RD315 - The Virginia Report 2007


Executive Summary:
Introduction

This report was prepared pursuant to § 2.2-2686 of the Code of Virginia, which requires the Council on Virginia’s Future to:

“develop and submit annually to the General Assembly and the Governor and publish to the public a balanced accountability scorecard containing an assessment of

• current service performance,

• productivity improvement, and

• progress against long-term objectives.

The balanced scorecard shall also contain other evaluative recommendations that will enhance the provision of state services and suggested measures to evaluate progress against long-term objectives.”

This report describes Virginia Performs, a performance leadership and accountability system, and presents a high-level assessment of Virginia’s progress in areas that are important to its quality of life. It will be released annually to help track progress over time, highlight challenges, and provide analytic information for leadership and decision-making.

The main report consists of two sections: Assessing Virginia’s Progress and 2008 Enhancements. The appendix provides an introduction to the Virginia Performs website ( http://www.VaPerforms.virginia.gov).

Assessing Virginia’s Progress: How is Virginia Doing?

This section includes a high-level scorecard based on the societal indicators related to Virginia’s long-term goals and a brief discussion of regional issues. These indicators provide a snapshot of how Virginia is doing on a range of quality-of-life issues (e.g., water quality, educational attainment). Overall, the picture for Virginia is generally positive. However, the assessment includes a discussion of selected indicators to demonstrate that, while Virginia does very well on many indicators, areas requiring improvement remain.

Assessing Virginia’s Progress: Are We Getting Results on Our Highest Priorities?

This section presents information on state agencies’ progress on key performance measures that align with societal indicators.

2008 Enhancements

This section provides a brief introduction to the Council and discusses the enhancements planned for 2008 in three main areas:

Assessment: Effective measurement and analysis of outcomes and productivity improvement.
Service Performance: Outcome-driven, performance-based planning and budgeting processes.
Productivity Improvement: Innovative methods for improving efficiency and effectiveness.

Generally, the scope of work for 2008 will be on strengthening Virginia Performs and on greater use of the system to improve state government effectiveness and results for Virginia citizens.