Details

Performance measurement is the act of monitoring progress towards specified objectives. It has two main purposes:

1. To monitor progress towards goals

2. To guide improvement activity where performance is not meeting the goals

Performance measures are like the mileposts on the path towards our goals. They tell us how far we have come; how far we still have to go; and whether, indeed, we are going in the right direction.

But performance measurement is not easy. Choosing inappropriate measures can result in unintended consequences, with detrimental outcomes. At the same time, the outputs of many processes are intangible and difficult to measure.

The only solution is to take a structured approach to the design of performance measures that involve stakeholders, customers and users to clearly define agreed outcomes, and then measure performance against those outcomes.

This course provides a structure that you can use to develop a framework of performance measures throughout your organisation. The course also covers how to analyse and present performance data to reveal valuable information about the behaviour of the organisation’s processes and activities. And the course covers ways of engaging employees with the measures and working towards business improvement.

The course focuses on performance measurement in general and covers especially problems related to the design and implementation of a performance measurement system. Relevant topics include understanding the organization's priorities, defining important business processes, developing performance indicators, and development of the actual performance measurement. This course also includes how performance can be audited.

Auditors and those impacted by audits must understand the various components of performance audits.

You will learn other standards and techniques for conducting performance audits and reporting audit results. You will gain practical application skills through a case study that allows you to consider planning factors, frame research questions, and determine how to collect data.

By the end of the course, participants will have:

–        Define performance indicators and design a system for performance measurement.

–        Link performance measurement to different applications.

–        Understand the impact and use of performance measurement in organizations and society.

–        Reviewed the concepts and tools used in performance audit and how they differ from an audit of regularity, audit of financial statements, and system-based audit

–        Learned about how to identify performance issues, prioritize and select the most relevant performance auditing methods

–        Examined how to define the scope and design of a performance audit

–        Be based on program goals and objectives that tie to a statement of program mission or purpose

–        Measure program outcomes

–        Provide resource allocation comparisons over time

–        Measure efficiency and effectiveness for continuous improvement

–        Develop approaches to achieve goals

–        Develop a budget with approaches to achieve goals

–        Evaluate performance and make adjustments

–        Summarize current performance auditing standards and terminology

–        Summarize and defend performance audit planning efforts and strategies

–        Apply techniques for conducting performance audits

–        Discuss performance audit results and recommendations based on the elements of a finding

Course Outline

·         Why we Measure Performance

·         The Benefits of Performance Measurement

·         The Dangers of Targets

·         The Three levels of Performance Measurement

·         How to use the Performance Measurement

·         What makes a Good Measure

·         A Starter Set of Performance Measures

·         Engaging your People in Performance Measurement

·         Detailed insight into how a system for performance measurement is designed.

·         The use of performance measurement in performance management.

·         Performance Auditing Basics

·         Performance Auditing Definition

·         Types of Performance Audits

·         Planning Performance Audits

·         Types of Performance Indicators

·         Four-Step Methodology

·         Efficiency Indicators

·         Service Quality Indicators

·         Outcome Indicators

·         Performance Management Model

·         Benchmarking

·         Types of Benchmarking

·         Benchmark Standards

·         Setting Targets

·         Performance Based Budgeting (PBB)

·         Goal Setting

·         Why Value for Money Audit

·         The Concept of Value for Money

·         Elements of Value for Money

·         Setting up value for money structure

·         Performance measurement and benchmarking

·         Cost reduction and process improvement strategies

·         Capital Expenditure and Value Analysis

·         Six Sigma Methodology and tools.

·         Value for money-based internal audit and control

·         Hindrances to the establishment and maintenance of value for  money based internal audit

·         Techniques for value for money audit

·         The imperative steps to be taken to set up VFM systems are as follows