Finance - Strategic Planning and Performance Management

Frequently Asked Questions

How Does Metro Plan and Measure Performance?

Nationwide, there has been movement toward greater accountability and transparency across all levels of government. There has also been an increase in competition, an increase in demand for resources, and a decrease in available funding. Governments everywhere are looking for ways to better manage and communicate performance. At the same time, independent organizations that set policy on key financial matters for governments, such as the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), and the Association of Government Accountants (AGA), have called for better use of planning and performance information.

Metro Nashville Government has responded to this call by implementing a strategic management effort. Those Metro departments, agencies, or elected officials who chose to participate created strategic business plans. A wide array of stakeholders for each department took part in creating these plans, including citizens who serve on boards and commissions, department managers, and front-line employees. These plans were then reviewed and approved by the Mayor. Copies of departmental strategic business plans are available here on the Citizen’s Guide to Metro’s Performance.

What Performance Information is Included?

Performance information presented in each of the reports and the Citizen’s Guide to Metro’s Performance does not include data for services that Metro provides. The information has been carefully selected to provide a concise, fair, and unbiased overview of Metro’s performance. Specific factors that influence the content of the reports and the website include:

  • Mayor’s Priorities
    • Education
    • Public Safety
    • Economic Development
    • Livability
  • Departmental Strategic Business Plans
    Departmental strategic business plans provide the mechanism for the identification, collection, and reporting of almost all performance data used.
  • Best Practices
    Staff of the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Internal Audit reviewed a number of high quality performance reports from other local governments across the country to create a set of “best practice” measures – that is, those measures that were often reported by other local governments and that would be of greatest interest to the citizens of Nashville. This provides the basis for future reporting and helps ensure consistency.

Additional Metro Government performance information is available:

  • Since FY2004, Metro has presented an increasingly large portion of its operating budget with a direct connection to a clear purpose and performance information. This helps better inform policymakers as they make their decisions. Department budgets are presented on the web via the Citizens’ Guide to the Metro Budget, which can be found at www.nashville.gov/citizens_budget.
  • Beginning in FY2005, Metro began producing monthly budget variance performance reports for its various departments and major funds. The Budget Accountability Report (BAR) was placed online beginning with the April 2005 edition. Copies of these monthly reports are available at http://www.nashville.gov/finance/omb/budget_reports.asp.

Where Does the Data Come From?

Majority of the data presented in the performance reports, the Citizens’ Guide to the Metro Budget, and the Citizens’ Guide to Metro’s Performance was collected and reported by the departments and agencies of the Metro Government using goals and key operational measures they created in their strategic business plans. Other data provided by the department came from other sources. A small portion of the data presented was provided by outside organizations, including state and federal governments and independent research organizations. When data from a source outside of Metro has been used, that source is noted.

How Does Metro Government Use This Information?

Metro depends on and uses performance information to help guide:

  • Management Decisions
    Performance data helps managers to detect and respond to problems more rapidly, to find better ways to get the job done, and to ultimately deliver better results for customers. Performance information is a central part of the work planning and job evaluations for many Metro employees at all levels.
  • Financial Decisions
    Performance data is an integral part of Metro’s budget process, with changes in funding tied to the resulting impact on performance. It provides guidance on how effective and efficient a service may be, which can be compared with other parts of Metro, with other governments, and with the private sector. To see how performance information is connected to Metro’s budget process, go to www.nashville.gov/citizens_budget.

How Can Citizens Get Involved?

Metro Nashville has placed a premium on ensuring that citizens and their elected representatives have a central role in the strategic business planning process. Metro is unusual in that it has one of the nation’s largest elected Councils for any local government – 40 members, with 35 elected from districts and 5 elected “at large.” This large and diverse body provides a direct connection with citizens in a way smaller elected bodies cannot. As such, Council Members can comment on and question departmental goals, measures, and performance. You may want to contact Council Members if you have any comments or questions about the content represented on this site or in any of the performance reports.

Further, many of the departments and agencies with strategic business plans are led or advised by boards or commissions made up of local citizens. For these organizations, the participation of their board/commission members in the planning process, and in their final validation and acceptance of the strategic business plan, was an essential part of the planning process. You may want to contact the members of the relevant board or commission if you have comments or questions about a department’s performance.

Finally, a significant portion of the performance information collected by Metro departments comes directly from citizens, whether through surveys or other means. The data collected is used in department decision-making and is reported through such documents as the budget and performance reports.