Performance management systems facilitate communication, collaboration and innovation. To the people who use them, these systems are an essential part of reliably delivering social outcomes.

As writing began, it was expected that this paper would describe in detail the critical features of a great case management IT system. As the interviews progressed, it became apparent that the heart of the system was the relationship between performance analysts and service delivery staff. Over and over again, the utility of information was expressed as a story of feedback loops created between its stakeholders, rather than how a great IT system spat out answers.

So this paper attempts to convey the attitudes of people who have succeeded in establishing these relationships. It contains their descriptions of the useful information and genuine improvements that have ensued. What has been surprising is how often insights from performance management systems challenged existing service delivery norms. This collection of stories gives a flavour of what has changed for different stakeholders, in the hope that others will learn from their experiences and commit to bringing more information to bear on the delivery of social outcomes.