State of the County 2019:
Performance Management
Introducing: Marin Compass
Marin Compass is our new
performance management program designed to foster a culture of
continuous improvement and learning. By bringing diverse perspectives
to the table, we can tackle tough issues in our community while ensuring
we're addressing the things that matter most to our residents.
Community-Informed Goals
The foundations of Marin Compass were developed by a group of employees and community members who were charged with recommending a new framework to replace the County’s Managing for Results (MFR) program.
Marin Compass is different from previous performance management efforts because goals are developed by engaging our employees, clients and residents and it will identify data to help inform our operational priorities and progress. Our work starts with a focus on the countywide vision and department missions and we focus on meaningful strategies and measures that are evaluated using data, emphasizing quality over quantity.
Marin Compass is not a list of tasks for the coming year, but a focus on what the organization is working on to improve. In addition, its not a one time activity, but a continuous process, measuring progress along the way.
Aligning Mission to Goals
All county wide strategies as well as department missions will align to at least one of the three county goals:
- Healthy Communities
- Safe Communities
- Sustainable Communities
Community Indicators
Regardless of city/county boundaries, the community is interested in assessing the health, safety and sustainability of Marin County. A list of community indicators will be developed as part of Marin Compass to help tell the story about the quality of life in Marin and guide policy makers to identify trends and develop strategies for improvement. Since resident input about these indicators is important, we will leverage the recent 2018 Resident Survey data to identify the most important indicators to deliver on.
Get Involved
Visioning Exercise
The County of Marin has a mission, but no vision statement. A shared
vision, which connects employees and work across departments to the
community we serve, is necessary to ensure system alignment. A vision
statement focuses on tomorrow and what an organization wants to
ultimately become. Building on the results of the 2018 Resident Survey,
the Board of Supervisors will conduct a visioning exercise in 2019.
Track our Progress
As County departments define their performance objectives and action plans, they'll also identify meaningful data and measures to help track progress. Those data sets and measures will be added to Marin Open Data so our residents can explore the work that's being done in our community. By June 2020, every County department will have data sets added to Marin Open Data.
More resources for Marin Compass
- October 2018 Staff Report to Board of Supervisors (PDF).
- October 2018 PowerPoint presentation (accompanying video)
What do you think?
We would love to hear from you! Please complete this one question survey.
You're welcome to include any comments you may have regarding the 2019
State of the County report and its related topics. Thank you for your
interest in Marin County government and we hope you will share this
report with others.