A Handbook for
Measuring
Employee
Performance:
Aligning Employee Performance Plans
with Organizational Goals
PMD-13
RevisedJanuary2001
UnitedStatesOfficeof
Personnel Management
WorkforceCompensation andPerformanceService
Table of Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 1 Performance Management: Background and Context . . . . . 3
Chapter 2 Distinguishing Activities From Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . 11
The Fable of the Beekeepers and Their Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
A Balanced Measuring System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
A Word About Categories of Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Chapter 3 Developing Employee Performance Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Step 1 Look at the Overall Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Step 2 Determine Work Unit Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Method A: Goal Cascading Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Method B: Customer-Focused Method . . . . . . . . . . 30
Method C: Work Flow Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Step 3 Determine Individual Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Step 4 Convert Accomplishments Into Performance Elements . . . 41
Step 5 Determine Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Step 6 Develop Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Step 7 Determine How to Monitor Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Step 8 Check the Performance Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Chapter 4 Learning Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Performance Measurement Quiz With Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Quick Reference for Developing Performance Plans
That Align With Organizational Goals . . . . . .