Performance Story

A performance story is a succinct summary of the performance of a program. As well as explaining what a program has achieved, a performance story also describes the causal links that show how the achievements were accomplished. Performance stories are structured around some form of outcome hierarchy; [Page 307]for example, results ladders, results chains, program logic, or program theory.

Performance stories are best developed along the following lines:

1.
During program development, create an outcomes hierarchy that shows how program activities might plausibly lead to intermediate outcomes that will eventually contribute to the end goal.
2.
Develop performance measures or key evaluation questions that can track the extent to which these intermediate outcomes are realized.
3.
Collect evidence relating to these measures or questions.
4.
Annotate the outcome hierarchy with the evidence collected.

Although performance stories vary in content and format, most are short, mention program context and aims, relate to a plausible results chain, and are backed by empirical evidence. The Office of the Auditor General of Canada suggests that credible performance stories should also note intended accomplishments, report achievements against expectations, discuss what was learned and what will be changed, and describe steps taken to ensure the quality of the data presented.

The following practical example of the term comes from the Department of Primary Industries in Victoria, Australia. In this department, performance story is defined as a plausible explanation of program results, based on a program theory that articulates the gap between inputs and outcomes. These stories (see Table 1) summarize longer evaluation reports and include additional information about unexpected outcomes and verification of data quality. The results ladder is based on Bennett's hierarchy. Ideally, program accomplishments are measured at each level to illuminate causal relationships and provide a more credible account.

Table 1 Summary Example of a Performance Story for an Agricultural Extension Program
Program Aim: To enhance the viability of the Victorian dairy industry through programs that will profitably increase the consumption of pasture per hectare by 10% on 50% of Victorian dairy farms over 5 years
Results Ladder	Examples of Accomplishments
Social, economic, and environmental consequences	Overall return to industry of $38 million Average annual return to farmers of $15,000 Infrastructure developed for major emerging industry issues
Behavior change	Participants' cows are eating an extra 21% of available pasture, compared to 6% increase for nonparticipants 63% of participants said the program encouraged them to change their practices
Knowledge, skills, attitudes, and aspirations	65% of participants said the program helped them develop new skills 61% said their expectations of their farm's potential had changed
Reactions	92% of participants responded positively 72% of nonparticipating dairy farmers felt program was good for the industry
People	Participants were younger and had higher debt levels than the average dairy farmer Enrollments represented 40% of dairy farmers
Activities	149 core programs (8-10 days each), 140 discussion groups
Inputs	$5.8 million over 3 years, involving more than 300 people

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The Department of Primary Industries places a high value on these performance stories because they strike a good balance between depth of information and brevity and are easy for staff and stakeholders to understand. They help build a credible case that a contribution has been made. They also provide a common language for discussing different programs and helping teams focus on results.

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