Planning

Planning means setting performance expectations and goals for groups and individuals to channel their efforts toward achieving organizational objectives. Employee involvement helps them understand the goals of the organization, what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, and how well it should be done.

Staff Recommendations
Policy Documents
Resources
Newsletter Articles
Book Reviews

Title	Description
Staff Recommendations
Achieving Olympic Gold	Describes goal-setting techniques used for improving performance and long-term success.
Improved Performance Starts with Planning I	Addresses performance planning through setting performance goals and determining what needs to be done to reach them. Considers the results of goal-setting studies as reported by Edwin A. Locke, University of Maryland, and Gary P. Latham, University of Washington.
Improved Performance Starts with Planning II	Addresses goal setting at the individual level.
Improved Performance Starts with Planning III	Addresses planning for group performance by setting goals at the group level.
Improved Performance Starts with Planning IV	Provides suggestions for avoiding dangers and pitfalls when planning work and setting goals. The information contained in this article was taken from "Goal Setting: A Motivational Technique That Works."
Using Performance Appraisal to Link Strategic Planning and Training	Looks at how the tools and techniques of performance management can be used to link strategic planning with skill acquisition and better agency outcomes.

Policy Documents

Title Description

The Policy Perspective on Customer Service Standards Provides a summary of legislative, regulatory, and Governmentwide policies that relate to Customer Service Standards.

Resources

Title Description

Improving Customer Service Through Effective Performance Management Describes how agencies can use their employee performance management systems as tools to help them reach the customer service goals under Executive Order 12862 (Setting Customer Service Standards) and the Results Act.

Performance Management Program Design Handbook Designed to assist agency personnel, managers, employees, and their representatives work through the redesign of their employee performance management programs.

Newsletter Articles

Title Description

Achieving Olympic Gold Describes goal-setting techniques used for improving performance and long-term success.

A Checklist for Performance Plans Uses a series of questions to present criteria for designing performance plans based on sound management principles that comply with law and regulations.

Customer Service Standards Describes how employee performance management processes can support and promote organizational customer service goals.

Developing Performance Standards Reviews the principles of writing good standards that can be used effectively to appraise employee performance of those elements.

Hoshin Planning Based on a Japanese term meaning "pointing direction," presents an approach to quality and strategic planning pioneered by Toyota and brought to the U.S. in 1983.

Implementing the Results Act: Resources Galore Presents a value-packed CD-ROM that contains a library of information that is of great value to all those involved in honing strategic plans and developing program performance plans.

Improved Performance Starts with Planning I Addresses performance planning through setting performance goals and determining what needs to be done to reach them. Considers the results of goal-setting studies as reported by Edwin A. Locke, University of Maryland, and Gary P. Latham, University of Washington.

Improved Performance Starts with Planning II Addresses goal setting at the individual level.

Improved Performance Starts with Planning III Addresses planning for group performance by setting goals at the group level.

Improved Performance Starts with Planning IV Provides suggestions for avoiding dangers and pitfalls when planning work and setting goals. The information contained in this article was taken from "Goal Setting: A Motivational Technique That Works."

Linking Individual and Organizational Performance Describes one agency's approach to linking employee elements and standards to strategic plans.

Linking Individual Performance to Strategic Plans Looks at an early pioneer that saw connection between their organizational expectations, goals and outcomes and their performance management process.

Successful Change Requires Planning Describes the changing world of work that all Federal employees are facing today.

Using the Building Blocks of Employee Performance Plans Reviews the characteristics of performance elements, including: critical elements, non-critical elements, and additional performance elements.

Using Performance Appraisal to Link Strategic Planning and Training Looks at how the tools and techniques of performance management can be used to link strategic planning with skill acquisition and better agency outcomes.

What to Avoid When Writing Standards Defines "retention" standards, discusses the basic requirements for these standards, and highlights some of the things you should avoid when writing them.

Book Reviews

Title Description

Designing Performance Appraisal Systems: Aligning Appraisals and Organizational Realities Provides a comprehensive, realistic approach to designing performance appraisal programs.

Planning and Measurement in Your Organization of the Future Provides guidance for measuring organizational and group performance that can be applied to improve the employee performance management process.