Key points raised in this research

• Successful performance management systems are motivated by a desire for better service delivery; improved reporting and increased accountability are consequences • Performance management systems improve the internal accountability of an organisation • Performance management is essential for the reliable delivery of social outcomes • Performance management systems work because of performance analysts and their relationships • Performance analysts’ work aligns closer to service delivery than marketing • Collection of data is meaningless without analysis and understanding • The performance management system itself is continuously evaluated and improved • A performance management system must be rooted in the genuine pursuit of social outcomes • Shared databases make a huge difference to client groups served by multiple organisations • Establish governance structure that has the ability and mandate to adjust services in response to information • Some current funding, evaluation and marketing practices discourage iterative improvement • Common sense must prevail – there is no easy, obvious or ‘right’ way. • The system must serve the people, not vice versa. • When talking about ‘investment readiness’, we must also talk about ‘impact readiness’ • Defining fields of data is a collaborative process that is continually refined • No stories without data – and no data without stories • Service delivery staff are the most important collaborators for performance management