4. Act

4. Act

What Works Cities leaders use data and evidence to inform major decisions and take action.

• Use Data and Evidence to Inform Decisions: The city’s review of data and evidence informs the city’s planning, budget, funding, and management decisions.
• Facilitate Public Use of Data: The city empowers the public—including citizens, journalists, local institutions, researchers, and entrepreneurs—to use city data to create value for residents and communities.
• Use Evidence of Impact: The city uses evidence of impact from a range of evaluation methods to inform new and improve existing policies and programs.
• Redirect Funds: The city redirects funds away from policies and programs that do not show measurable impact or contribute to city goals.

3. Take Stock

3. Take Stock

What Works Cities leaders consistently review and reflect to measure progress, learn, and make corrections and improvements.

• Understand Performance: The Mayor uses a citywide performance management system to enable decision-makers to understand trends, spot opportunities, advance citywide goals, and improve outcomes for residents.
• Assess Progress: The city uses data and evidence on an ongoing basis to assess progress toward goals and support continuous improvement.
• Evaluate Impact: The city regularly evaluates programs and services to determine and improve their impact.

2. Measure

2. Measure

What Works Cities leaders use the data and tools at their disposal to measure progress and engage citizens along the way.

• Collect Data: The city systematically collects high-quality, relevant, administrative and performance data.
• Focus on Results: The city uses outcome-based performance measures to determine the impact of its core operations and contracted services.
• Share Openly and Often: Through the public release of accessible data, the city enables residents and other decision-makers to track and discuss progress on important public services and programs—and promotes a culture of government transparency and accountability.

1. Commit

1. Commit

What Works Cities leaders make powerful, public commitments to getting better results for their residents by using data and evidence.

• Define Goals and Progress: The Mayor and city leaders work collaboratively to define city goals and the measurable progress they intend to see toward meeting those goals.
• State Commitment Publicly: The Mayor speaks publicly about using data and evidence to inform policy, funding, and management decisions.
• Engage Residents: The Mayor engages residents regularly about progress on city priorities, and provides data and evidence to discuss achievements and challenges.
• Collaborate and Galvanize: The Mayor builds buy-in around using data and evidence and empowers city leaders to effectively harness these resources.

Defining a What Works City.