A State Education Agency (SEA), whether in a large state or small, is responsible for a complex education system, responsive to a host of stakeholders, and charged with advocating for a multitude of students of all ages attending schools of every description. Much of what an SEA is tasked with accomplishing is set by external entities, from the federal government to the state legislature, state board, and governor's office. Other responsibilities of the SEA arise from SEA personnel's estimation of what is needed by districts and schools to best serve students. Each SEA leader struggles to find the right balance in their attention between competent execution of responsibilities that are externally determined and visionary leadership. All of these considerations come together in the work that must be performed by the many people in the agency. Strategic Performance Management (SPM) is a way to mix the injection of vision with the routine fulfillment of duties in a dynamic organization in which innovation to meet and exceed expectations thrives. The SPM process requires a considerable amount of time from busy people, but this time devoted to organizing the people and their work returns efficiencies in time saved down the road. SPM engages everyone in the agency in a process that draws on the expertise of each person and amplifies the benefits of that individual's competency to the organization. The greatest investment in time to move the SEA to performance management is in the beginning to set the purpose and direction for the agency. Often, much of this work on vision, mission, values, and goals has been done before, but a reconsideration of each of these elements is worthwhile. It is less likely that the agency has conducted a thorough examination of its functions and structures before organizing people to most productively do their work. SPM includes processes for functional and structural analysis that lead to more enlightened personnel decisions. Finally, SPM puts in place an ongoing process of units, collaborating teams, and coordinating teams efficiently managing the work and finding better ways to achieve organizational ends. The time taken for these groups to "work on the work" is valuable time that keeps the work on track and aimed at the most significant outcomes. This document describes the key features of SPM and provides a synopsis of the modules and steps. Appendices include: (1) Strategic Performance Management Self-Assessment; and (2) Performance Cycle Reporting. A glossary of terms is also provided.