Utility Performance Management Guide

SAEP's Utility Performance Management Guide is part of the Power Africa Initiative and is designed to support utilities in Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia in improving their performance management. The guide is based on three common pillars for improving utility performance management: Management Governance, Skills and Planning Process, and Operational Excellence. These pillars are essential for advancing in the changing industry and driving strategic transformation and business performance. The guide provides utility managers and staff with a framework for supporting performance management for continuous improvement, examples and process guides throughout the performance management lifecycle, and a framework for performance measurement and evaluation. The framework communicates what needs to be measured, including data collection and storage, and where in the performance measurement framework the process takes place and data is stored. The guide also highlights the importance of a definitive timeline for delivery of KPIs across the company and a clear integration of how the organization will manage results. The guide outlines a process map for performance measurement and evaluation, which aligns utility tasks to the stages of the PM improvement process. The process map includes tasks such as gap assessment, developing new M&E systems and performance scorecards, and stakeholder communication and revision. The guide also provides a timeline for performance measurement and evaluation, which includes stages such as strategic review, data gathering, planning, and data verification and stakeholder engagement. The guide emphasizes the importance of S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) KPIs, which focus utility management efforts towards sustainable performance goals. The guide also provides examples of operational KPIs, which are used to gauge a utility's performance and drive operational excellence. The guide highlights the importance of managing performance in a way that does not compromise personnel safety, the environment, and social responsibilities. It also emphasizes the need for utilities to maintain a master list of minimum technical international indicators and track conformance to these. Overall, the SAEP Utility Performance Management Guide provides a comprehensive framework for improving utility performance management in Southern Africa. The guide is designed to support utilities in improving their performance management and driving strategic transformation and business performance.