| Evaluating
Program Performance
Submitted
by: Michaela Martin, Industrial Energy Efficiency
With
shrinking budgets for domestic programs and advances in information
technology, federal program managers are under increasing pressure from
both Congress and the Executive Branch to establish performance goals
and closely monitor program performance. There is strong evidence to
suggest that programs that fail to demonstrate results are at risk for
elimination. In his 2005 State of the Union Address, President Bush
stated that his budget “…substantially reduces or eliminates
more than 150 government programs that are not getting results, or duplicate
current efforts, or do not fulfill essential priorities. The principle
here is clear: a taxpayer dollar must be spent wisely, or not at all.”
This political pressure, along with the availability of information
technology that simplifies recordkeeping efforts and allows managers
to monitor program activities, has resulted in an increased interest
in program performance evaluation.
ESTD staff members Michaela Martin, Industrial Energy
Efficiency, and Tykey Truett, Transportation Policy
and Planning, along with Environmental Sciences Division staff member
Bruce Tonn, have developed a performance evaluation model for DOE’s
BestPractices program. The model converts data on program activities,
collected and recorded in a tracking database, to estimates of energy
savings. These outcomes are based on estimates of energy savings by
industry participants who have received energy-related assessments,
training, software, or specialist technical assistance through the BestPractices
program. Results from the peer-reviewed approach developed by Michaela,
Tykey and Bruce provide program managers with the ability to examine
the effectiveness of each program component (Fig. 1). DOE also uses
the results in annual performance reports to Congress.
For more information
on program evaluation, please contact Michaela Martin at martinma@ornl.gov.
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Fig. 1. Contributions of BestPractices training, software, energy
assessment and specialist technical assistance activities to program
energy savings performance.
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