Performance Excellence

• The Performance Excellence work plan exists to support the City of Madison on our journey to meet our Vision, Mission, Values, and Service Promise.
• The work is facilitated by Human Resources Organizational Development and impacts our entire organization.
• Staff from 15 of the City’s 32 agencies participated in providing input on the creation of the 2024-2028 Performance Excellence Plan. This is a 47% agency participation rate.
• All agencies citywide are key stakeholders who are responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed about design, development, and completion of these strategies and actions.
• We look forward to reporting back annually on the implementation progress of this plan.

Links:

• Review the Plan
• Review the Presentation to Mayor's Management Team

There are five components of Performance Excellence in the City of Madison:

• The Vision statement lays out the desired future of the City.
• The Mission statement describes how the City will advance toward our Vision.
• Our core Values are used in decision-making.
• Our Service Promise is a commitment we make to residents and employees of the City of Madison.
• Our Strategic Priorities (“Elements”), or overarching goals, connect everyday work of all employees to the Vision, Mission, Values, and Service Promise.

Vision

Our Madison – Inclusive, Innovative, & Thriving

Mission

Our Mission is to provide the highest quality service for the common good of our residents and visitors.

Values

• Equity - We are committed to fairness, justice, and equal outcomes for all. 
• Civic Engagement - We believe in transparency, openness, and inclusivity. We will protect freedom of expression and engagement.
• Well-Being - We are committed to creating a community where all can thrive and feel safe.
• Shared Prosperity - We are dedicated to creating a community where all are able to achieve economic success and social mobility.
• Stewardship - We will care for our natural, economic, fiscal, and social resources.

Our Service Promise

I have the highest expectations for myself and my fellow employees. Every day, I will:

• Serve coworkers and members of the public in a kind and friendly manner.
• Listen actively and communicate clearly.
• Involve those who are impacted before making decisions.
• Collaborate with others to learn, improve, and solve problems.
• Treat everyone as they would like to be treated.

Elements of a Great City

• Culture & Character
• Economy & Opportunity
• Effective Government
• Green & Resilient
• Health & Safety
• Land Use & Transportation
• Neighborhoods & Housing

You've probably seen our Vision, Mission, Values, and Service Promise poster around City Facilities. 

When our City performs with excellence, we establish and nurture a culture where people thrive. Our aim is to focus our resources on improving the quality of our services for our residents and employees.

Performance excellence gives us the tools we need to think strategically about our work and align our work to our City's vision.

We have an ever-increasing amount of work as our City changes and grows. City of Madison staff have contributed to many different initiatives over the past several years, including:

• Employee Engagement
• Racial Equity & Social Justice
• Neighborhood Resource Teams
• Guidance Teams
• Data Management Team
• Results Madison, led by finance staff
• Imagine Madison Comprehensive Plan, led by planning staff

Leadership Team

These initiatives have led to the creation of the Performance Excellence Leadership team. The Leadership Team aligns the efforts of our dedicated staff and policy makers with community priorities.

The Components of Performance Excellence give our City a new, unified way to move forward. The updated mission and vision reflect the work our City is already doing, such as our commitment to racial equity and social justice.

The City of Madison Performance Excellence effort focuses on these four areas. They are all equally important and impactful for achieving excellence.

1. Engaged Public: The public is engaged with their government and happy with our services. We regularly hear from our residents through a Community Voice Survey. We staff Neighborhood Resource Teams and make sure we are involving the public in key decisions.
2. Engaged Workforce: We make sure we engage our staff. Employees understand the meaning of their work and the contributions we make toward making sure the City of Madison achieves its vision. We regularly hear from and respond to issues affecting our employees through an Employee Voice Survey. Employees can provide ideas for improvement and problem solving.
3. Strong Operations: We prioritize problem solving and process improvement, and we use racial equity and social justice tools. We make sure we are operating effectively and efficiently based on what we learn from our public and workforce.
4. Effective Use of Resources: We use all natural, economic, and fiscal resources responsibly and meaningfully. This includes how we use data to inform our decision-making. All departments are completing the Results Madison process to make sure we use our resources effectively.