Managing for Results

Managing for Results - Gunnison County

Managing for Results is a complete management and leadership strategy that, when fully implemented, brings together people, resources and results for customers. Managing for Results integrates key elements from planning, employee performance, budgeting, data collection, reporting, evaluating and decision-making in a way that each stage influences the desired result. Click here to learn more about Managing for Results.

Additional links:

• Gunnison County's MFR Case Study. This case study was prepared by Weidner, Inc.
• Gunnison County Strategic Plan. This plan was initially adopted on 5/20/2008 and later revised on 7/21/2009. The County is currently revising this plan, so please check back soon to view the updated version.

County Plan More Than Just a White Paper - Making Government Work

Mention the phrase strategic plan to anyone who has worked in government or the corporate world, and they’ll think they know what you mean: an actionable plan for strategic results that intend to deliver on the identified objectives. Or, a piece of paper full of really nice ideas. But in Gunnison County, the Board of County Commissioners and county staff have changed that, turning the Gunnison County Strategic Plan from a piece of paper into real results.

“The plan is the board’s opportunity to be very clear about what results they want to deliver to their constituents—marching orders to the organization,” said county manager Matthew Birnie. “Here is what we want to accomplish and when we want to accomplish it by and the metrics to measure by. It’s a very powerful document.”

Like many strategic plans, the updated Gunnison County plan formally adopted by the commissioners on May 24 identifies the commissioners’ priorities: sound infrastructure, environmental protection, promoting healthy communities and providing a high level of service. But what makes it different, according to Birnie, are the 18 specific goals it outlines, with timelines, required actions and measures of success.

Sound infrastructure includes improving the airport by offering restrooms and restaurants in secure and non-secure areas by 2012, and replacing the Gothic Road bridge over the Slate River north of Crested Butte by 2016. Protecting the environment means things like working with ranchers to conserve 8,500 more acres of private ranchland by 2013. By 2012 the county plans to update the Housing Needs Assessment and participate in the implementation of the 2011 Gunnison County Economic Development plan currently under way. And to facilitate better quality of service, the county will aim for a full-time employee retention rate of over 90 percent by 2016.

The five-year plan adopted on Tuesday is a revision of the original strategic plan created in 2008. The new goals grew out of a planning retreat with the commissioners; county staff spearheaded the development of each goal by identifying necessary steps, timelines and whether funding sources existed or need to be found.

“The Gothic Road bridge over Slate River has difficult hydrology, so the cost will be huge,” public works director Marlene Crosby told the commissioners at a May 10 review of the strategic plan. “It’s a high dollar project, from a million to a million and a half.”

Yet because of the strategic plan, staff know that surveying and mapping are already included in this year’s budget, and they plan to apply for a federal grant that could cover 80 percent of the million dollar budget. According to Birnie, it’s that kind of planning in the 2008 strategic plan that made the difference in finally building the new county jail and public works facility.

“Both buildings had been identified needs for 20-plus years but outside of putting the jail on the ballot a couple of times, not a lot had been done,” Birnie said.

The updated strategic plan was unanimously adopted by the commissioners on May 24, but the advantages of having the plan extend beyond the current board. It can also provide continuity as government changes.

“It provides some stability and focus and clarity even as boards change, to say the organization is pointed in this direction, these are the things we‘re working on,” Birnie said. “But it also gives the new board the opportunity to redirect resources and the direction of the government.” And that, says Birnie, helps county staff help the county commissioners make government work.

MFRLive: Aligning Strategic Business Plans with the Annual Budget

During the previous two years, Gunnison County has worked with Weidner, Inc. to first develop a County-wide Strategic Business Plan (SBP) and then individual SBPs for each of our County departments. Those planning sessions will conclude on July 8th when the Sheriff’s Office becomes the last department to go through the formal SBP process.

In the coming weeks as the County prepares for the 2011 budget process, the next phase of strategic planning will be implemented . . . that is, to begin to use the performance measures outlined within the individual SBPs and their corresponding statistical data (via Weidner’s MFRLive© web-based data collection system) to better inform our budget decisions and business practices. Use of this system will soon allow departments to easily retrieve activity-based, specific progress reports relative to each activity’s established result, output, demand and efficiency measures.

The article in the June 2010 issue of Governing Magazine entitled “Computing Performance” evidences the growing trend of governments around the nation that are utilizing technology-based management programs to budget for and achieve defined results. As mentioned in the article, Gunnison County is a relatively small government managing considerable responsibilities with the limited resources of only 225 employees and a $43.5 million annual budget. For comparison, our neighbor to the west who has also tapped into Weidner’s expertise, Montrose County, employs a 413-member staff and manages a $120 million annual budget. It’s not about working harder, it’s about working smarter; and Weidner and MFRLive© have helped Gunnison County to do just that during a time when many government staff positions, programs and budgets around the nation are being cut.

Any department needing assistance with finalizing or modifying their strategic business plan or working with the MFRLive system should contact Katherine Haase at khaase@gunnisoncounty.org or (970) 641-7601.

