GMAP Principles
GMAP Principles
What are Governor’s and Agency GMAP Forums?
GMAP Principles
GMAP is a tool set designed to hold state government and agency leadership accountable to customers, taxpayers, and citizens for the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the services Washington State government provides. Seven principles, rooted in management theory and common sense, define the GMAP philosophy and practice.
- Engage the leader(s) at the top of the organization. GMAP stresses the personal presence of senior managers and others needed to make decisions.
- Do not measure for measurement’s sake. This is a waste of resources. GMAP is a management tool, not a presentation. Effective measures require clarity on:
- what programs and services expect to influence, and
- how agencies will use measures to manage programs and get results.
- Develop and use timely and accurate performance data to set targets and inform decisions.
- Reward candor in identifying and diagnosing performance barriers and creativity and commitment to overcoming them. It is OK to identify missed targets. It is even more important to know why you missed targets and to have a plan to address barriers to meeting them.
- When the data indicates needed action, quickly and clearly specify what needs to be done, who will do it, and when it will be done. Action plans should primarily focus on what can be done prior to the next GMAP session (typically 3-4 months away).
- Persistent follow-up and clear accountability. Agency leadership should relentlessly follow up on commitments made in action plans. They should also monitor results over time to verify change is real and sustainable.
- Create a continuous learning environment. Agencies should use process improvement tools to get better results.
What are Governor’s and Agency GMAP Forums?
GMAP as a practice is built around open forums where the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of critical agency business processes and services are candidly evaluated and monitored. Staff with the authority to make policy, budget, and procedural changes are in the room.
Governor’s GMAP forums focus on high-priority initiatives in Governor Gregoire’s key result areas. They typically involve multiple agencies and processes that require inter-agency and sometimes intergovernmental cooperation.
Agency Forums: All agencies are expected to use GMAP management tools to monitor and improve key results specific to their agency. There is flexibility in scope, format, and content of agency forums as long as they are consistent with core principles. Agency forums may cover different services, processes, or measures than the Governor’s Forum. But if an agency is responsible for measures reported in a Governor’s Forum, they should also be monitored in Agency Forums.