Many state agencies have been using performance management practices to achieve better outcomes and improve service delivery.  Already this year, the Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has conducted its first-ever public accountability meeting to share its results with interested residents.  The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) revamped its EHS Results performance management system to measure progress across its agency clusters.  The Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED) led the development of business plans with outcome measures for all of its 18 public and quasi-public economic development agencies. And to support the spread of these practices, CPAT, in partnership with the Collins Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts in Boston (UMASS Boston), has trained more than 300 state managers in performance management techniques and implementation. 

The Administration is committed to embedding performance management practices across state government.  By setting clear goals and regularly using data and evidence to make better decisions, state agencies have achieved some notable successes.  For example:

  • During the last four years, the Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund’s Healthy Families program has improved support to children and families by increasing the percentage of its participants receiving weekly home visits for the six months following a baby’s birth by more than 40 percent;
  • During the last two years, the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, which coordinates the efforts of business development entities across state government, used clear goals for job creation to reduce the amount of government investment per private sector job created.  For example, through these efforts, the Economic Development Incentive Program has reduced the average cost per new job from $13,845 in 2010 to $5,253 in 2012;
  • The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) uses regular assessment to close the achievement gap in schools. Based on analysis of Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System results ESE has: implemented a new state school and district accountability system; developed turnaround plans for low-performing school districts; transitioned to the more-rigorous Common Core education standards; and implemented the MassGrad initiative to reduce school dropout rates and improve graduation attainment. These efforts are paying off.  Since 2006, 10th grade MCAS scores in English and Math have improved for all students but have increased at higher rates for minorities and lower-income students;
  • To reduce spending levels in FY12, the Group Insurance Commission required 78,000 active state employees to re-enroll in health insurance, incentivizing limited network plans.  As a result, enrollment in such plans increased from 19 percent in 2011 to 30 percent in 2012, saving the Commonwealth approximately $20 M;
  • In 2012, the Human Resources Division redesigned its workers’ compensation business process and invested in a new reporting system to expedite the processing of claims.  As a result, workers’ compensation claims filed are down 11.4 percent and total compensation and medical-paid leave has dropped by 10.2 percent since the Patrick-Murray Administration took office;
  • The Massachusetts Office of Transportation launched a $3 B Accelerated Bridge Program in May 2008 reducing the number of structurally deficient bridges statewide from 543 to 437, a decline of 19.5 percent;
  • The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection instituted a new resolution process in 2007 to speed wetland permitting decisions. As a result, 82 percent of wetland appeals are resolved within six months of the filing date, up 31 percent when compared to the previous four years; and
  • In 2009, the Human Resources Division and the Massachusetts Office on Disabilities implemented a strategic plan to establish the Commonwealth as a model employer of people with disabilities.  As a result, the percentage of self-identified persons with disabilities working in executive branch agencies increased from 1.7 percent at the start of the Patrick-Murray Administration to 2.9 percent in 2012, exceeding the Federal target.