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Layer 05 of 6 — Operating Model Design

Performance, Insight & Data.
MI that drives decisions. Not reporting for its own sake.

The performance layer determines whether the organisation knows how it is doing and can act on that knowledge. Most organisations measure what is easy to count rather than what matters. Most MI is produced for compliance rather than decisions. CN designs performance frameworks that put the right information in the hands of the right people at the right time — and builds the culture that uses it.

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01 People 02 Process 03 Technology 04 Service Delivery 05 Performance 06 Governance
What CN does in this layer

The work inside the layer

  • —KPI framework design — defining what to measure and why, connected to the strategic objectives
  • —Management information (MI) design — what information each level of management needs to make decisions
  • —Data architecture — where data is created, where it lives, how it flows to where it is needed
  • —Dashboard and reporting design — presenting information in ways that drive action, not comprehension
  • —Performance management process — how performance is reviewed, what happens when targets are missed
  • —Benchmarking — what good looks like in comparable organisations
  • —Benefits tracking framework — how benefits are measured from baseline through delivery to realisation
  • —Performance culture assessment — whether the organisation uses performance information or manages around it
  • —Data quality assessment and improvement — identifying where data is unreliable or inconsistent
  • —Data governance design — who owns data, who can access it, how quality is maintained
How we do it

The CN approach

01
Start with the decisions, not the data
The question for MI design is not "what data do we have?" but "what decisions do managers need to make, and what information do they need to make them well?" CN works backwards from the decision to the data — not forwards from the data to a report.
02
Design MI for the corridor, not the boardroom
Boardroom dashboards that are not replicated in team-level management information create a gap between what the organisation measures and what it manages. CN designs MI that connects strategic metrics to operational ones, so every manager can see how their work connects to the outcomes.
03
Challenge what is currently measured
Most organisations accumulate metrics over time — each initiative adding its own KPIs, none ever removed. CN conducts a rigorous review: what is measured now, why, by whom, and what decisions it influences. Metrics that influence no decisions are candidates for removal.
04
Build data quality into the architecture
MI is only as good as the data it is built on. Before designing reports and dashboards, CN assesses data quality — where it is produced, how it is maintained, where errors enter and where they are caught. Data quality investment before MI design prevents the rework of building on unreliable foundations.
05
Design the performance culture alongside the framework
A technically excellent MI framework will not improve performance in an organisation that treats performance data as a threat rather than information. CN addresses the culture alongside the framework — how performance reviews are conducted, how targets are set, how problems are surfaced without triggering defensive responses.
What good looks like
  • ✓MI designed around decisions, not available data
  • ✓KPIs connected from strategic to operational level
  • ✓Performance reviews that surface problems early
  • ✓Data quality managed as an ongoing discipline
  • ✓Performance culture that treats variance as information
Warning signs
  • ✗Metrics accumulated over time, never rationalised
  • ✗Dashboard exists but no one acts on what it shows
  • ✗Data quality problems known but not addressed
  • ✗Performance reviews focused on explanation, not improvement
  • ✗Strategic metrics disconnected from operational reality
Connects to
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Governance & Accountability
Performance data informs governance decisions. The governance framework needs to define how performance information is used at each level.
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Technology & Systems
Data architecture depends on how systems are configured. The technical layer determines what MI is possible.
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Service Delivery
Service performance metrics must capture the user experience, not just the internal process metrics.
Part of the full model
This layer is one of six. Changing it without the others creates integration failures.
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Working on this layer?
Tell us where you are. CN practitioners have designed and delivered this work across government, corporate and technology sectors.
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