"Harry Hatry's new book is, quite simply, a must-read for anyone working to measure performance — novices and old hands alike. Filled with examples, checklists, and suggestions, it explains every step in the process in a readable, practical style. I recommend it highly."
—Michael Hendricks,
Independent Consultant
Long before "reinventing government" came into vogue, the Urban Institute pioneered methods for government and human services agencies to measure the performance of their programs. This book, by a leader in the field, synthesizes more than two decades of work into a comprehensive guide to performance measurement. Hatry explains every component of the process, from identifying the program's mission, objectives, customers, and trackable outcomes, to finding the best indicators for each outcome and identifying sources of data and how to collect them.
Proper analysis is also important: The author explains how to select indicator breakouts and benchmarks for comparisons to actual values. He also describes numerous uses for performance information.
All this, along with numerous charts, tables, real-life examples, and clear definitions, make this the performance measurement bible for any organization—public or private—that cares about the results of its programs.
An overview of the book's analysis is presented in chapter 1.
