Questions?
Please contact Erik Olson, Financial Management Analyst, Sr.
Training Materials
Strategic Plans
Strategic plans must cover at least four years forward and be updated annually.
Agency strategic plans must include at least the following elements:
- Outcome-based Vision or Mission Statement:
A vision statement paints a picture of how the agency sees the future should its goals be achieved. A mission statement concisely identifies what the agency does, why it does it, and for whom it does it. An agency may use both, but at least one of these elements is required. - Goals:
Broad, issue-oriented statements that specify how the agency will achieve its mission or realize its vision. Goals identify the priorities of the agency. Collectively, the goals should cover the core functions and major divisions of the agency. - Objectives and/or Tasks:
Statements of action that identify how each agency goal will be achieved. Effective objectives and/or tasks are specific, time-based, and assigned to a position or team within the agency that will be responsible for their achievement. - Performance Measures:
Metrics used to determine the impacts of government action by quantifying the effectiveness or efficiency of an agency’s efforts or the public benefit derived. Performance measures should focus on those items that best demonstrate whether the agency is accomplishing its goals. The measures must identify how they are related to the goals in the strategic plan. - Benchmarks or Performance Targets:
Quantifiable levels that identify desired or intended results for each performance measure for, at a minimum, the next fiscal year. These may be based on prior agency performance or the performance of other organizations the agency seeks to emulate. An explanation of how the benchmark or target level for each measure was established must be included in the strategic plan. - External Factors:
Influences beyond the control of the agency that could affect the achievement of agency goals and objectives.
Performance Reports
Submitted with agency budget request.
Agencies must use the latest performance report template provided by DFM when preparing their report. Agencies will be notified when these templates are available for download.
Performance reports must include the following elements:
Part I – Agency Profile
- Agency Overview:
Provides a brief description of the agency and may include the agency’s governance structure, the number of employees, number and location of offices, a brief history of the agency, or other relevant profile information. - Core Functions/Statutory Authority
Describes the agency’s primary operations and identifies the statutes authorizing agency activities. - Revenue and Expenditures:
Fiscal information for the prior four fiscal years broken down by fund and object of expenditure. When helpful, this may include informative breakdowns such as amounts from different revenue sources or types of expenditures. - Profile of Cases Managed and/or Key Services Provided:
Service delivery information for the prior four fiscal years, including the most recently completed fiscal year. Each agency will determine the number of measures and type of measures to use. This section is designed to give the agency maximum flexibility in reporting on caseloads, services, or products provided to those it serves. - Performance Highlights (optional):
Notable events from the most recently completed fiscal year that may include accomplishments or explanations of performance issues not readily understood by looking at a table of information.
Part II – Performance
- Performance Measures:
The metrics established in the agency’s strategic plan that clearly capture its progress in achieving its goals. No more than 10 key quantifiable performance measures may be included for any given fiscal year. Performance measures should be organized by goal to clearly indicate which performance measures demonstrate the agency’s progress in achieving each goal. - Benchmarks or Performance Targets:
The desired or intended levels of performance the agency established in the strategic plan for each performance measure for the prior four fiscal years. Benchmarks or performance targets must also be provided for the current fiscal year, as established in the agency’s current strategic plan. - Results:
The actual measured outcomes of agency action for each performance measure for the prior four fiscal years. If actual results are not available because it is a new measure, it must be stated. - Explanatory Notes:
Qualitative information that may provide context for understanding the performance measures and results. - Contact Information:
The person who should be contacted if questions arise regarding the performance report. - Agency Director Attestation:
A signed statement from the agency director affirming that the data reported has been internally assessed for accuracy and deemed to be correct.