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Introduction
Lifecycle Lifecycle Performance Performance Professionals
Professionals
What is Performance?
Organizational performance, in basic terms, is the actual output or results of
an organization as measured against its intended outputs or goals and
objectives. The key words here are “actual” and “intended”. When
performance is at or above the intended goals, accomplishments are
returned. When performance is below the intended goals, fewer
accomplishments and more failures are the result. The more an organization
can set near and long term goals, the more accurate performance can be
measured.
What is Performance Management?
Performance management is the foundation of any organization that has a
vision and knows where they want to be in the near and long term future. As
today’s rapidly evolving business environment challenges organizations to
adapt to constant change, the need for organizations to be sure that their
projects and activities are aligned with overall strategic goals and business
objectives is critical. Performance management is the gauge that lets you
know whether or not you are reaching strategic goals and which areas within
your service delivery could use improvement. Performance management
also justifies whether or not your organization is getting its return on
investments. Most important, performance management establishes a culture
of high performance where the entire organization is synergistic towards
reaching organizational objectives.
By definition, performance management is the systematic process by which
an organization involves its employees and all stakeholders in the
development and implementation of a plan to improve organizational
effectiveness and reach organizational objectives. In 1883 Lord Kelvin, a
leading physicist of the early 19 th century wrote:
“I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking
about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it;
but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in
numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind;
it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely in
your thoughts advanced to the state of Science, whatever the
matter may be.”
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