Managing for Results Moves Forward in Gunnison County

“The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.”  - President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address

A little over a year ago, I wrote in this newsletter about the implementation of Managing for Results in Gunnison County.  The transition to this strategic, measurable, performance-based management system has made much progress since then:

• In May 2008, the Board of County Commissioners adopted a Strategic Plan.
The County’s largest Department, Public Works, along with Facilities Maintenance and the Rodeo Grounds engaged in a process to create Strategic Business Plans for their operations in late 2008 and early 2009.
• In January 2009, County Administration, which included the County Manager’s Office, Finance, and Personnel produced a Strategic Business Plan.
• In March 2009, the Treasurer’s Office, County Attorney’s Office, Information Technology Department, and Emergency Management all completed Strategic Business Plans.
• The Planning and GIS Departments are generating Strategic Business Plans in May and June of 2009.
• The BOCC will adopt an updated Strategic Plan in July of 2009.

The Strategic Business Plans allow Offices and Departments to align their priorities with the BOCC Plan as well as to identify Key Results for the customers they serve and to create performance measures that will allow County staff to manage time and resources toward the achievement of these results.  Over time, this strategic approach to management will inform everything we do so that priorities, people, and resources are aligned in a way that allows us to provide the best possible service to our customers.

A related aspect of our Managing for Results initiative is referred to in the quote from President Obama that opens this article.  That is our responsibility to uphold the public trust through providing local government services committed to:

• Accountability: Gunnison County is able and willing to tell taxpayers what results they are buying from us and why.
• Transparency: Taxpayers are able to easily access and understand information showing what results Gunnison County is delivering (and those we are not).
• Credibility: Gunnison County does what is says it will do, which builds public trust.
• Results: Gunnison County’s customers experience beneficial results by receiving our services.

Our Managing for Results system drives action and accountability, creates transparency, and is designed to strengthen the relationship between our government and our people through:

• Decision Making: Focusing operational, budgetary and policy decisions on results that matter.
• Performance Reporting: Providing performance information back to elected officials and citizens that fully and easily explains what is and is not being accomplished and why.
• Evaluating Performance: Evaluating our performance by the impact experienced by the customer, not simply by the level of service provided.
• Focusing on Long-Term Priorities: Making sure our long-term priorities are those most important to our community and focusing day-to-day service delivery on results for customers.

Managing for Results is an integrated management system that focuses on results for customers while promoting accountability, transparency, and credibility.  Managing for Results will not only help us be the most effective organization possible, but will also ensure that we spend public investments “wisely” and do our business “in the light of day”.

It is already apparent that Managing for Results has affected the County’s focus, priorities, and resource allocations.  In future installments, I look forward to sharing details of departmental Strategic Business Plans and the Key Results they have committed to delivering as well as how they are measuring performance to ensure progress toward delivering those results to their customers.

County to Define Priorities and Strategic Results Using “Managing for Results”

Beginning in 2007, the Board of County Commissioners, County Manager, Department Directors, and Elected Officials began working on endeavors to prioritize projects and initiatives, focus efforts, and move toward integrated planning, management and measurement of our performance.

Weidner, Inc., a consultancy with diverse experience with large and small government entities, was selected to help us implement a county-wide initiative that will bridge all branches of the County and, thus, provide strategic planning, measurable results and improved overall services to citizens.  County elected and appointed officials, along with staff members, agreed to adopt Managing for Results (MFR) after seeing the dramatic, healthy and positive changes other government organizations have experienced.

Work on transitioning to this strategic, measurable, performance-based management system began in February with a two-day retreat involving Elected Officials, Department Directors, and the Commissioners, to begin developing a County Strategic Plan based on the Commissioners’ priorities.  Further work was done over two days in March to refine the priorities, develop strategies, and set timelines.

In addition to these facilitated workshops, a tremendous amount of additional work has gone into developing a coherent, results-oriented strategic plan based on the Commissioners’ priorities.  That plan is set to be adopted by the BOCC at their regular meeting on May 20, 2008.  Once adopted, the plan will be sent out to every County employee and made available on the website.

Eventually, every department and office in the County will develop its own Strategic Business Plan as we implement Managing for Results throughout the County.  To that end, Public Works will create a Strategic Business Plan later this year.  In 2009, five more departments will follow suit and, by 2010, every department and office will have its own Strategic Business Plan.

Over time, this strategic approach to management and the County’s varied missions will inform everything we do, from our budget process, to performance evaluations and project prioritization.  The goal is to align resources and people in a way that will allow us to make this excellent organization even more effective.

Throughout the implementation of Managing for Results and the development of departmental Strategic Business Plans, much time, energy and creative thinking will be utilized to align our focus with the perspective of our customers.  Performance measures will be developed to assess our success in achieving our goals and strategic results.  We believe this focus on results for our customers will foster a higher level of cross-departmental communication and coordination as we all strive to deliver the best services possible.  For employees, clarity about direction, expectations, and the measures of success are all benefits of Managing for Results.

More information about Managing for Results is available on the County Website.  Look for the “MFR FAQ” link on the Administration’s webpage.  Additional information and training will become available as we continue to implement MFR.  County Manager Matthew Birnie can be contacted at (970) 641-7602 or via email at mbirnie@gunnisoncounty.org if you have any questions, ideas, or would like to have a discussion about this or any other topic.

