Developing Performance Metrics for Science and Technology Programs: The Case of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program

Abstract

This article examines the development, implications, and limitations of a series of performance measures to gauge the success of individual Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers. The measures represent a shift in how MEP judges and evaluates center performance and a challenge in terms of how they are used, how they are interpreted, and how they are limited. The MEPis an important example of innovative public programs and consists of a public-private, performance-based partnership that seeks to improve the productivity, competitiveness, and technological capabilities of America’s manufacturers, particularly small firms. The article makes two important contributions: (a) a comprehensive performance-management approach can be developed with a focus on program outcomes that are linked to long-term impacts and are not just stand-alone process measures or stand-alone outcome measures and (b) it is possible to develop valid and reliable measures for technology-focused economic development programs that can be used to report on and manage performance.