WASHINGTON

USE PERFORMANCE ANALYSTS TO MAXIMIZE RESULTS

Goal: To maximize performance results in all measures, through the creation of a performance analyst specialist job description.

Description: To focus efforts on performance across many staff in multiple offices, each working a variety of processes, each with different sets of clients, requires several key components working together to achieve successful results. Some of those components include:

• reliable and robust data management tools
• strong commitment to staff training, and
• technology supports to enable staff to complete high volume work accurately and efficiently.

But even with all these supports, gaps in performance arise at various levels of the organization. Performance Analysts help focus on finding and filling those gaps with their specialized skills and knowledge. There are 10 field offices and a Headquarters Central Services Unit that now have Performance Analysts.

The Performance Analysts provide performance support to management and staff working toward the common goal of improving performance. These positions are typically filled as competitive promotional or development job opportunities from strong performers within each office. The overall benefit of sharing their wealth of knowledge and skills to the office and division as a whole has been beneficial and well accepted.

Some of the roles and responsibilities of the Performance Analyst in each office include:

• Provide office leaders and supervisors with a consistent, reliable resource for evaluating performance, identifying gaps, identifying training needs, and assisting in data-based decision-making;
• Assist office in identifying correlations between actions taken and results achieved;
• Develop and design charts/graphs to demonstrate performance throughout the office;
• Analyze performance tools and work data integrity reports and caseload reviews;
• Assist in the development of auditing tools to assist work units and lead workers;
• Serve as Quality Assurance consultant to supervisors and lead workers, with a data integrity and reliability focus;
• Share lessons learned and best practices across the offices by active involvement in monthly Performance Analyst Peer Group meetings;
• Prepare and participate in office Government Management Accountability and Performance (GMAP) presentation reviews before senior leaders, as well as encouraging intra-office GMAP performance efforts.

Results: Performance measures shift due to a variety of reasons - the economy, new initiatives, additional legislative tools, enhanced technology. After experiencing a few years of marginal performance growth (even a decline in some measures), we note the enhanced performance results achieved between FFY05 and FFY06 since the increase in emphasis on performance management at all levels of the organization.

Performance Measures

Measure	FFY05 Year End Result	FFY06 Year End Result
Paternity Establishment	95.2%	98.0%
Order Establishment	89.5%	89.9%
% of Current Support	63.3%	64.3%
% of Arrears	66.1%	67.4%

Location: Statewide

Funding: Regular IV-D funds were used.

Replication Advice: Ensure you have strong data management tools in place first, hopefully those that provide timely results down to the actual caseworker or office level. Create a fear-free work environment where continuous learning is the focus. Start slowly. Make sure best practices and communication can easily flow horizontally and laterally through the organization and across offices, not just up and down the chain of command.

Contacts:

Connie Ambrose

Chief, Division of Child Support

Phone: 360-664-5445

Email: AmbroCL@dshs.wa.gov

Loan Tran

Program Administrator

360-664-5325

LTran@dshs.wa.gov