Developing Performance Appraisal for a Web Designer

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Please see response attached. I hope this helps and take care.

RESPONSE:

1. Select a performance appraisal method for a Web designer and provide reasoning as to why this is the most appropriate method for this position. Along with selecting the method, develop the appraisal form you would use, customized for the position you selected.

There are three main types of measure:

· Economy measures express the relationship between resources and inputs (the costs of inputs)
· Efficiency measures express the relationship between inputs and outputs (how well the process performs with the given inputs)
· Effectiveness measures express the relationship between outputs and outcomes (how the process contributes to business, strategic, organizational or policy goals).

Guidance: A balanced performance framework may have to include measures of all three types.

Focusing on one type of measure may lead to bias or gaps in coverage, for example focusing purely on economy neglects the wider concept of value for money. Effectiveness measures are often necessarily subjective. This is not a reason to exclude them; avoid a focus on outputs simply because they are easier to quantify. (Source: http://www.ogc.gov.uk/sdtoolkit/workbooks/performance/setting.html).

The following performance appraisal is an example of a balanced model. You may have to tweak it to make it fit for you.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE: Web Designer Performance Appraisal (see chart format in attached article).

Keypunch errors per day Input correction on data entry
Reruns caused by operator error Percent of reports delivered on schedule
Errors per thousand lines of code Number of changes after the program is coded
Percent of time required to debug programs Number of cost estimates revised
Percent error in forecast Percent error in lines of code required
Number of coding errors found during formal testing Number of test case errors
Number of test case runs before success Number of revisions to plan
Number of documentation errors Number of revisions to program objectives
Number of errors found after formal test Number of error-free programs delivered to customer
Number of process step errors before a correct package is ready Number of revisions to checkpoint plan
Number of changes to customer requirements Percent of programs not flow-diagrammed
Percent of customer problems not corrected per schedule Percent of problems uncovered before design release
Percent change in customer satisfaction survey Percent of defect-free artwork
System availability Terminal response time
Mean time between system IPL's Mean time between system repairs
Time before help calls are answered Rework costs resulting from computer program

(Source: http://www.orau.gov/pbm/sample/infosystems.html )

Why? This type of model is balanced and it follows the suggestions of what makes a good performance appraisal as the suggestions below (i.e., focused, SMART, etc.) which is referenced and you can incorporate into your report.

Understanding business processes -

This is the first and perhaps the most important step in building a performance framework., which I considered above. Some activities in the organization will be more important than others. You will need to identify those processes that are most critical to delivering business success; doing so will create a clearer picture of what needs to be measured.

Questions to be considered here will include:
· What are we trying to achieve?
· What are our core products or services?
· Who are our customers (internal and external)?
· What are our main business and supporting processes?
· What are the two-way flows of materials and information involved in product or service delivery?

To fully understand a business process, it may be helpful to analyze it in terms of their inputs and outputs, and the relationships between them; it may be useful to create flow diagrams and flowcharts.

Principle: Types of performance measure -

There are three main types of measure:
· Economy measures express the relationship between resources and inputs (the costs of inputs)
· Efficiency measures express the relationship between inputs and outputs (how well the process performs with the given inputs)
· Effectiveness measures express the relationship between outputs and outcomes (how the process contributes to business, strategic, organizational or policy goals).

Guidance: A balanced performance framework may have to include measures of all three types.
· Focusing on one type of measure may lead to bias or gaps in coverage, for example focusing purely on economy neglects the wider concept of value for money.
· Effectiveness measures are often necessarily subjective. This is not a reason to exclude them; avoid a focus on outputs simply because they are easier to quantify.

Principle: Choosing measures

The performance measure above is:
· Focused
· Reliable
· Worthwhile
· Balanced
· Avoiding perverse incentives
· Ready for change.

Guidance:
· Focused: exclude measures that are interesting but not directly relevant. Make sure everyone involved agrees that the measurements are going to be useful
· Reliable: the information you gather must be accurate, as you will base your management decisions upon it.
· Worthwhile: remember that measurements and analysis have resource implications - the benefit of each measure must be in proportion to the effort required to take it. Existing information sources should be considered before new ones are created.
· Balanced: choose measures for all important areas, and at all levels - costs, output volumes, efficiency, quality, progress towards strategic aims - even if the measures have to be subjective.
· Avoiding perverse incentives: that is, those that encourage behavior that exists to meet a target rather than to improve.

For example, measuring the quantity of letters answered but not the usefulness of the responses may not produce a better service.
· Ready for change: measures that are relevant both before and after a radical change are useful in judging its success; those that focus on temporary aspects, or those that may change, are less useful.

Principles:

What are targets?
Targets are quantified objectives, set by management, to be attained at a future date. They express the aims of the process, at any level, and provide the basis for identifying problems and moving towards solutions as early as possible. Setting targets, objectives or ...