One thing that has changed, however, is our capacity to measure and track results. Important advances that are giving government the tools it needs to focus on results include computerization of records, database management software that can handle very large files, statistical techniques that help identify the underlying factors contributing to a problem, and the Internet. It would be hard to overstate the contribution that advances in information technology and data management are making to implementation. The Internet is emerging as a powerful tool for informing citizens about government performance. Table 1.1 lists government wide motivations for implementing governing for results.
Similar forces are at work within agencies and departments.
Internally, performance measurement is proving to be a valuable management tool for a range of processes, from program planning to employee evaluation. We found instances in which one management oriented administrator had implemented governing for results practices in a single agency or department that stood out as a performance oriented island in a sea of state agencies. Clearly, it is possible for a manager who wants to do a better job to apply results based practices at the program level. However, results based governance is more powerful and more likely to survive changes in personnel or administrations if it is recognized and approached as a government wide system. The early development of governing for results techniques and practices evolved more from independent invention than from cookbooks or established standards of practice.