Auditor General encourages government to improve reporting of its performance

Strelioff concluded that no one plan or report completely satisfied his review criteria, but that he expected the quality of information provided to legislators and the public to improve over time. "Organizations are at different points on the spectrum for measuring and managing performance, and this inevitably will be reflected in their reporting. Setting out the few critical measures that demonstrate the performance of an organization is difficult to do – but the effort is worthwhile. I expect the quality of reporting to improve as organizations gain experience and share information on best practices" he said.

Strelioff added, "I believe performance reporting – setting out publicly the outcomes government wishes to accomplish and the results it actually achieved – is key to having a government that is open and accountable to all British Columbians. This goal is supported by legislation which calls on government as a whole to set out its strategic plan, including its specific objectives and results, and to report each year on the results it achieves. The new requirement for ministries and government organizations to table service plans prior to the fiscal year is another step in the right direction. I encourage government to continue improving its public reporting, and look forward to the day when our focus can move from reviewing the overall quality of reporting to auditing the reliability of the information government presents."

The review was part of Auditor General’s ongoing efforts to ensure legislators and the public receive the best information possible for assessing the performance of government. "I believe I can help this process by making known better reporting practices, and providing a framework organizations can work towards," he said.