Performance, then, covers a number of ideas. Determining the specific aspect of performance to measure, and when, is not always straightforward.
Government programs undertake a number of activities that produce a variety of results .
Outputs are results that managers can control, while outcomes are influenced by factors outside the programs of managers. Government organizations and programs seek to achieve certain aims or objectives. Objective is used to refer to general statements of intent, akin to the end outcome statements. It is the intended or planned outputs and intermediate outcomes that are key to managing for results. Actual performance can be assessed only in comparison with some level of expected performance.