WRITING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Penn State ITS 1

Goals for Today 2  Introduction  Performance management timeline  Process for Job Responsibilities Worksheet (JRW)  Clarification – Competency levels/performance ratings  Benefits of writing performance standards  Criteria for performance standards  Sample performance standards  Exercise – writing performance standards  Linkage to SRDP  Questions and feedback

Performance Management Timeline 3

JRW Process 4 ITS Job Responsibilities Worksheet Competency Job Profile IT Manager Director, Network Planning/Integration Duty: Supervise assigned staff, including hiring, coaching, mentoring, professional development and employee relations activities. Performance Standards: Under development

Competency levels vs Performance (SRDP) ratings 5  Competency levels (1-5)  Describe the amount of discretion in decision-making, in setting direction and/or policy, and in leading units or teams. Higher levels have a broader impact and require one to exercise greater freedom for independent action, with less guidance or supervision.  Performance (SRDP) ratings (1-5)  Performance ratings describe an employee’s demonstrated ability to accomplish the major job duties of their assigned job. An employee who is in a job requiring an overall competency level 3 could receive a performance (SRDP) level of Significantly exceeds expectations (5)

Competency levels vs Performance (SRDP) ratings 6 Does Not Partially Meets Exceeds Significantly Meet Meets Exceeds Mastery Advanced Proficient Inter- mediate Baseline

Definition – Performance Standard 7  A Performance Standard reflects results that are expected when a job duty is performed satisfactorily.  Performance Standards….  Describe accomplishments, not activities  Capture What, how, why  Utilize SMART standards where possible  Action word + subject + outcomes (i.e Maintain audio-visual equipment inventory by ensuring the accuracy of the equipment database through quarterly audit)

Benefits of Writing Performance Standards 8  Enables supervisor to clarify the work results for which individuals are accountable; what should it look like if done satisfactorily.  Eliminates unnecessary confusion and frustration on behalf of the employee; can have a positive impact on motivation.  Makes the supervisor’s job easier in the end.  Enables ITS to be a better performing organization.

The Power of Management 9  What gets measured is what gets done.  What gets rewarded is what gets done.  Know what to keep doing, start doing and stop doing.  Leniency on the part of one employee, tells all other employees that sub-par work is acceptable.  When tolerating poor work or conduct, we as supervisors, lose the respect of good employees.

Criteria for Performance Standards  Standards are:  Based on the position, not the individual  Observable, specific indicators of success  Meaningful, reasonable, and attainable  Describe "fully satisfactory" performance once trained  Expressed in terms of Quantity, Quality, Timeliness, Cost, Safety, or Outcomes  “Exceedable” – employees should know that they can exceed expectations 10

Creating “SMART” Performance Standards 11 Specific A focused, concise, concrete statement that tells what needs to be accomplished (Who, what, where, why?) Measurable Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress, and define the level of acceptable performance Attainable Expected results are within the authority, skill, and knowledge level of the employee; resources are available Results-Oriented Standards should measure outcomes, not activities Time-Framed Grounded within a timeframe - Set target dates for achieving expected outcomes

Sample Performance Standard for Technical Job Duty 12  Job Duty – IT Support Specialist  Research, troubleshoot and reply to a wide variety of technical and non-technical questions received by from faculty, staff, students, parents and general public.  Performance Standard  Respond to customers in a friendly and timely manner that meets the service response time guidelines set by the work unit

Sample - Performance Standard 13  Job Duty  Research, troubleshoot and reply to a wide variety of technical and non-technical questions received by from faculty, staff, students, parents and general public.  Action word + subject + outcomes  Sample:  Respond to + customers + in a friendly and timely manner that meets the service response time guidelines set by the work unit

Sample - Performance Standards  Investigate\debug data and\or program problems; determine sources of problem; take corrective action.  Accurately and clearly document problems and solutions in incident management system using unit format  Share new knowledge that has a group impact by creating and maintaining knowledgebase articles through unit wiki and weekly staff meetings 14

Sample - Performance Standard 15  Develop and deliver training to IT peers, both inside and outside the organization, explaining new procedures and methods for monitoring network integrity and performance.  Performance Standards  Share experiences, finding teachable moments in formal and informal settings.  Present technical briefings to non-technical audiences, making sure material can be comprehended by the target audience.  Create Wiki pages and Knowledge base articles containing learned information that would be of value to IT peers, related to the NSG mission statement.

Exercise with Actual JRW’s 16  Attendees work individually to practice writing performance standards.  Report out examples and critique each other’s performance standards.

Resources 17 Performance+Management+training+materials

Updates to the SRDP 18 Update 1: Inclusion of documented responsibilities from JRW. Supervisor is to document actual results achieved. Update 2: Inclusion of Competencies for Success. Supervisor is to document employee’s success at demonstrating each competency

Questions/Discussion 19