During the period February – May 2015, CARICAD provided capacity building services in the area of Performance Management, to the government of Montserrat which had made significant changes to the Performance Management System (PMS) used in the Public Service. The PMS had replaced the previous Performance Appraisal approach.

Strong emphasis has been placed on the use of Personal Development Plans to improve individual performance. Efforts were made to train supervisors and other staff in the use of a computer-based system but the HRMU received feedback that many supervisors and staff were still experiencing challenges with aspects of the PMS. It was concluded that additional technical assistance was required and it was agreed that starting in February, 2015, CARICAD would provide the desired technical assistance.

The training interventions for the assignment were based on the results of the online survey and face-to-face interviews. It was revealed that the setting of SMART Objectives and the preparation of Personal Development Plans were the areas that presented major challenges for Public Officers. Additionally the nexus between Performance and Motivation as well as Leadership, Management, Supervision and Mentoring emerged as areas of focus for training. It was also agreed that all selected Public Officers (approximately 200 persons) would be exposed to training in setting SMART Objectives and in creating and using Personal Development Plans. The required training was delivered using highly interactive and experiential methods with an emphasis on practical exercises including role plays based on original scripts written by the CARICAD team.

Subsequent to the original engagement, the Government of Montserrat re-engaged the services of CARICAD for some supplementary training interventions with the following objectives:

• Clarifying the concept of SMART cascading objectives appropriate to the level/category of staff.
• Facilitating a step-by-step process for writing effective performance objectives with practical sessions
• Reviewing selected objectives for various positions and work levels and provide guidance for making objectives SMART(er).

The practical sessions were tailored in a manner designed to provide the target group with a logical approach to developing SMART objectives thereby enabling participants to be more confident and competent in providing guidance to the wider Public Service.

A compendium of SMART objectives titled “100+ Examples of SMART Objectives for Public Sector Positions” was prepared and presented to the Government of Montserrat. The compendium is a compilation of objectives that can be used for a variety of positions in the public service.