National Treasury focus

Performance information indicates how well an institution is meeting its aims and objectives, and which policies and processes are working. Making the best use of available data and knowledge is crucial for improving the execution of government's mandate. Performance information is key to effective management, including planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and reporting. Performance information also facilitates effective accountability, enabling legislators, members of the public and other interested parties to track progress, identify the scope for improvement and better understand the issues involved.

The public sector delivers services essential to the well-being and development of the nation. To ensure that public service delivery is as efficient and economical as possible, all government institutions are required to formulate strategic plans, allocate resources to the implementation of those plans, and monitor and report the results. Performance information is essential to focus the attention of the public and oversight bodies on whether public institutions are delivering value for money, by comparing their performance against their budgets and service delivery plans, and to alert managers to areas where corrective action is required.

Performance information also plays a growing role in budget allocations and will increasingly be used to monitor service delivery. This means the information must be accurate, appropriate and timely.