The Division of Data, Planning, and Improvement (DPI) within the department strives to maximize the performance of state executive branch agencies through implementation of longer-term strategic plans and annual operational plans.
We advise agencies on the development of performance measures and ensure that agencies effectively track their performance metrics to drive operational outcomes.
To drive performance based budgeting and ensure the management of financial resources, we engage agencies in program reviews.
We also publish agency plans and performance results to inform Iowans about their return from investment in state government.
Iowa Code Chapter 8E
Accountable Government Act
The Accountable Government Act (AGA) establishes the performance management framework for the State of Iowa's Executive Branch.
The frequently asked questions provide answers to questions commonly asked about implementing the requirements of Iowa Code ยง8E, the Accountable Government Act.
Strategic plans are plans developed to identify strategic initiatives that will guide progress towards achieving the enterprise priorities. Strategic plans include the agency's mission and vision, an assessment of the agency's current state, and strategic initiatives to be enacted over a 3-5 year period.
When done well, strategic planning helps leaders organize, direct, and support the achievement of initiatives, strategies, and actions leading to results.
Operational plans are plans developed to guide day-to-day operations for one fiscal year. The plans outline annual goals, along with programs offered by agencies and the actions for each program that will be taken to accomplish these goals.
Operational plans also include outcome-based measurements to track progress for each program provided.
An operational plan is a detailed outline of what the department will focus on in one fiscal year.
The strategic plan focuses on mission, vision, and high-level initiatives for the next 3 to 5 years.
Performance measures can help managers make better, more informed decisions.
When used effectively, measures help provide a powerful means of focus within the agency. When leadership is focused on reaching goals set for the agency, measurement is a means to assure the leaders the agency is on course to reach those goals.
Outcome-based measures focus on the outcomes to be achieved. These measures will be used to show what progress was made towards operational goals. Measurements using outcome-based measures indicate the effective result of the tax dollars that were spent.
Examples include:
If an operational goal was to improve highway safety, an outcome-based measure might be to track the highway fatality rate
If an operational goal was to rehabilitate incarcerated individuals, an outcome-based measure might be to track the crime recidivism rate of those individuals
Note: outcome-based measures are not the same as output measures. Output measures typically count something produced.
For example, if an operational goal was to increase support to local fire departments, an output measure might be the number of firefighters trained, where an outcome-based measure might be the percentage of local fire departments supported across the state.
