Strategic planning and performance measurement: engaging the community to develop performance metrics

ABSTRACT

Fairfax County, Virginia is the Commonwealth’s largest county, and one of the largest and wealthiest local jurisdictions in the United States. Its economy is large and diverse, as is its population, so measuring the success of the economy extends beyond traditional measures of economic development. In this paper, we describe a multi-year effort to conceive of performance management from a strategic planning perspective and develop a set of metrics that move beyond the traditional instrumentally focused metrics and views performance management as a governance process that builds relationships between stakeholders and fosters mutual learning. The metrics that emerged from this process were developed by engaging the public early and working with key county stakeholders to arrive at a set of metrics that encompassed not just county leaders’ views of what makes a county economy work, but those of citizens, businesses, schools, nonprofits and other members of the public as well.

KEYWORDS:

• Performance management
• economic development
• performance measurement
• local government
• community engagement

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. A combination of formal and informal discussions took place, directed by county staff; some were tracked by many were not. Researchers were present for the formal efforts, but largely absent from the informal discussions.

2. https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/economic-success/indicators-performance-measures

3. https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/economic-success/indicators-performance-measures

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Adam Eckerd

Adam Eckerd is an Associate Professor and MPA Co-Director with Paul O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI. He conducts research on organizational and individual decision making in public and nonprofit settings, particularly as it relates to risk, risk disparities, information use, and public participation.

Lauren Bulka

Lauren Bulka is the Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives in Virginia Tech’s Office of the Vice President for the National Capital Region. She provides complex relationship management and helps implement strategic initiatives for the university across the National Capital Region.

Eta Nahapetian

Eta Nahapetian is the Economic Initiatives Coordinator for Fairfax County. As the Economic Initiatives Coordinator, she guided the development of the county’s Economic Success Plan, from general concepts to finished product, and is now coordinating the multitude of teams working on implementation.

Dale Castellow

Dale Castellow is a Consultant with the Office of the County Executive in Fairfax County.