WCO Publishes a Handbook on Performance Measurement

BRUSSELS : The WCO has published a “Handbook on Performance Measurement” to address the need for a comprehensive guide for evaluating performance, specifically tailored for Customs administrations.

In an era of escalating complexity in international trade, the imperative to adapt, improve and optimize Customs operations is more pressing than ever. Crafted meticulously for Customs officials, the Handbook on Performance Measurement builds upon Customs administrations’ established practices and experiences to provide an invaluable roadmap for creating robust performance measurement frameworks.

By offering foundational insights to strengthen national performance measurement systems and showcasing examples of Members’ practices, the Handbook complements the WCO Performance Measurement Mechanism (WCO PMM) and promotes Members’ use of the Mechanism and the submission of their data via the WCO PMM online platform. The overarching goal is to enhance Members’ performance measurement capacity and foster a culture of performance measurement within Customs administrations.

The Handbook examines a wide range of topics related to organizational performance measurement, looking at issues such as dysfunctions of performance measurement, performance measurement models, performance information roles, benchmarking, KPI selection, data collection and storage, performance dashboard and reporting. It also features a self-assessment checklist for evaluating performance measurement systems and highlights lessons learned and pitfalls in the implementation of national performance measurement systems.

Additionally, the Handbook includes comprehensive glossaries of KPI typologies, terms and common definitions for performance-related concepts, and KPI criteria for developing effective performance measures and information.

The Handbook has been released in two versions, with access to Members’ practices reserved for WCO Members.