Guide to Performance Management

It's often been stated that data should be a flashlight, not a hammer.

Effective government performance programs leverage data to encourage departments to ask important questions and seek continuous improvement.

Just ask Debbie Lee, chief communications officer at the city of Santa Monica.

“The whole reason we’re doing this is not just to highlight what’s working but find out what’s not working and why," Lee said. "If we’re constantly measuring, learning, and digging deeper, we can provide better services for all.”

Socrata Performance Insights allows government organizations to set goals, connect with stakeholders, track progress, and achieve stronger results. It helps governments get started in two primary steps:

• Data collection and centralization: Put data from every department in a central repository with user controls that ensures the right people have access to the right data in real time. Establish data-driven metrics and drive accountability through shared goals.
• Effective communication by providing context and insight: Build dashboards, establish quantifiable goals, and share interactive reports to showcase the achievements that are most important to your leadership and community. Use your data to tell a story within teams and departments, start a conversation, and encourage feedback.