Chapter 6.5: Performance Monitoring

As part of job access planning, stakeholders should consider ways to monitor programs and services they develop and implement. Monitoring involves oversight of day-to-day operations and determination of overall effectiveness. The bottom line question is, "Is the program/service achieving the goal it was designed to achieve?" Developing strategies to gather information to answer that question should be included as part of the planning effort. One example may be a survey or similar instrument that addresses the following:

• How has the transportation service helped you with travel to work?
• How well does the transportation service meet your needs? Does it go where and when you need it?
• Are you satisfied with the service? Is it on time? Reliable? Convenient?
• Are you able to access a better job? Has your salary increased as a result of the service? Or were you previously employed at all?
• If you were not previously employed, did the service help you get a job?

Performance monitoring also helps identify whether new service or changes in service has actually improved the delivery of services in terms of people served, total route miles traveled, and cost of service.