4 Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management
4.1 Measurement, Analysis, and Improvement of Community Performance: How does your community excellence group measure, analyze, and then improve community performance?
a. PERFORMANCE Measurement
(1) PERFORMANCE Measures HOW do you track data and information on your programs and services and their impact on overall community PERFORMANCE? HOW do you
- select, collect, align, and integrate data and information to use in tracking operations and overall PERFORMANCE; and
- track progress on achieving your STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES and ACTION PLANS?
What are your KEY community excellence group PERFORMANCE MEASURES, including KEY short- and longer-term budgetary MEASURES? HOW frequently do you track these MEASURES?
(2) Comparative Data HOW do you select comparative data and information to support fact-based decision making?
(3) Measurement Agility HOW do you ensure that your PERFORMANCE measurement system can respond to rapid or unexpected changes inside or outside the community?
b. PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS and Review
HOW do you review your community excellence group’s PERFORMANCE and capabilities? HOW do you use your KEY PERFORMANCE MEASURES, as well as comparative data, in these reviews? What ANALYSES do you perform to support these reviews and ensure that conclusions are valid? HOW do your group and its leaders use these reviews to
- assess the group’s success, financial health, and progress on achieving your STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES and ACTION PLANS; and
- respond rapidly to changing needs and challenges in your community?
c. PERFORMANCE Improvement
(1) Future PERFORMANCE HOW do you project the future PERFORMANCE of your community excellence group? HOW do you use findings from PERFORMANCE reviews and KEY comparative data in your PROJECTIONS?
(2) Continuous Improvement and INNOVATION HOW do you use findings from PERFORMANCE reviews (addressed in 4.1b) to develop priorities for continuous improvement and opportunities for INNOVATION? HOW do you deploy these priorities and opportunities
- to people, organizations, and groups involved in your community excellence group and
- when appropriate, to your PARTNERS and COLLABORATORS to ensure ALLIGNMENT?
Notes
4.1. The questions in this item are closely linked to each other and to other framework items. The following are examples of key linkages:
- Your performance measurement (4.1a)—including the comparative data and information you select, and the performance measures reported throughout your responses to item questions—should inform your performance reviews (4.1b).
- Performance reviews (4.1b) should reflect your strategic objectives and action plans (category 2). The results of performance analysis and review should inform your strategy development and implementation (category 2), and your priorities for improvement and opportunities for innovation (4.1c).
- Performance projections for your key action plans should be reported in 2.2a(6).
Your performance results should be reported in items 7.1–7.5.
4.1a(2). Comparative data and information are obtained by benchmarking and by seeking competitive comparisons. Benchmarking is identifying processes and results that represent best practices and performance for similar activities, inside or outside your community. Competitive comparisons relate your community’s performance to that of communities with similar programs and services.
4.1b. Performance analysis includes examining performance trends, comparisons, cause-effect relationships, and correlations. This analysis should support your performance reviews, help determine root causes, and help set priorities for resource use. Accordingly, such analysis draws on all types of data: program and service performance, resident- and other customer-related, financial, operational, and competitive. The analysis might also be informed by internal or external Baldrige-based assessments.
4.2 Information and Knowledge Management: How does your community excellence group manage its knowledge assets?
a. Data and Information
(1) Quality HOW do you verify and ensure the quality of community data and information that are relevant to your community excellence group’s programs and services? HOW do you ensure the accuracy and validity, integrity and reliability, and currency of data and information?
(2) Availability HOW do you ensure the availability of data and information? HOW do you make needed data and information available in a user-friendly format and timely manner to your people, organizations, groups, PARTNERS, COLLABORATORS, residents, and other CUSTOMERS, as appropriate?
b. Community Knowledge
(1) Knowledge Management HOW do you build and manage community knowledge relevant to your programs and services? HOW do you
- collect and transfer knowledge among the people, organizations, and groups involved in your community excellence group;
- blend and correlate data from different sources to build new knowledge;
- transfer relevant knowledge from and to residents, other CUSTOMERS, PARTNERS, and COLLABORATORS; and
- assemble and transfer relevant knowledge for use in your INNOVATION and strategic planning PROCESSES?
(2) Best Practices HOW do you share best practices in your community excellence group and in the community at large? HOW do you identify community excellence group functions or operations that are HIGH PERFORMING? HOW do you identify best practices for sharing and implement them across your community excellence group and your community, as appropriate?
(3) Community Excellence Group LEARNING HOW do you use your knowledge and resources to embed LEARNING in the way you operate?
Notes
4.2. Community knowledge is a community asset. Some of this knowledge resides within specific organizations, and some resides across organizations. Managing and sharing this knowledge provides a common basis for planning and action within your community excellence group.
4.2b(3). Embedding learning in the way your community excellence group operates means that learning (1) is a part of everyday work; (2) results in solving problems at their source; (3) is focused on building and sharing knowledge throughout your group; and (4) is driven by opportunities to bring about significant, meaningful change and to innovate.
Terms in SMALL CAPS are defined in the Glossary of Key Terms
