Index of Questions

Index of Questions

Introduction

0.1 What is the purpose of this guide?

0.2 How do I use this guide?

Starting Points (Over-arching Questions)

1.1 What are the basic ideas behind Results-Based Accountability, and results-based decision making and budgeting?

1.2 How is this different from all the other approaches we've seen over the years? Why is this not just the latest fad?

1.3 How do we get people to care about this work?

1.4 Where do we start?

1.5 How do we get people together to do this work

1.6 Where do we start in a (state, county, city or community) that wants to do this? Where do we start in one that doesn’t want to do this?

1.7 What do we do with people who are cynical and burned out from the last time we tried this?

1.8 How do we fit together different approaches when there is more than one approach to Results-Based Accountability being used in my area?

1.9 How can we work on long term well-being in a political environment with term limits and demands for immediate success?

1.10 How is this work different in the executive branch vs. legislative branch?

1.11 How do we do this if the levels above us (e.g. federal, state, county, city) don't care and won't help?

1.12 How do we keep this simple? (Or What do we do when things go off track?)

1.13 How long should all of this take?

Questions about Population Accountability (for whole populations in a geographic area)

2.1 What are the basic ideas of results-based decision making and budgeting?

2.2 What is the difference between population well-being (population accountability) and client well-being (performance accountability) and why is this important?

2.3 How do we get people to understand the difference between indicators and performance measures?

2.4 What are some populations for which results can be developed and used?

2.5 How do we select results for a given population?

2.6 How do we identify results in terms of everyday experience?

2.7 How do we select indicators for a result?

2.8 Where do we get the data for indicators? How do we get better data?

2.9 What do we do if we don't have any good data at all?

2.10 How do we create a report card and what do we do with it? (on child and family well-being, for other populations, for an entire community quality of life)

2.11 How do we create a baseline (trend line) for an indicator?

2.12 How do we identify what works to improve conditions of well-being?

2.13 How do we create an action plan and budget?

2.14 How do we finance a results-based plan?

2.15 OK, so what's the link to the budget?

2.16 How do we create a Family and Children's Budget (an Elder's Budget, An Environmental Budget) and what do we do with it?

2.17 How do we create a Cost of Bad Results report and what do we do with it?

2.18 How do we present a results-based plan to the public, to political leadership?

2.19 How can we get more flexibility in the use of the money in the service system?

2.20 How do we oversee the implementation of a results-based plan?

2.21 How do we report on progress?

Questions about Performance Accountability (for programs, agencies and service systems)

3.1 What are the basic ideas behind performance accountability?

3.2 How do we get people to understand the difference between Results-Based Accountability? (reprise)

3.3 What is the difference between indicators and performance measures? How do Results-Based Accountability fit together?

3.4 What is the relationship between performance measurement, performance accountability and evaluation?

3.5 Where do we start in an organization that wants to do this?

3.6 Where do we start in an organization that doesn't want to do this?

3.7 How do we help people identify performance measures for their program or service?

3.8 What is the difference between measures that answer: "How much did we do? How well did we do it? and Is anyone better off?"

3.9 What is the difference between the 4 Quadrant performance measures and logic model performance measures?

3.10 How do we identify performance measures for administrative functions like personnel, budgeting, etc.?

3.11 What are some examples of performance measures we can use for my program or service?

3.12 How do we select the most important " headline: performance measures for my program or service?

3.13 Where do we get the data to do this work? How do we get better data?

3.14 What do we do with performance measures once we have them? How can we use performance measures to improve performance?

3.15 How do we use performance measures in writing and overseeing grants and contracts?

3.16 How do we use performance measures in budgeting?

3.17 How do we use performance measures in writing grant applications?

3.18 How do we use performance measures to improve cross agency service systems?

3.19 How do we create a performance improvement system in our organization?