Performance Management

The Performance Management initiative is an organization-wide effort to measure, analyze, improve and report on the services provided by the City of Scottsdale.

What is performance management? Performance management is an ongoing, systematic approach intended to improve results by integrating objective evidence with decision-making processes.

The guiding principles of the Scottsdale performance management effort are:

• Aligned with City Council and General Plan mission, goals, priorities
  
• Results focused. Strategies, processes, and decisions are designed to achieve desired results
  
• Relevant. Matters to both the city government and the community
  
• Transparent. Easy for stakeholders to access and understand
  
• Timely, Accurate and Pertinent. Data drives decisions and processes
  
• Transformative. Continuously improves the organization, management decisions, and policy-making processes
  
• Sustainable over time and across organizational changes

Quarterly performance report

The quarterly performance report provides progress updates regarding key performance measures included in the annual budget book.

Quarterly Performance Report

The City Manager's Office prepares an annual report intended to give the community a better understanding of their government and provide a more meaningful dialogue about fiscal priorities, performance results and future challenges.

Read the 2025 Annual Report to Our Community

Performance information is included in the annual budget at the division and department level. In addition, ten years' worth of data on selected indicators is included in the Annual Comprehensive financial report. Both documents, as well as an archive of prior year information is available online.

Valley Benchmark Communities

The city of Scottsdale is a founding member of the Valley Benchmark Communities collaborative. The purpose of Valley Benchmark Communities is to improve local government performance in Arizona by working collaboratively to identify and share resources, best practices, and common demographic, financial, and performance information to better understand the complex and diverse operations of the 12 participating cities (Avondale, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Surprise, and Tempe). Annually, the Valley Benchmark Communities initiative publishes a report to share Valley-wide measures with city leadership and the public. This report includes measures in the following service categories: Demographics, Fire Services, Police Services; Library Services; Parks and Recreation Services; Water, Sewer, and Trash Services; Finance and Administration Services. Explore the most recent main trend report or the Valley Benchmark Communities website.

Community Surveys

Scottsdale regularly surveys its residents to give them a chance to rate their quality of life and provide feedback on city programs and services. The results help Scottsdale set service priorities and provide comparisons with other cities. Read more about the survey.

• Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification (Gold 2024, 2023; Silver 2019)

Other external resources that may be helpful in developing a performance management program.

• A Performance Management Framework for State and Local Government, National Performance Management Advisory Commission, 2010.
• Transforming Performance Measurement for the 21st Century, Harry Hatry, Urban Institute, 2014.
• Performance Management for Local Government, Getting Started. ICMA.