The annual budgeting process requires major effort across the organization to prioritize available resources on services for the community served. Once the budget is approved, the focus on the budget diminishes, only to return at the beginning of the next budget development cycle. But what happens “in-between” budget preparation is more important than most realize.

Budget monitoring and performance management are key tools to regularly examine an organization's operations to identify any potential shortcomings and to find ways to make early course corrections. This session will include examples and discussion on monitoring and performance measurement practices and how these relate to GFOA's best practices on these two essential topics.

Those who successfully complete this seminar should be able to:

• Understand the value of monitoring the budget and learn methods you can use to monitor the budget
• Learn how work with other stakeholders to monitoring the budget
• Learn what to do when the budget gets off track
• Learn how performance measures can help your organization
• Identify characteristics of useful performance measures
• Learn strategies you can use to overcome common challenges related to utilizing performance measures to guide organizational decision-making

This course is taught by experienced budgeting practitioners and GFOA staff. Instructors will be familiar with GFOA best practices and have experience as finance director, budget director, or CEO of various size local governments.