Next, senior leadership worked with staff to build out an operational plan and cultivate buy-in for the strategic plan. “With support from staff, our plan grew to include 20 initiatives and over 120 cascading action items, all aligned to accomplish our six key priority areas,” explained George.
While previous strategic plans had been captured and managed in spreadsheets, this new plan was more comprehensive, with relevant data to measure progress.
“How were we going to track all this information? How were we going to hold the staff and the board accountable? How could we ensure that we followed-up on our action items and reported on our successes?” considered George. “That’s when we looked for a solution and chose Envisio. Their support team did a great job of plugging our strategic plan into their cloud-based solution, where it is now easily tracked and monitored.”
So, what exactly is causing envy across city halls nationwide? Lemont’s rich performance measures, advanced analytics and sophisticated management reporting framework are giving Lemont’s leaders an edge. They’ve moved beyond strategic planning, beyond measuring progress… to managing and accelerating performance.
Let’s explore Lemont’s management reporting framework – the comprehensive set of structured and scheduled dashboards, reports and notifications designed to allow each stakeholder to analyze data, make better decisions, drive performances and build community trust.
Progress tracking fosters accountability
While Lemont’s six strategic priorities cascade down to key initiatives and supporting action items, effective reporting starts at the bottom and rolls up. Each of the Village’s 120+ action items has an assigned owner and due date. Providing daily or weekly updates in Envisio keeps staff highly engaged and focused on what matters.
“Action items are the nuts and bolts of the plan,” explained George. “There’s a lot going on here at the Village. Using Envisio, our staff can track and update action items as they occur. Live personal dashboards provide a way for our staff to stay focused on their actions while providing accountability. We’ve also set up notifications and email reminders when action items become due. It’s another way to keep us on schedule. We’re now taking on more with the same level of staff and everyone is doing a great job.”
To track progress at a glance, action items include color-coded progress bars. Blue indicates an action item is completed, green means it’s on track and yellow indicates a disruption. “The system provides immediate feedback on what’s happening with the plan. The progress bars provide clear markers to identify disruptions early that need attention, while written action updates provide the context to help us keep moving forward,” said George.
“More importantly, reporting allows our staff to tell their stories,” he continued. “They’re excited to share their contributions towards the strategic plan with the board and the community.”
Team reporting supports better decisions