The newly released 2020 Invest In What Works State Standard of Excellence report by Results For America highlighted Arizona as a model state in using evidence and data to better serve residents. The report recognizes Arizona’s result-and data-driven best practices in state government strategic goals, data-sharing policies, innovation to improve efficiency and more.
“The men and women of state government work hard every day with a mindset of continuously improving services and value for the people of Arizona,” said Governor Ducey. “That has led to streamlined processes and improvements across state government including reduced wait times, more online services and better results for our most vulnerable, such as kids in need of a loving home. My thanks to the many state employees across the state whose tireless efforts made this recognition possible.”
In its report, Results For America highlighted Arizona’s strategic approach, enterprise-wide collaboration, technology-based strategies and outcome-focused approach. Excerpts include:
Strategic Goals
“Since 2017, the Arizona Governor’s Office has developed and updated the Governor’s Fundamentals Map, which lists goals under six statewide priority areas. All cabinet agencies are required to complete an annual strategic plan that includes annual objectives, metrics, and initiatives, which are captured in My Agency Scorecards. In 2020, the Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting hired a statewide Strategic Planner to further support the multi-year strategic planning processes.”
Data/Policy Agreements
“In 2019, Arizona’s Department of Administration implemented an enterprise memorandum of understanding (eMOU) for data-sharing, which has been signed by 28 state agencies. The eMOU sets forth governance standards for data sharing according to the statewide data policy and has a presumption of data sharing between agencies, unless specifically prohibited by law.”
Innovation
“The Arizona Government Transformation Office’s Lean Foundations workshops provide training to state staff as part of the state’s Arizona Management System, which is designed to implement innovative solutions to improve service delivery.”
Contracting For Outcomes
“In 2019, the Arizona Department of Child Safety partnered with the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab to improve upon the existing rate of nearly one in five families receiving supportive in-home preservation services that were re-reported for maltreatment, which resulted in the removal of a child from that home. Through active contract management, implementing uniform performance measures for providers, and establishing a unit to oversee child and family service contracts, the Department was able to reduce the number of families re-reported by 40% and the number [of] child removals by 50%.”
Governor Ducey in 2015 implemented the Arizona Management System (AMS) to eliminate unnecessary regulation and waste in state government by continuously improving government efficiency. The system empowers and equips state employees to identify strategic goals and solutions to provide better services for Arizonans.
Examples of AMS success stories can be found HERE, HERE and HERE.
