Prepare for the First Stat Meeting

##Prepare for the First Stat Meeting Once the city has decided to take a more evidence-based approach to management, architected the framework, and identified the initial datasets, the city is well on its way to implementing a performance management program.

The next step is to begin to analyze the data and prepare for the first Stat meeting. At these meetings, department leads, the principal, and a panel of stakeholders will participate in a collaborative discussion of the data. This discussion is framed by analytics prepared by the Stat analyst and the discussion is led either by the principal or the Stat lead.

###The Role of the Stat Analyst The Stat analyst always has important work to do before every Stat meeting. He or she provides the materials that guide the focus of the meeting. The Stat analyst needs to pay attention to areas addressed in the strategic framework keeping the legislative cycle, current events, and pressing administrative issues in mind. Another important function the Stat analyst performs to is to create charts, graphs, maps, and other visualizations which improves understanding of the data.

In addition, the analyst works with the Stat lead to determine the priority areas for Stat meetings. Before the first Stat meeting, the analyst collects input from the department, after which time he or she reviews the indicator data relating to an issue or department and crafts a Stat memo.

Meeting Prep Tips for Stat Analysts

If the Stat analyst wants to prepare for the meeting efficiently, he or she needs to have two important pieces in place:

• Know the performance management team, especially the department contact, at each contributing department. The analyst should already have established working relationships with every department involved during the data collection phase.

• Understand the department well. The stat analyst should have a working knowledge of an department’s: Strengths and weaknesses Current priorities (policy and legislative) Current budget

###The Stat Meeting Memo The Stat analyst drafts a memo for every Stat meeting, based upon that hierarchy of priorities. Here are guidelines for drafting a Stat meeting memo (see Appendix B for a sample memo).

Memo Intro: The beginning of the memo should include a list of the topics that will be covered in the meeting. This introduction sets out the organization, agenda, and flow of the meeting.

Topics to be Covered: Each portion of the memo should have a title, a data visualization, and an estimate of how much time will be dedicated to the subject. The first topic in the memo should be a review of the Key Performance Indicator data that has been mapped and identified as informative of progress for the city's goals. This is important because it reinforces the importance of the department's work to the overall strategic framework and citywide goals.

Review of Data: In general, the Stat memo and analyses should be organized in the following way:

• Review of any outstanding follow-up issues prompted by the prior Stat meetings

• Review of goals and related data

• Review of the operational data

• Review of the subject matter data

• Review of any overlapping operational or subject matter data

Essentials for Each Topic: Each discussion topic in the Stat memo should include the following elements:

Introductory Narrative: Introduces a particular topic and describes the data that was used in the analysis.

Data Visualization: A map, chart, graph, table, photograph, or any other visualization.

Data Source: The performance management team is never the source of the data; the department contact should provide the appropriate data source. This may be discussed during the data alignment phase.

Leading Questions: The Stat analyst should construct recommended questions for the Stat panel to ask the department leader(s). These questions should help to further explain the data, should be based in analysis, and be well researched by the Stat analyst.

###Distribution of the Stat Memo Determining who gets the memo before the initial Stat meeting depends on the goals of the program. Choosing not to share the memo with the department requires department heads to have a deep awareness of their data, their connection to the strategic or goal framework, and be prepared to discuss how the department is performing. In some cases, not seeing the memo before the meeting can encourage departments to develop their own internal "Stats," in which they review the data internally, a sign that performance management is taking hold within the department. This practice can also discourage departments from preparing presentations to address topics that are brought up in the memo. At the beginning of the meeting, the department has an opportunity to open the discussion with an update or some news, but presentations are discouraged and the memo serves as the agenda for the discussion.