How many performance measures should we have?

State law requires agencies to report a minimum of one measure per budget activity. A budget activity is a plain-English description of an agency’s work, what it produces or accomplishes, and how it makes a difference. Beyond that, there is no magic number of performance measures for each agency. State agencies vary widely in the volume and complexity of their work, and the right number will vary widely as well.

Different measures will be relevant at different levels of organization. There are some measures that are critical for front-line staff, some for management, and some for executive leadership and the governor’s office. Think about each person’s sphere of responsibility and what information will help them make decisions. A good general rule is that each level of an organization should focus on at least 3 measures but no more than 15 measures at a time. Beyond that, it becomes difficult to know what is important.

While Results Washington is here to assist agencies in developing performance measures, facilitating the statewide measure approval process, and managing the statewide performance management system, please note that budget activities are managed by the Office of Financial Management (OFM).

See OFM’s activity guide for more information on budget activities and contact OFM’s Budget Office if you have questions about your agency’s budget activities or if a core service of your agency is not reflected in existing budget codes or activities.