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 SPD Gazette
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Week of November 13, 2006
Issue 10
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Measuring Performance
| “How do you measure, analyze and review organizational performance?” You guessed it - this is a question the accreditation reviewers might ask your center director and the senior staff at the Central Office. Measuring performance is an important step in the drive toward improvement. The reviewers might ask advisors and support staff a slightly different question, “How do you know you’re doing a good job?” After all, you have to know how you’re doing before you can plan to do better. |
What do you need to measure performance? Data should be consistently collected by an appropriate person or persons, accurate and reliable, and summarized for analysis and decision-making. The head of your organization should review selected measures every month to evaluate the overall performance of the organization. When analyzing performance, there should be a balance of data relating to the strategic objectives.
Measures should be consistent with the organization’s mission, vision, and values. They should be consistent across divisions or units in the organization (in our program, across the regional centers). They should include measures of employee satisfaction, as well as
operational or process measures related to customer or stakeholder requirements. There should be a mix of measures of past, present and future performance.
Our SBDC has a well-designed system to collect and manage information. WebMQS, with common definitions and methods used to gather data, provides reliable information to measure and analyze how well we do things, and to determine how we can do them more efficiently and effectively. With WebMQS, we can review our performance using numerous measures that relate to our objectives. The system enables us to meet ASBDC requirements for measuring organizational performance.
In addition to the internal review with WebMQS, the SBDC also has routine external reviews. For example, every two years James Chrisman and his students at Mississippi State University, survey our customers (clients) and analyze our program performance based on their responses. This external review uses data collected directly from customers to measure the performance of the SBDC. The most recent Chrisman survey, conducted earlier this year for the 2004-2005 time period, shows that the NYS SBDC is performing very well.
Two NYS SBDC publications, “At a Glance: Return on Investment” and “Emphasis on Results,” provide details about the program’s performance, from its impact in terms of dollars and jobs to the degree of customer satisfaction with assistance provided. These publications include information on program effectiveness from the most recent Chrisman study and other sources. You might take a few minutes to review one of these publications or the latest Chrisman report to learn more about SBDC’s performance.
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Do You Have a Comment About SBDC’s Strategic Planning Process?
What can we change to improve your opportunity to contribute to the Strategic Planning process? Send your comments to mary.hoffman@nysbdc.org.
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What's New This Week |
 Marketing
The Canton SBDC send monthly Statistical Letters and an activities report to local and state politicians as well as local leaders and campus leaders to inform them of upcoming events and/or meetings that may be of interest. The Center sends the NYS-SBDC Annual Report to the same individuals to inform them about NYS SBDC activities that promote the growth of the small business community in the region and throughout the state.
The Baruch SBDC has been working with the campus publicity department to spread the word about the Center. An article on one of the center’s long term clients and featuring the SBDC appeared in the NY Daily News on October 31st. The Center was featured in a 3-4 minute news item on Channel One on the first Friday and Saturday in November. The news crew visited the Center to film the show which included interviews with SBDC staff and interns, the SBDC client, and Baruch’s Academic. In addition, the client was featured in a newspaper article about six weeks before the Channel One video.
Professional Development & Staff Retention
A librarian from the Research Network attended the New York State Data Center Affiliates meeting in Saratoga on October 23-25, 2006. The primary topics covered were the American Community Survey, Labor Force Statistics, and plans for the 2010 Census.
Program Development: Products and Services
The Director of the Corning SBDC presented information on starting a business and creating a successful business plan along with an overview of SBDC services and programs to 21 members of Corning Community College’s Principles of Business class.
A Mid-Hudson SBDC business advisor received a Certificate of Recognition from the NYS Department of Corrections for his assistance with the educational activities at the Greene Correctional Facility. The advisor has been delivering business related seminars within the “Going Legit” program which helps youth offenders to be better prepared for their eventual release.
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Sponsors, Host Institutions, Partners and Alliances
At the request of SCOPED (Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development), the Corning SBDC created a workshop focusing on financing opportunities in Schuyler County. “Show Me the Money: How to Finance a Small Business” was held in Montour Falls as a convenience for rural entrepreneurs. This was a collaborative effort by Chemung Canal Trust Company, REDEC (Regional Economic Development and Energy Corporation), the Schuyler County Chamber of Commerce, SCOPED, Schuyler County Empire Zone and the Elmira branch of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The Mid-Hudson SBDC director met with IRS representative Richard Torres to coordinate outreach opportunities to the Latino community in the Hudson Valley
Technology
On November 1st, the Stony Brook DETA advisor participated in "Tech Melt 2006", Long Island’s premier technology conference, which was coordinated by the Long Island Software & Technology Network (LISTNET) in Great River. Keynote speaker Robert LeBlanc, General Manager/IBM Software Group, emphasized that the global marketplace is full of opportunities for local technology firms. He said that no one vendor can be all things to the vast majority of customers, particularly in the international marketplace, where an "ecosystem" of small to mid-size technology businesses is thriving. Approximately 200 individuals attended the half-day conference.
The Corning SBDC developed a survey for the Women Business Owners’ Roundtable to determine how the women entrepreneurs are using technology in their business operations. The survey was e-mailed with a request to respond by e-mail. Results will be used to create an outline for a Roundtable program on “Women in Technology”
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Special Projects
The Canton SBDC Director met with officials from the Ukraine University of Kherson and discussed the SBDC program. The director also arranged for the delegation to meet with three SBDC past clients to discuss the SBDC program as well as what it is like to start and operate a small business. This is the second group Kherson that met with the SBDC Director and SUNY Canton Professor and director of the Ukraine Grant program, Dr. Nixon.
The Corning SBDC offered a workshop - “Veteran Entrepreneurs: BASIC TRAINING on Marketing a Small Business” - at the Big Flats American Legion in Chemung County on September 28 th. Program partners included the Bath VA Medical Center, NYS Division of Veterans Affairs, Chemung County Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE, NYS Department of Labor, REDEC and Chemung Canal Trust Company. The workshop offered useful marketing tips, an opportunity to network and do business with other veterans, and information on various resources. There were 32 participants and 100% of the evaluations rated the program as excellent or very good.
The Director of the Boricua SBDC participated in an event sponsored by the Federal Reserve in the Williamsburg community ( Brooklyn). Speakers included the BID Director, a local non-profit housing developer, the SBDC director, and a professor from Boricua College. The Boricua professor spoke about research he has conducted in various commercial strips with significant Latino businesses. The event was attended by a delegation of micro enterprise lenders from England who spent nearly a week visiting their counterparts in the Community Development Finance arena. While in Brooklyn, the delegation visited the Local Business Improvement District and the SBDC director lead a tour through a local enclosed food market.
The director and a business advisor from the Mid-Hudson SBDC met with Charles Raider of Empire State Development Corporation and Richard Zurba, Director of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, to explore exporting opportunities for MH-SBDC clients to South Africa. Mr. Zurba resides in South Africa and is in NYS to promote business exchange between NYS small businesses and South Africa.
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| About the Gazette
The SPD Gazette is a brief newsletter distributed via email and posted on the Internal Web Site. It will feature a column to be titled, What’s New This Week, in which the network will share best practices in strategic objectives. A series of articles in the Gazette will explain the program’s statewide approach to strategic objectives in six key areas:
• Marketing
• Professional Development and Certification
• Program Development: Products and Services
• Special Projects
• Strategic Partners and Alliances
• Technology, Information and Communication
For more information or answers to your questions, call Tom Morley at 914-375-2107or email him at SPD@Mercy.edu
Send your report forms to SPD@mercy.edu |
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