U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

Performance Management Clearinghouse Provides a Way to Share Practical Information

"Who is doing pass/fail?"
"Who is using 360-degree appraisals?"
"Who has a group incentive program?"
"Who has an effective, innovative awards program?"
"Has anyone evaluated their performance management programs?"

These are some of the most frequently asked questions our office receives. Program designers, human resources specialists, and managers want information about other agencies' experiences with various types of performance management programs—who is doing what, what works well, and what lessons they have learned. To facilitate information sharing about performance management programs, processes, and practices, the Performance Management Technical Assistance Center on OPM's web site soon will include a special feature called the Performance Management Clearinghouse.

• Clearinghouse Features.
• User Feedback.

Clearinghouse Features. The primary purpose of the Clearinghouse is to help the Federal community share information about their performance management programs, processes, and practices with each other. As an automated tool, the Clearinghouse will let web users access the data easily at any time.

The Clearinghouse will include the following information:

• descriptions of effective formal and informal appraisal and award programs, processes, and practices, which could include: measurement techniques; team management techniques; feedback processes; inventive awards; effective evaluation methods; employee involvement practices; supervisory performance management training; or any other effective performance management efforts;
• the name, phone number, and email address of a contact person in the organization featured;
• establishing a results-oriented set of measures that balances business goals, customer needs and satisfaction, and employee involvement, development, and satisfaction with working conditions;
• establishing accountability at all levels of the organization, through leading by example, cascading accountability, and keeping everyone informed;
• a description of the type and method of work done by the organization to help readers understand why the program, process, or practice is effective in that organization;
• a summary of any formal or informal evaluation the organization conducted to determine the effectiveness of the program, process, or practice;
• a description of the features about the program, process, or practice that work especially well; and
• lessons learned by the organization.

We will be asking Federal organizations to submit descriptions of their effective performance management programs, processes, or practices for posting on the Clearinghouse. Organizations may send their submissions to us electronically, by fax, or by mail. To be posted, the submission must include all the information listed above. Before posting the data, we will inform the applicable agency headquarters human resources office of the submission to obtain its endorsement. We will not post anonymous submissions.

User Feedback. Keep checking our web pages to find out when the Clearinghouse will be operational. In the meantime, we would like to hear from you. Will the Clearinghouse as we've described it be useful to you? What other information would you like to see? What would be helpful to you in your job? This is an opportunity for you to take part in designing a tool that all Federal managers, human resources specialists, and program designers will find beneficial.

To send us your suggestions and input for the design of the Clearinghouse, you may do any of the following:

• email us;
• fax your input to 202-606-2395;
• phone our staff at 202-606-2720; or
• mail your input to us at:
  

  Performance Management and Incentive Awards Division U.S. Office of Personnel Management 1900 E Street, NW    Room 7412 Washington, DC 20415-8340

Thanks in advance to all who help us design the Clearinghouse. We appreciate your input!

Originally published on April 2000