Performance Clackamas

MFR encourages elected officials, administrators and all employees of a jurisdiction to focus on achieving positive results for the jurisdiction's customers. There are five basic components of the MFR process:

• Identify the priorities the jurisdiction is trying to address on behalf of its customers;
• Develop an overall plan for addressing those priorities;
• Develop policies, programs, activities and services that align to those priority areas;
• Organize and implement budgeting, accounting and management systems to support the strategies, goals and objectives specified in the plan, and
• Develop and track costs and performance data to allow the jurisdiction and its customers to gauge the organization's progress toward reaching its goals and objectives.

The process has been successfully implemented in several U.S. cities and counties. MFR provides a number of qualities the Commission considers important.

• The BCC wants to engage in a strategic planning process that focuses on customers, makes a positive difference in how the county works and has long-lasting results.
• The BCC wants to implement a process that will result in visible, positive impacts on the public. The Commission studied similar processes in governments across the U.S. that achieved high levels of public satisfaction as a result of their strategic planning efforts.
• The BCC wants outcomes-based management to show community members what they are getting for their money.

The 28 strategic goals were carefully selected by the Board of County Commissioners through an extensive, two-day study and review process. The process included consideration of public input received over the past 18 months at business meetings, open houses, community events and surveys.

Each goal is related to topics that the county can influence, even if the county cannot control the outcome. The goals help the BCC and employees focus their efforts on issues and initiatives considered vital to the future of the county. For example, the job creation goal is influenced by a number of factors, many of which are beyond the control of the county. But the Ccounty can influence job creation through land use planning, business recruitment and providing an environment in which businesses can expand.

Over the next few years, each county department will go through a facilitated, participatory process to develop a strategic business plan focused on outcomes for its customers. Who the "customer" is will vary from department to department and from activity to activity within each department. Performance measures and outcomes will be developed as part of the business plan with the participation of front-line staff from each department. All departments will have completed and approved business plans by June 30, 2017 (the end of the 2016-17 fiscal year).

Performance Clackamas is not a static document to be looked at once and filed away. It is, rather, a document that the BCC and staff will refer to continually to help make sure the county is on track to meet its goals and, when necessary, to revise to reflect new or changed priorities.

The county as a whole and each department will measure its progress on "dashboards," which will be available for everyone to see on the county website.
There were also be regular internal reports from departments to county administration and the BCC, and from the county to the public.

Departments and the BCC will regularly update the public at BCC business meetings, online, through social media, in Citizen News and through the media.

A number of cities and counties through the country have implemented this type of strategic planning. A few examples are listed below.

• Oklahoma City, OK
• Maricopa County, AZ
• Gunnison County, CO
• Fort Collins, CO