1. Writing Performance Measure Statements
This 14-page slide deck is intended to facilitate learning about how to write performance measures. It uses a private sector scenario to challenge training or workshop participants to identify 6 performance measure criteria in 6 sample performance measure statements.

2. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Qualities of Well Written Performance Measures
Do your program’s performance measures meet the following criteria:
Meaningful/Relevant
Quantifiable
Measurable
Auditable
Understandable
Established Baseline

3. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Criteria Definitions
Meaningful/Relevant
The measured result must provide significant insight into how well the organization/program is achieving its stated goals and desired outcomes.
Quantifiable
The performance measure statement should be written in objective terms which measures achievement with a numeric value (#, %, Dates).
Auditable
Justifiable/empirical evidence must be available and readily accessible to verify the stated results.

4. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Criteria Definitions (cont.)
Understandable
Performance measures should be written in plain language, requiring only a newspaper-level of knowledge to comprehend. All readers using the data should arrive at the same conclusion regarding performance.
Measurable
The ability to quantify a characteristic against a standard in a defendable manner.
Established Baseline
Value of the measure which change is based upon, so that you can compute an increase or decrease in performance.

5. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Exercise - Assessing and Critiquing Measures
Scenario
Aussie Steakhouse offers high-quality food and service. Ms. Smith, a restaurant entrepreneur with a chain of three Aussie Steakhouse restaurants in the Washington DC metro area, has a goal to become the dominant steakhouse franchisee in Washington, northern Virginia, and Maryland. Although beef and steak items make up the largest portion of the menu, Aussie Steakhouse will now offer a variety of chicken and pork dishes. Ms. Smith has decided to add two new entrée’s to the restaurant menu. In April 2010, she will add Jackeroo Chops and Alice Springs Chicken to the menu in her three restaurants. Customer traffic has declined 15% from 2008 to 2009, and the hope is that that updating the menu will increase customer traffic and help boost profits. An inventory control system has been established to track menu items sold at all three restaurants. Once the new entrée’s have been added to the menu, the restaurant owner also plans to place surveys at all the tables in his 3 restaurants to solicit feedback on the new menu.

6. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Exercise - Assessing and Critiquing Measures
Meaningful
/ Relevant
Quantifiable
Measurable
Generate an additional 2000 customers during the 2010 calendar year.
Auditable
Ease of
Understanding
Established
Baseline
Instructions: Each of the 6 performance measure criteria are identified in the oval shapes above. The performance
measure in the center of the diagram should be evaluated to see how it stacks up against these criteria. Please try to identify,
by drawing an arrow to the word or specific group of words, that meet this performance measure.

7. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Exercise - Assessing and Critiquing Measures
Meaningful
/ Relevant
Quantifiable
Measurable
Generate an additional 2000 customers during the 2010 calendar year.
Established
Baseline
Auditable
Ease of
Understanding
Instructions: Each of the 6 performance measure criteria are identified in the oval shapes above. The performance
measure in the center of the diagram should be evaluated to see how it stacks up against these criteria. Please try to identify,
by drawing an arrow to the word or specific group of words, that meet this performance measure.

8. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Exercise - Assessing and Critiquing Measures
Meaningful
/ Relevant
Quantifiable
Measurable
15% of customers display Australian accents consistent with the restaurant theme.
Established
Baseline
Auditable
Ease of
Understanding
Instructions: Each of the 6 performance measure criteria are identified in the oval shapes above. The performance
measure in the center of the diagram should be evaluated to see how it stacks up against these criteria. Please try to identify,
by drawing an arrow to the word or specific group of words, that meet this performance measure.

9. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Exercise - Assessing and Critiquing Measures
Meaningful
/ Relevant
Quantifiable
Measurable
15% of customers display Australian accents
consistent with the restaurant theme.
Auditable
Ease of
Understanding
Established
Baseline
Instructions: Each of the 6 performance measure criteria are identified in the oval shapes above. The performance
measure in the center of the diagram should be evaluated to see how it stacks up against these criteria. Please try to identify,
by drawing an arrow to the word or specific group of words, that meet this performance measure.

10. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Exercise - Assessing and Critiquing Measures
Meaningful
/ Relevant
Quantifiable
Measurable
CF Survey results show 60% “Excellent” customer ratings as defined by the GFCA Advisory Board provided a normal distribution data curve that is relevant to the sample size taken.
Auditable
Ease of
Understanding
Established
Baseline
Instructions: Each of the 6 performance measure criteria are identified in the oval shapes above. The performance
measure in the center of the diagram should be evaluated to see how it stacks up against these criteria. Please try to identify,
by drawing an arrow to the word or specific group of words, that meet this performance measure.

11. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Exercise - Assessing and Critiquing Measures
Meaningful
/ Relevant
Quantifiable
Measurable
CF Survey results show 60 % “Excellent” customer ratings as defined by the GFCA Advisory Board provided a normal distribution data curve that is relevant to the sample size taken.
Established
Baseline
Auditable
Ease of
Understanding
Instructions: Each of the 6 performance measure criteria are identified in the oval shapes above. The performance
measure in the center of the diagram should be evaluated to see how it stacks up against these criteria. Please try to identify,
by drawing an arrow to the word or specific group of words, that meet this performance measure.

12. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Exercise - Assessing and Critiquing Measures
Meaningful
/ Relevant
Quantifiable
Measurable
Sell 200 servings of each new menu item per week for 20 weeks.
Auditable
Ease of
Understanding
Established
Baseline
Instructions: Each of the 6 performance measure criteria are identified in the oval shapes above. The performance
measure in the center of the diagram should be evaluated to see how it stacks up against these criteria. Please try to identify,
by drawing an arrow to the word or specific group of words, that meet this performance measure.

13. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Exercise - Assessing and Critiquing Measures
Quantifiable
Measurable
Meaningful
/ Relevant
Sell 200 servings of each new menu item per week for 20 weeks.
Auditable
Ease of
Understanding
Established
Baseline
Instructions: Each of the 6 performance measure criteria are identified in the oval shapes above. The performance
measure in the center of the diagram should be evaluated to see how it stacks up against these criteria. Please try to identify,
by drawing an arrow to the word or specific group of words, that meet this performance measure.

14. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Exercise - Assessing and Critiquing Measures
Quantifiable
Measurable
Meaningful
/ Relevant
Increase FY 2010 profits 20% over the FY 2009 level of $3.4M.
Auditable
Established
Baseline
Ease of
Understanding
Instructions: Each of the 6 performance measure criteria are identified in the oval shapes above. The performance
measure in the center of the diagram should be evaluated to see how it stacks up against these criteria. Please try to identify,
by drawing an arrow to the word or specific group of words, that meet this performance measure.

15. Writing Performance Measure Statements
Exercise - Assessing and Critiquing Measures
Meaningful
/ Relevant
Quantifiable
Measurable
Increase FY 2010 profits 20% over the FY 2009 level of $3.4M.
Auditable
Ease of
Understanding
Established
Baseline
Instructions: Each of the 6 performance measure criteria are identified in the oval shapes above. The performance
measure in the center of the diagram should be evaluated to see how it stacks up against these criteria. Please try to identify,
by drawing an arrow to the word or specific group of words, that meet this performance measure.