Performance Management at King County

In 2003, the Metropolitan King County Council established an advisory Performance Measurement Work Group, led by the King County Auditor's Office. The purpose of the Work Group is to promote performance measurement and management throughout the county. The Work Group now includes all three branches of county government, as well as the independently elected county officials, such as the Assessor, the Prosecuting Attorney, the Sheriff, and the District and Supreme Courts.

An early outcome of the Work Group's efforts was a set of guidelines for strategic planning and performance measurement, which are used by agencies and departments to develop annual business plans. The Work Group also developed a work plan that calls for the development of a countywide performance measurement and management system, including public reporting and citizen engagement.

While the countywide effort progresses, the Executive branch continues to work towards improving its own performance measurement and management system. In April of 2006, a performance management director was hired to coordinate the implementation of KingStat, a performance management system, across the Executive branch. Since that time, regular KingStat meetings have been held with the County Executive; the King County AIMs High: Annual Indicators and Measures has been published; business plan instructions have been improved; and a training curriculum has been developed. For a listing of ordinances and official events pertaining to performance management in King County, read the full legislative history.