Question Library

Questions that will help identify performance gaps

When asked questions about ideal performance, respondents often compare desired to actual performance levels. In many instances, the PI leader can economize by asking questions about both desired and actual performance to the same respondent or group of respondents. Or the PI leader can ask to observe typical providers as well as exemplars during the same trip. The areas of inquiry or questions about present performance might be as follows (this interview protocol assumes the PI leader is asking questions about desired or ideal performance as well as actual or “typical” performance):

• If you could imagine ideal performance by providers:
  • What would it look like?
  • What would they be doing?
  • What would their work output be (quantity, quality and cost)?
  • What major job outputs would we see?
• Since not everyone can be that perfect provider you just described, what performance do you think is reasonable to expect?
• Now, along those same lines, describe typical provider performance.
• About what percentage of the providers we are discussing perform at the desired level?
• What percentages are at the more “typical” level that you are describing?
• What is the result(s) of unsatisfactory performance? What impact is that having on your organization? [the “so what?” question]

Questions about possible root causes

1a. Information: Job expectations

• Do people know what is expected of them at work?
• If we asked people what is expected of them, would they be able to tell us?
• Do they have clearly written job descriptions that really describe what we want them to do?
• How do providers set goals for work? How are they involved in the goal-setting process?

1b. Information: Performance Feedback

• How do people know how their performance compares to the set standard?
• Does anyone give the workers feedback on their performance? In writing? Verbally?
• If you asked one of the workers how they are doing compared to what the organization wants, would they know? How would they know?
• How is the accomplishment of goals measured and acknowledged?

2. Environment and Tools

Either observe or ask questions to find out about:

• Electricity/light source, heat source
• Water source
• General space/private space
• Furniture, storage, equipment, supplies
• Vehicles
• Maintenance system
• Re-supply system

3. Motivation and Incentives

• If people do a good job, what happens? Anything? Does their work life get better or worse somehow?
• If people do not do the work the way it should be done, what happens?
  • How do people get recognition for their work?
  • How/when are incentives/rewards given?
  • What opportunities exist for career development or promotions?
  • What are the procedures/criteria applied to make decisions about rewarding providers?
  • What are the different existing mechanisms (beyond salary) to recognize good staff performance?
  • What are providers’ perceptions about the existing incentive systems? (e.g., knowledge of such systems, level of satisfaction, do the systems provide incentives for the desired behavior?)

4. Organizational Support

• How is the organization structured? How does the structure help people get work done? How does it get in their way?
• How well do providers understand service delivery goals? Are strategies developed and communicated to achieve service delivery goals? Do strategies actually lead to fulfillment of the goals? Is there alignment between provider performance, service delivery goals and strategies to achieve the goals?
• How are decisions made? Who makes them? How well does the decision-making process appear to work? How much input do people closest to the work have in making decisions? How decentralized is the decision making? Who can make decisions about spending money? Who else is involved? How does this affect provider-client services delivery?
• How is quality determined and measured?
• Who makes decisions about budget items? Do you have adequate input into budget decisions that will help you get your work done?
• Are there any organizational processes that hinder effective work (e.g., a complicated clearance process that delays key supplies, tools or decisions needlessly; an entry process for clients that treats them badly and takes a long time)?
• What kinds of meetings are there? Who attends? How do the meeting results contribute to work agendas?
• How clear are roles defined? Yours? Others’?
• How would you and your colleagues describe the ideal CPI?
• What is the ideal work relationship within the work unit being analyzed? What is it really like?
• What work needs to get done? Who does it? Is it clear who is supposed to do what?
• What do you need from a supervisor? Are you getting it?
• How open are people to suggestions?
• How are problems solved? (Ask for examples.)

5. Skills and Knowledge

• Do providers know how to do their job?
• Could they do their job correctly if you offered them $1 million to do so? (If the answer is yes, then they know how, and it is not a skill and knowledge issue.)
• What kind of prior training have you had that relates to how well you do your job? Was that training effective?
• Were you able to apply what you learned in the training program? Why or why not?
• What could future training do to fill in skill and knowledge gaps?
• What is the in-service training policy? Does it actually work as described? How well does it work in keeping you up-to-date with the skills and knowledge you need to do your job?

Remember, training will only fix a knowledge and skills gap, which is a lack of know-how. So, if workers already know-how, more training will not help.