High Performance and Innovation
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The High Performance and Innovation initiative is an organization-wide effort to measure, analyze, improve and report on the services provided by the City of Scottsdale.
Reports
Quarterly performance report
The quarterly performance report
provides progress updates regarding key performance measures included in the annual budget book. Quarterly updates are also provided on the organization strategic plan.
Report to our community
The City Manager's Office prepares an annual report (PDF) consistent with the AGA's citizen-centric reporting initiative. The short report is intended to give the community a better understanding of their government and provide a more meaningful debate about fiscal priorities,
performance results and future challenges. We have given a presentation (PDF) about our annual report and how it
is prepared.
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Scottsdale overview and demographics
An overview presentation (PDF) based on the annual budget and annual report is available along with documents that are included in the annual budget and updated each year. A booklet with all of reports (PDF) is also available.
Budget and Financial Reports
Performance information is included in the annual budget at the division and department level. In addition, ten years worth of data on selected indicators is included in the Annual Comprehensive financial report. Both documents, as well as an archive of prior year information is available at www.ScottsdaleAZ.gov/finance.
Organization Strategic Planning
The citywide strategic planning effort (PDF)is part of the
performance management initiative. The current organization strategic plan was approved at a council meeting in April 2019. Updates on the progress of the organization strategic plan are on this online dashboard and on the Mission and Priorities page.
Organization Mission Statement
In addition, in December 2013, the City Council adopted a new mission statement for the organization: “Simply better service for a world-class community” The new mission statement is being implemented through citywide internal initiatives. These are: “Simply” - Streamlining the services we provide through process improvement, “Better” - Formalizing our benchmarking efforts to ensure our services are “better,” and “Service” - Reinstating training programs and standards for providing high-quality customer service. In addition, to clarify what is meant by a world-class community, we partnered with graduate students at Thunderbird School of Global Management to formalize the definition and attributes of a world-class community and create citywide customer-focused outcomes and key performance indicators. The final project is available online (PDF)
Valley Benchmark Communities
The city of Scottsdale is a founding member of the Valley Benchmark Communities collaborative. The purpose of Valley Benchmark Communities is to improve local government performance in Arizona by working
collaboratively to
identify and share resources, best practices, and common demographic, financial, and performance information to better understand the complex and diverse operations of the 13 participating cities (Avondale,
Buckeye, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Surprise, and Tempe). Annually, since FY 2013-14, the Valley Benchmark Communities initiative publishes a
report to share 24
Valley-wide measures with city leadership and the public. This report includes measures in the following service categories: Demographics, Fire Services, Police Services; Library Services; Parks and Recreation
Services; Water, Sewer, and Trash Services; Finance and Administration Services. Explore the most recent main trend report or the Valley Benchmark Communities website.
Presentations
Performance Management Overview
This was a 2-hour course prepared for staff in FY 2012/13 to provide training on key concepts in the Strategy and Performance Management initiative.
- Godzilla Video
- Handouts (PDF)
- Planning Framework (PDF)
- General Plan (PDF)
Performance Management Department Workshop
This was a hands-on course prepared in FY 2013/14 to assist department management in identifying efficiency and effectiveness measures that are tied to customer-focused outcomes.
Managing Organizational Performance
This is a 3.5-hour course taught quarterly to city staff in FY 2014/15 to provide training on strategic planning, performance measures, evaluation and reporting.
- Handouts (PDF)
- Full Slide (PDF)
Accomplishing Results
This 6-hour class was updated in 2017 to teach how to define results, achieve results, review results and improve results. An abbreviated 3-hour version was presented to the Mandela Washington Fellowship class hosted at Arizona State University in July 2017.
- Part 1 Agenda and Handouts (PDF)
- Part 2 Agenda and Handouts (PDF)
- Part 1 Presentation (PDF)
- Part 2 Presentation(PDF)
- Mandela Washington Fellowship (PDF)
Citizen Survey Results Presentations
These presentations on citizen surveys were prepared for an ICMA workshop (PDF) ICMA workshop in October 2012 on how Scottsdale utilized survey results, and also for general presentations in 2011 on 2010 survey results (PDF). A presentation on internal services survey results was also given at the ICMA Conference in September 2015 (PDF). The 2016 Citizen Survey has been completed with more information available on the survey web page.
