| This study examines the effectiveness of Portland, Oregon's Service, Efforts and Accomplishment (SEA) Report as a performance management system. The SEA report, an evaluation of city government performance, has been issued annually by the City Auditor since 1992. Through this decade-long evolution, three primary objectives have emerged: to improve public accountability of City government, to assist City Council and bureau managers in making better decisions, and to enhance the delivery of Portland's major public services. These objectives in turn suggest the criteria to be used in the present assessment.; The three criteria chosen to evaluate the report—leadership, effective internal and external communication, and usable knowledge—were established by the National Performance Review Benchmarking Study. They are not only linked to the stated SEA report objectives but are also associated with many issues highlighted in performance measurement systems and management literature. Additionally, the criteria establish standards that directly relate performance measurements to governmental decision-making, service performance, and accountability. Prior public administration literature established best-practice management techniques that emphasized the need for proper leadership, communication, and information for managers to make effective decisions in both strategic and operational settings.; The present study divides stakeholders into different users, both governmental and non-governmental, and determines how each specific user views the SEA report with regard to the three criteria. The findings show mixed use of the document, especially when each component of it is examined. Governmental and non-governmental users find the SEA report's citizen survey component to be, in general, positively viewed, while performance indicators and city comparisons receive responses that are more mixed. While evidence of both internal and external communication was found, the extent of these efforts was limited and could be expanded. The essential leadership role of the Director of Audit Services was shown to be an important factor in the SEA report's development and continued publication. |
