Chapter 3: Government Performance
Introduction
The goals of Texas’ original performance budgeting system was to
concentrate on “managing for results.” This process requires a
comprehensive approach focusing an organization on its mission, goals, and
objectives, and establishing meaningful performance measures to report progress
toward those goals and objectives. The current Texas system does this, but it is
now time to move to the next level to enhance performance.
Results-based governments identify what works and what
doesn’t—which programs achieve results and which waste
money—and set their budget and management priorities accordingly.
Focus on Big-Picture Results in the Budget Process
The “big picture”—the things truly important to the
average Texan—sometimes gets lost in Texas’ budget process. The
legislative budget process tends to focus on individual agencies and
specifically on agency strategies and performance measures. Agencies report
their progress, and this information is used to assess their performance.
Because these performance assessments don’t extend beyond the level of
individual agencies, assessments of progress toward statewide goals (and their
81 statewide related benchmarks) are difficult, if not impossible.
To correct this, Texas should amend the state’s strategic planning and
performance budgeting system to improve the use of statewide benchmarks, and
create government benchmark partnerships in Texas. The state should also select
agencies of various sizes and functions to implement the Balanced Scorecard, a
management tool that focuses an organization’s strategies on customers,
finances, internal business processes, employee development and innovation.
Make Results Transparent to the Public
Government cannot be held accountable unless it is
open—“transparent”—so that the public can understand
what government is doing and what the results of its actions are. Greater
transparency generates greater political pressure for government agencies to
perform, which in turn, can result in greater accountability and better results.
Results achieved by Texas government—and those not achieved—should
be made available in clear, user-friendly forms to a wide audience including the
Legislature, citizens, the news media, the business community, and interest
groups.
New technology is helping some government agencies make progress in this
area, but it is not enough simply to put information on the Internet.
Information must be packaged in a user-friendly way. The state should provide
Texans with an online version of the General Appropriations Act to give the
public access to information on appropriations and performance measures,
organized not only by agency, but also by statewide goals, benchmarks, and
service categories. Moreover, the state should publish a statewide annual report
on the Web illustrating progress toward specific statewide goals and benchmarks.
Give Agencies More Freedom in Exchange for Greater Accountability
The quest for improved government performance and efficiency often can be
thwarted by well-intentioned but unnecessary obstacles. The statutes and
regulations governing agencies’ internal structures and conduct may have
an impact—sometimes an adverse one—on agency performance.
While it is essential to hold agencies accountable for their decisions, it
is also important to grant agencies the freedom to achieve results. Legislative
bodies should define what functions agencies should perform, but grant agency
managers some flexibility in determining how they will accomplish them.
Eliminate Unnecessary Reporting Requirements and Red Tape
Government does a great job in adding new rules and requirements—for
its employees and for businesses and citizens—but a lousy job in
eliminating outdated and onerous rules and regulations. Different state agencies
ask for the same or similar information in separate reports, and different
divisions within the same agency may require similar information.
Local governments file some reports only because they are required to do so
by law. The requirements were imposed for valid reasons at the time they were
created. However, the need for some of these reports no longer exists. It is not
uncommon for local governments to spend valuable resources on filing reports
that will not even be reviewed by the state agency to which they are sent.
Of course, some reports are essential for financial reporting or regulatory
accountability. In these cases, however, the method of reporting often requires
labor-intensive manual processes. The state should streamline state and federal
reporting requirements on local governments. |
