4Results Matter
Suggestions for a Developing
Country’s Early Outcome
Measurement Effort
h a r ry p. h at ry
The manager of a soccer team needs a running score of the game.
The manager needs this to help identify whether a change in
strategy or other action is needed and, subsequently, to find out
whether those changes resulted in the desired results (outcomes).
The manager of a private business needs regular feedback on
the business’s profitability so the manager can determine whether
actions are needed and, subsequently, whether those actions led to
the desired results.
Similarly, managers in any government and any government
agency, whether at the national or the local government level, need
regular feedback on the quality and outcomes of services to citizens.
What Is Outcome Measurement?
Outcome measurement is the regular measurement and reporting of
the outcomes (results) of public agency programs. Measurement
should be done at least annually but preferably more frequently,
such as quarterly. The agencies might be national government agencies
or subnational agencies. Outcome measurement has also begun
to be used in some countries by private, nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) to track the outcomes of their services
Outcome measurement includes the measurement of program results,
and the quality of the way in which the service is delivered (such as how long
it takes customers to get the service). Sometimes the term outcome measurement
is also used to include the measurement of the efficiency with which the
service is provided. The term efficiency is defined as the ratio of the amount
of input to the amount of product produced. Inputs can be expressed in
monetary units or amount of employee time. The word product traditionally
refers to the amount of physical output of the agency’s programs (such as the
number of meters of roads repaired). In outcome measurement, however, it
means relating the amount of input to the amount of outcome produced.
This provides indicators such as expenditures per meter of roads improved