Managing for Results (MFR)

Managing for Results is a complete management and leadership strategy that, when fully implemented, brings together people, resources and results for customers.  Managing for Results integrates key elements from planning, employee performance, budgeting, data collection, reporting, evaluating and decision-making in a way that each stage influences the desired result.

Much of how Gunnison County explains its work right now is task-oriented.  For example, we maintain roads, we vaccinate children or we administer programs for the state.  These are the answers to questions that begin with “What does the County do?”  Managing for Results will give each of us the tools to answer the bigger questions of what do we do, why do we do it, for whom do we do it and what is the desired result.

Managing for Results will give us the tools and the words to tell our customers – taxpayers, visitors, businesses, industries and people who want to relocate – the value residents are getting for their tax dollars.

Whose idea is this?

County elected and appointed officials and their staffs have agreed to adopt Managing for Results after seeing the dramatic, healthy and positive changes other government organizations have experienced.

Weidner’s Managing for Results integrated management system is a trademarked leadership and management methodology that has been used in governments from coast to coast.  The program is used in Nashville-Davidson County in Tennessee, Maricopa County, the Cities of Austin, Texas and Oklahoma City, the Chula Vista (California) Fire Department and many other branches of government.

What does it involve?

One of the most important aspects of Managing for Results is that we do it, we drive it, we own it.  It isn’t an event that occurs and goes away.  This isn’t the “trend of the week.”  Your County elected and appointed officials and their management teams have made a commitment to a new way of doing business that ties the results we desire to our budget.  How we do business in the future will be based on choices that we make for ourselves in the Managing for Results process.

Weidner Inc. teaches and coaches a select group of individuals from throughout the County and trains them to be our internal implementation team.  These County employees, will work with the departments and offices to focus on results for the customer, not just tasks.

Is it painful?

Absolutely not!  It takes time, energy and a little creative thinking.  Managing for Results involves strategic thinking and shifting your focus to the perspective of the customer – i.e. what is the customer’s experience like when he or she encounters me or my work unit.  How does the customer benefit?  In the case of work units that provide support services to other county departments, the questions are the same. 

Here is a made-up example to illustrate the point:  Let’s say the Information Technology staff establishes a performance measure that says:  Systems will be available to 99 percent of the time during regular business hours.  The department sets that goal with the end-user or customer in mind.   Doing so meets a larger goal of minimizing employee disruption or, in the case of searchable databases that are accessed through the Internet; this goal enhances the internal and external customer’s experience. 

What are the desired County-wide results?

County elected and appointed officials and their management staff have identified several desired objectives that will result from the implementation of Managing for Results.  Those include:

Internal audiences:

• To identify strategic priorities and allocate resources to those priorities.
• To tie funding to results, costs to activities and to forecast demand for services.
• To obtain the performance information we need to make good operational decisions.
• To foster more cross-departmental work and communication.
• For employees to know how their work product affects the County vision and success.

• For the public to perceive Gunnison County as a competent, ethical, effective organization.
• For residents to more fully understand what the County does—its priorities, direction and successes.
• To improve long-range planning, i.e. to better identify infrastructure needs before they become critical.
• To improve accountability and responsibility in serving the public.
• To deliver services in a cost-effective way.

A good performance measure is a lot like a good mission statement.  It tells you, your department, your staff and your customer what you do, why you do it and what the desired result is.  Here are some examples:

• By 2012, Gunnison County will achieve an overall net efficiency increase of 10% in County buildings.
• By 2010, Gunnison County will assist partner agencies in expanding public transit to 17 hours per day year-round between Gunnison and Mt. Crested Butte.
• By 2013, Gunnison County will facilitate the provision of 35% of the affordable housing needs identified in the County in the 2008 Housing Needs Assessment, as expressed as X number of new affordable housing units.
• By 2010, Gunnison County will increase the Airport’s capability to accommodate 70,000 enplanements per year. 
• By 2011, Gunnison County will complete construction of a new Public Works facility.
• By 2012, Gunnison County will begin construction of a new Detention Center.  Gunnison County will secure funding not wholly derived from new taxes.
• By the end of fiscal year 2008, Gunnison County shall complete the revision of Special Project Regulations (1041).
• Starting in 2009, Gunnison County will conduct a bi-annual survey of residents measuring their satisfaction with county services and soliciting their suggestions for prioritization of services.

Work on transition to this strategic, measurable, performance-based management system began in February with a two day retreat involving Elected Officials, Department Directors, and the Commissioners to begin developing a County Strategic Plan based on the Commissioner’s priorities.  Further work was done over two days in March to refine the priorities, develop strategies, and set timelines.

A County-wide Strategic Plan has been created based on the Commissioner’s priorities.  The Facilitators have received their initial training and a plan has been developed to implement Managing for Results throughout the County.

• Public Works will create a Strategic Business Plan later this year. 
• In 2009, five more departments will develop Plans. 
• By 2010, every department and office will have its own Strategic Business Plan.

The County plans to keep you informed through the employee newsletter, email updates, and periodic messages from your leadership team.

Office Staff