Aligning Organization and Employee Goals Presentation
This 3-hour course (PDF) was developed in FY 2015/16 to train managers in how to align employee goals in the annual performance evaluation with the citywide mission.
Valley Benchmark Cities Report
The initial Valley Benchmark Cities report was issued in September 2015. A presentation about the
effort was given at the September 2015 ICMA Conference in
Seattle (PDF), and an article about the effort
was included in the December 2015 edition of ICMA's PM magazine. A presentation was also given at a
GFOAz training
session on the effort (PDF). To see all Valley Benchmark Cities reports, visit the Alliance for
Innovation.
Arizona State University (ASU) Presentation
In March 2017, this presentation (PDF)was a guest lecture to graduate students at ASU about managing and measuring performance.
New Employee and City Manager's Office Overview Presentations
The city manager's office presents monthly to new employees (PDF)an orientation about the city and the organization, including mission and goals. In addition, presentations are regularly given to local groups such as Scottsdale Leadership.
About
What is performance management? Performance management is an ongoing, systematic approach intended to improve results by integrating objective evidence with decision-making processes.
The guiding principles of the Scottsdale performance management effort are:
- Aligned with City Council and General Plan mission, goals, priorities
- Results focused. Strategies, processes, and decisions are designed to achieve desired results
- Relevant. Matters to both the city government and the community
- Transparent. Easy for stakeholders to access and understand
- Timely, Accurate and Pertinent. Data drives decisions and processes
- Transformative. Continuously improves the organization, management decisions, and policy-making processes
- Sustainable over time and across organizational changes
Program Concepts
- Performance Reporting in the Annual Budget
- Annual "Report to Our Citizens"
- Citizen and employee surveys
- Supports Scottsdale's Employee Values (PDF)
- Annual Action Plan (PDF) for the citywide High-Performance and Innovation Team
- High-Performance and Innovation Initiative Infographic
- Performance Management Team Agendas (PDF) from FY 2016-17
- Performance Management Team Agendas (PDF) from FY 2017-18
- Performance Management Team Agendas (PDF) from FY 2018-19
- Performance Management Team Agendas (PDF) from FY 2020-21
- Overview of Scottsdale and Behavioral Insights (PDF) Work
- Accomplishing Results training relating to Behavioral Insights (PDF)
- Measure What Matters: Organizational Performance Management in Scottsdale, AZ
- Behavioral Insights Team Report - "Scottsdale Cares"
- 2017 What Works Cities Certification Report (Honor Roll)
- 2019 What Works Cities Certification Report (Silver)
- 2020 What Works Cities Certification Report (Silver)
- 2023 What Works Cities Certification Report (Gold)
Resources
Other external resources helpful in developing an performance management program.
- A Performance Management Framework for
State and Local Government, National Performance Management Advisory Commission, 2010.
- Lessons from Performance Measurement Leaders, Shayne
Kavanaugh, GFOA, 2013.
- Transforming Performance Measurement for the 21st
Century, Harry Hatry, Urban Institute, 2014
- Surfacing the Submerged State with Operational Transparency in
Government Services, Ryan W. Buell, Michael I. Norton, Harvard Business School, 2013.
- Performance Management: Getting Started, Center for Government
Excellence.
- Budget Narrative Guidelines
- Good to Great and the Social Sectors, Jim Collins, 2005.
- Municipal Benchmarks, David N. Ammons, 2012.
- Reinventing Government, Ted Gaebler and David Osborne, 1992.
- The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, Patrick Lencioni, 2007.
Recognition
ICMA and National Research Center, Inc.
(National Citizen Survey)
Voice of the People Awards for Excellence
2017, 2014, 2011
Voice of the People Awards for Transformation
2011
ICMA Center for Performance Analytics
Certificate of Excellence in Performance Measurement
2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Certificate of Distinction
2012
Certificate of Achievement
2011
AGA
Certificate of Excellence in Citizen-Centric Reporting
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Government Finance Officers Association
Distinguished Budget Presentation Award
Special Performance Measures Recognition
FY 2011/12 Adopted Budget Book