Interpreting Performance Measurements - Bases for Judging Agency Performance

• NCJ Number: 88418
• Author(s): G A Grizzle
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): 80-IJ-CX-0033
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, November, 1981, Washington, D.C.

Annotation

The three statistical models discussed -performance ratio model, linear programming model, and cost function model -all permit comparing an agency's performance to some benchmark but are only most appropriate when certain conditions exist.

Abstract

The performance ratio model compares performance to the agency's own objectives. One problem in using this model is the necessity of obtaining weights for the relative importance of various performance measures included in the equation's first term. The linear programming model estimates an optimal level of performance to which the agency's performance can be compared. It consists of an objective function to be maximized subject to a series of equations representing the agency's technology and environmental constraints. The cost function model permits comparing the agency's performance to the average performance of other agencies with similar cost-influencing characteristics. Equations for each model are provided along with an example of their usage. A table summarizes each model's salient characteristics. Three notes and six references are supplied.