Virginia Performs: The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Approach to Performance Leadership and Accountability

Jane Kusiak, Executive Director, The Council on Virginia's Future

Investment decisions should be evaluated with a focus on outcomes.”

“Emphasize transparency of operations.”

“Promote accountability.”

“Promote innovation and productivity improvement.”

 

These phrases seem to have been extracted right out of a for-profit corporation’s strategy or goals document.  In fact, they refer to an innovative way that the Commonwealth of Virginia is measuring the effectiveness of its policies and programs aimed at preserving the state’s excellent quality of life amid changing opportunities and shifting economic & demographic landscapes. Through “Virginia Performs,” a Performance Leadership and Accountability System developed by the Council on Virginia’s Future, and beginning with the 2006-2008 biennium budget, state agencies established objectives and measures for programs and services as part of their strategic planning process. These strategic plans form the foundation for the Virginia Performs system, and agencies regularly report their performance results on the Virginia Performs site and to the General Assembly, thereby ensuring that the programs and services for which they are directly responsible meet their objectives and are efficiently managed. Among the goals of Virginia Performs are:

• Increase government accountability, operations and performance
• Define, measure and report agency key objectives and metrics
• Define, measure and report performance, productivity and administrative key objectives and metrics
• Develop and report through a “scorecard” where Virginia is improving, maintaining, and losing ground
• Provide and report state-to-state comparisons in key areas and for key metrics
• Provide and report in key areas and for key metrics for various regions within the state
• Ensure agency measures are aligned with high priority goals
• Link policy and performance
• Enhance agency reporting through concise, integrated, strategic view of agency challenges, accomplishments and opportunities for improvement
• Develop, use and improve multiple communication tools

Seven long-term goals further define the state’s vision (responsible economic growth, an enviable quality of life, good government, and a well-educated citizenry prepared to lead successful lives and to be engaged in shaping the future of the Commonwealth) by outlining specific outcomes the Council wishes to achieve:

• Be a national leader in the preservation and enhancement of our economy. (Economy)
• Elevate the levels of educational preparedness and attainment of our citizens. (Education)         
• Inspire and support Virginians toward healthy lives and strong and resilient families. (Health and Family)         
• Protect, conserve and wisely develop our natural, cultural and historic resources. (Natural, Historic and Cultural Resources)
• Protect the public's safety and security, ensure a fair & effective system of justice, and provide a prepared response to emergencies & disasters of all kinds. (Public Safety)
• Ensure Virginia has a transportation system that is safe, allows the easy movement of people and goods, enhances the economy, and improves our quality of life. (Transportation)
• Be recognized as the best-managed state in the nation. (Government and Citizens)

Getting state agencies to think and act like, much less report, measure, assess and refine, a private for-profit or entrepreneurial entity was no small task. This session is intended to give you an overview of the work that preceded this initative to help state buy into enhanced notions of accountability, performance, leadership and metrics.  You’ll learn how the metrics were selected, how they’re reported, and how continuous improvement is fused into the model.

SESSION LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of my presentation, attendees will:

• Understand the efforts of the Council on Virginia’s Future to infuse performance leadership and accountability into state bureaucracy – the challenges they faced, the obstacles they overcame, the buy-in and consensus building required, etc.
• Learn about the Virginia Performs metrics scorecard, how it was developed, how it’s used, how it is tweaked and refined to be more informative and more useful.
• Learn about the Council’s ongoing work in four areas -- strategic vision / roadmap development, assessment, service performance, and productivity improvement -- to enhance the state's effectiveness in making Virginia an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.
• Learn about the Council’s continuous improvement model to develop new indicators that broaden its scope and deepens its understanding of how well Virginia is doing.
• Learn tools, techniques, tips for getting any not-for-profit or government entity on board with metric-based performance measures and accountability.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Jane Norwood Kusiak is the Executive Director of the Council on Virginia’s Future, which is chaired by Virginia’s Governor. In addition to the Governor, membership includes the Lieutenant Governor and representatives from the General Assembly, business community, and the Governor’s Cabinet. A signature initiative of the Council is Virginia Performs, a performance leadership and accountability system for state government.

For over twenty-five years, Ms. Kusiak has served the Commonwealth of Virginia in senior leadership and policy positions in the legislative and executive branches, including the House Appropriations Committee, the Governor’s Office, and the Joint Commission on Health Care as its first Executive Director.

Ms. Kusiak has served on a number of boards, including Retreat Hospital, Virginia Health Information, and Women’s Health Virginia. She currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Virginia Health Care Foundation and as a member of the Advisory Board for the University of Virginia School of Nursing.

In 1992, Ms. Kusiak received the Outstanding Woman in Government Award from the Richmond Metropolitan Area YWCA; and in 2009, she and the Council received an Excellence in Virginia Government Award from the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs.

Ms. Kusiak holds a Bachelor of Science degree in hospital administration from Ithaca College and a Master of Arts degree from St. Louis University.