Reliable, timely data on inputs, outputs, activities, outcomes and, often, societal level measures are essential for effective and efficient governance.

For a reporting framework to be effective and sustained over time, nine lessons are proposed to be incorporated in the public reporting approach.

• Measures should be grounded in a strategic vision or plan including desired future performance levels. Agencies should always be able to link their publicly reported indicators to either a government-wide or internal set of desired long-term results accompanied by a statement of how they intend to achieve those results.

• A few good measures can go a long way toward understanding performance. A handful of well-crafted measures can go a long way toward understanding how well a government performs in a specific area.

• Performance reports must be trustworthy. To be taken seriously by stakeholders, a purely government report requires some form of validation. Another important aspect of trustworthiness is consistency.

• The information provided must matter to the boss. If it doesn’t matter to the chief elected official, it doesn’t matter.

• Cater to the stakeholder groups that value the information. Generally, performance information targeted to some entity with a personal affiliation—an agency, a city or county, or an issue—generates the greatest interest.

• Public performance reports should support a robust data analytics capability. A good performance report should include not only an explanation of data trends, but also provide analysis of causes and explore possible solutions to problematic trends.

• Don’t assume that potential consumers of performance information will understand even the simplest of data presentations. Those in the performance reporting business must constantly go the extra mile to assure that data is understandable.

• Just because you can measure it doesn’t mean you can manage it. Good measures are better than no measures, but these are only small contributing factors when implementing strategies to solve persistent societal issues addressed by governments and their partners.

• Stakeholders matter. Reaching stakeholders that can make a difference should be part of the planning process for every government performance report from day one.