The Ministry of Finance also developed four “reconciled reports” on all government activities: the Consolidated Fiscal Plan (budget), the Government Business Plan (activity plan), the Consolidated Capital Plan (deficit reduction plan) and the Consolidated Annual Report. The business plan and deficit reduction plan are published at the start of each fiscal year and are part of the three-year budget.
One-year Ministry Business Plans are also developed and include a statement of the Minister’s accountability, an outline of the Ministry’s vision, mission, challenges, opportunities, strategic priorities and goals; performance assessment tools and targets; objectives for each goal; a summary of anticipated revenues, expenditures and capital investments; and any other information deemed relevant by the Minister or Treasury Board. Deputy ministers and managers are responsible for implementing the performance management system at the ministry level. Performance measurement components include results, efficiency and effectiveness measurements, policy and program impacts, a combination of quantitative and qualitative measurements as well as other performance indicators.
There are many examples of results or performance-based management in Ontario. We will look at two prime Ontario-based examples:
An interesting example of a performance-based management system is the Ontario Provincial Police’s Performance Reporting and Information Systems Manager, or PRISM.
PRISM is a performance measurement and evaluation system that enables managers, policy planners and analysts to assess the success and effectiveness of current programs, identify new service and program requirements, plan for future needs and implement an accountability framework. Endnote 31 Having access to performance indicator data allows the OPP to track changes in the data and focus on areas that require improvement.