Abstract

Senior Corps, AmeriCorps State, and AmeriCorps National programs that need to develop performance measurement plans or want to make sure that the performance measures they have already developed are clear and complete, will benefit from this effective practice which explains the Performance Measurement (PM) Builder, an online tool for developing strong performance measurement plans quickly and easily. This effective practice was submitted by Project STAR in September 2009.

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Issue

New programs and directors who are unfamiliar with the format of performance measures for Senior Corps, AmeriCorps State, and AmeriCorps National programs may have difficulty developing a set of performance measures that will align with logic models and data.

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Action

What is the PM Builder?

The PM Builder is an interactive tool that Senior Corps and AmeriCorps State and National programs can use to develop a set of aligned performance measures. The PM Builder consists of a series of drop-down menus that allow program directors to build a performance measurement plan step-by-step. The performance measurement plan can be saved as a Microsoft Word document and modified to fit any program. The PM Builder includes additional resources to help refine performance measurement plans and to develop instruments to measure the results.

How to use the PM Builder

The PM Builder welcome page contains links to resources that aid in developing a performance measurement plan, as well as a short tutorial demonstrating the PM Builder. Clicking the link under Step 3 will launch the PM Builder.

The basic steps to developing a performance measurement plan in the PM Builder include identifying program affiliation, then selecting an issue area, service activity, output, and outcome. For the outcome, selections will include an indicator, data source, and instrument type.

At each point in the selection process there are either a set of choices in a drop-down menu or the PM Builder automatically selects an item for you. Automatic selections occur when only one choice is available. Keep in mind that the PM Builder does not contain all possible choices. Directors can modify their performance measurement plans later if there isn’t a choice that is an exact match.

Once all selections are made, click “Go and Build my performance measurement plan!” to export the performance measurement plan to a Microsoft Word document. Directors can modify the Word document and fill in additional information to complete a plan that is specific to their program.

Some performance measurement plans also include instrument templates. If an instrument template is available for the performance measurement plan selected, then it will appear under “Sample Instrument” after making selections. In addition, a list of all the instruments currently available in the PM Builder can be accessed under Step 4 on the welcome page.

Tips for Using the PM Builder

• If you do not find the activity you want, consider choosing a similar activity in the PM Builder and modifying it. Or, if you find an activity but do not find a suitable outcome, browse through similar activities for inspiration. Project STAR has other resources in addition to the PM Builder that you may also want to look through (e.g., AmeriCorps worksheet samples and the Senior Corps work plan library).
• You will need to add information to your performance measurement plan that is not available for selection in the PM Builder (e.g., a description of your community need). Use the Senior Corps Performance Measurement Plan Checklist or AmeriCorps Performance Measurement Plan Checklist to guide you through this process.
• Check your performance measurement plan carefully. You may need to revise information selected in the PM Builder with an eye to what you need to do to implement performance measurement and report results. Be sure you can implement the performance measurement plan and get data for reporting.
• You may not find a sample instrument for the performance measurement plan you select; not all outcomes have instruments yet. However, Project STAR has other instrument resources posted on the Resource Center that you may want to adapt and use. [http://nationalserviceresources.org/star/star]
• When you do find an instrument, review it carefully. For example, do language and terms need to be modified for the person who will fill it out? Will the suggested data collection method work for you? Be prepared to revise the instrument as needed.

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Context

The PM Builder is especially useful for new programs and directors who are unfamiliar with the format of performance measures for Senior Corps, AmeriCorps State, and AmeriCorps National programs. In addition to offering an easy approach to developing performance measures, the PM Builder is an inclusive tool for introductory performance measurement, including tutorials and toolkits.

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Outcome

Advantages of Using the PM Builder to Develop Performance Measures

• The PM Builder is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and you don’t need a password to use it.
• All selections in the PM Builder are based on the logic model; therefore, creating a performance measurement plan will be properly aligned.
• Sample instrument packets are available for many performance measurement plans in the PM Builder that allow you to jumpstart implementation of performance measurement. Each packet includes instructions on how to administer the instrument and analyze the data for reporting.
• The PM Builder includes a checklist to help you refine your performance measurement plan. After you build your plan in the PM Builder, you can use this checklist to determine if your plan is complete.
• Strong reports begin with well-written performance measures. By helping you develop clear and complete performance measures, the PM Builder helps you establish a strong foundation for good reporting.

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Source Documents

Related Practices

• Reporting performance measures: guidelines for strong progress reports

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