Additional enhancements are made each year as technology evolves. Additional focus has been placed on managing risks and measurement. The new and improved training program consists of 88 hours (11 days) delivered over the course of 8 weeks by County staff and a project management professional. The overall objective of the IT Project Management course is to provide IT project managers with a foundation in basic project management concepts, principles, and practices to effectively and efficiently manage IT projects. Training is provided to those individuals who are currently, or will soon be managing an information technology project. Staff are identified by their agency director and selected through a formal nomination process. The training program is currently institutionalized and is normally conducted twice a year. Approximately 115 local governments IT professionals have completed the program and met certification requirements. The Fairfax County IT Project Management Certification is awarded to participants in recognition of full participation in the ITPM course. The County's certification is customized for its IT Project Management operations. Certification is based upon class participation and achievement of the course objectives. The project manager should acquire a clearly defined set of core competencies related to ITPM by attending all IT project management classes in their entirety. This includes the successful completion of a hands-on Microsoft Project 2000 desktop training course. Certification in IT Project Management is the basic requirement for managing all levels of IT projects in Fairfax County. Once certified, an individual is given direct responsibility and authority for all phases of the project management process from initiation to closure. Project management success is the completion of IT projects that are delivered to customers in the allocated time period, within the budgeted cost, and at the user's specified performance level. The use of effective project management skills is critical to the successful completion of IT projects. The County's IT Project Management training program provides the methodology for achieving high quality IT results utilizing County and contracted resources effectively and efficiently.
For more information go to:
President:
Carl DeMaio City and County Management Innovations Newsletter is provided as an informational newsletter to all city and county government employees. Should you not wish to continue to receive the newsletter, please respond to this email address with "unsubscribe" and your email will be taken off of the distribution list.
The Performance
Institute is a private think tank that serves as the nation’s leading
authority and repository on performance-based management practices for
government organizations. Its mission is to identify, study and disseminate
the leading management innovations pioneered by “best-in-class” government
programs at federal, state and local levels. Through its national
conferences on pressing issues, interactive executive training programs, and
best practice research projects, the Institute provides cutting-edge
expertise in the design, implementation and evaluation of strategies to
solve operational challenges and enhance government performance. |
