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Measuring BDS performance - a summary framework
01.06.1999
The development of successful BDS programmes is hindered by the lack of standard performance measures that can help practitioners objectively assess what works and what does not, in different programmes and different contexts. This article presents a preliminary framework for measuring the performance of business development services, based on the indicators currently used by BDS practitioners. The framework is organized according to the main goals most BDS programmes seek to achieve (scale, outreach, impact, cost-effectiveness and sustainability), and the key players BDS programmes hope to affect (microenterprises and small businesses, service providers and facilitators, and the marketplace). The article outlines indicators and methodologies for data collection and analysis, and the author invites further input from practitioners, researchers and donors in developing more service-specific measures.