During a crisis, communication is more crucial than ever. So today, we're turning our customer spotlight on our partner, the City of Williamsburg, Virginia. Showing off their unique take on mySidewalk's performance management template to measure their key performance indicators, communicate the impact of their work, and engage their residents. This innovative city leadership team has taken local government transparency and communication to the next level.
The quick video below explains how their Performance dashboard works and why it's so impressive.
Let's be honest, local government websites usually aren't very engaging. Stakeholders typically don't understand the why behind the what. Without the context around KPIs, it's difficult for them to understand what their city wants to accomplish, and what it's doing to move the needle. That's what makes this dashboard so different.
The Williamsburg Performance dashboard, powered by the mySidewalk database, helps city leaders understand their unique challenges. For example, how an essential performance category, like economic vitality, is impacted by factors such as COVID-19.
Having this unique infrastructure in place amidst the pandemic means Williamsburg can see how COVID-19 is impacting strategic initiatives, like the number of existing businesses, and the number of grants awarded.
You can see in the data library the two industries that dominate Williamsburg are educational services and tourism. No surprise, hotel occupancy rate – an indicator for tourism, has plummeted because of the pandemic. You can also see the response projects Williamsburg is working on, and the impact they’re having.
Williamsburg's Performance Dashboard is an excellent example of both top-down and bottom-up collaboration for strategic initiatives. Not only does the City Manager and City Council use it, but also residents.
Why this dashboard is so useful:
It's a compelling combination of storytelling, data, and visuals
Provides internal and external transparency
Creates accountability and shows progress against goals
Offers a one-stop-shop for any question
It's beautiful, interactive, and mobile-friendly
The pandemic has highlighted how rare it is to have this kind of dynamic city communication system. Yet especially in a crisis, this level of transparency, accountability, and data are powerful.
We are truly honored to partner with cities like Williamsburg. Thank you for your tireless work to innovate, improve, and engage your community. You inspire us.