6 Performance Improvement, vol. 52, no. 1, January 2013 ©2013 International Society for Performance Improvement Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/pfi.21281 WHAT DOES A CPT DO? PRACTICING MASTERFUL PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGY: THE CASE OF THE MINISTER’S CABINET Steven J. Kelly, CPT Tanja Georgievska, CPT Fatmir Besimi, PhD This contribution to the What Does a CPT Do? series is a dynamic case study from the Ministry of Economy, Macedonia. Two certified performance technologists provide an insightful analysis of the highlights of a complex international development human performance technology assessment and subsequent performance interventions. Told from the personal point of view of the consultants, with brief insights from the client minister, the focus is on key issues such as team alignment, strong client partnerships, balancing political versus effectiveness issues, and providing sustainable solutions with durable results. THIS ARTICLE IS a reflection on a performance improve- ment intervention in the country of Macedonia. Under a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)– funded Human and Institutional Capacity Development (HICD) program (USAID, 2009; USAID EGAT, 2010), the contractor World Learning started implementing performance improvement approaches in 2005. Projects completed had used a classic methodology within each institution partner; however, the approach used with the Ministry of Economy was a somewhat different story. This is a tale of responding to the client and to the specific situation, while keeping true to the principles of perfor- mance dynamics. Unlike many other institutional partners, the leader- ship of the Ministry of Economy openly recognized its performance challenges and requested a comprehensive assessment of the Minister’s Office (secretariat). There were performance problems and a need to improve min- isterial operations quickly. When the donor shared the Ministry request, there was a slight problem in how to go further on behalf of the (consulting) team. The former World Learning perfor- mance improvement professional, Tanja Georgievska, had worked on several HICD projects. However, this case was different; it did not fit “the box” of the usual approach. The Minister’s Office seemed to be only one single unit of many within the Ministry—it became a question of how to assess the Minister’s Office separately because it clearly did not function in isolation. At the same time, having implemented the human performance technol- ogy (HPT) models in other institutions, Tanja knew that a systems approach was required to achieve high-quality and sustainable results. World Learning decided to bring in a senior perfor- mance expert to lead the assessment team. After a com- petitive procurement process, Steven Kelly from KNO Worldwide was contracted to lead the team. Because he had worked intensively with government reforms in most Eastern European countries, his profile indicated he had the experience and skills needed to achieve the ambitious project goals. Given the very limited budget available for the assessment, there was a need to conduct an intensely focused effort within a few weeks’ time. For the remainder of the case study, the personal reflections of the two pri- mary team members will portray some of the challenges and successes of this fast-track assessment effort.