The objective of performance management is transforming agencies into lean, flexible organisations that emphasize performance. Accountability for performance is an important objective.
Direct savings are an indirect objective of performance management.
Some performance management initiatives are comprehensive, especially the GPRA, which covers all agencies. Major reforms efforts, except the NPR, are based on laws. The NPR has an ad hoc character, although some of its efforts are comprehensive. Performance management, both GPRA, NPR and other programmes, has been initiated from the top. Requirements are usually not very prescriptive, giving some flexibility for bottom-up initiatives.