The key metric for government performance is not financial , but rather mission effectiveness. But mission effectiveness is not a definite and static thing. Usually, an agency has a rather broad general mission, which incorporates many specific sub-missions or departmental missions within it. At any given time, some departmental missions may be more important than others. The selection of the departmental mission priorities is an ongoing strategic planning responsibility.The following table summarizes the similarities and differences of strategy between public and private-sector organizations:
For more background read Paul Iverson’s post on Translating Performance Metrics from the Private to the Public Sector
