===== Everyone sets targets. Some people set fitness and savings goals. CEOs aim for certain profit margins. Principals want higher graduation rates. Students want better grades. Across every domain, people use performance measures and targets to shape their choices. Performance measures provide quantitative information about something people care about achieving or maintaining. Targets help them know where to aim. A target is an aspirational number set to feasibly drive a performance measure; and setting the right target for each measure can be difficult.
Governments are no different than individuals. Many governments have been told they need to have S.M.A.R.T. goal statements. However, not every jurisdiction, department, and program understands how to set achievable targets that will inspire people to improve.
The Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University (GovEx), a partner in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities initiative, created this getting started guide to assist governments in setting strong targets in their performance management practices.