Performance Management: Marin Compass and Department Workplans

The County of Marin has two countywide methods of tracking performance and delivery of services to the community of County departments: Marin Compass and annual Department Workplans.

Marin Compass

Marin Compass is the County’s performance management program with open data as its centerfold. Designed to create a culture of continuous improvement and learning, Marin Compass relies on data to measure progress and inform our operational priorities. Initiatives are developed by engaging both our employees and residents.

Marin Compass is not a list of tasks for the coming year but instead focuses on what the organization is working to improve. The foundations of Marin Compass were laid by a Performance Management Working Group in 2017; the group consisted of employees from all levels of the organization as well as community members.  Recommendations and tools from this working group were delivered to the Board of Supervisors in 2018, with a focus on continuous improvement, data collection and engagement with our employees and the community.

The Marin Compass Open Data site was launched in 2019, and datasets and metrics continue to added by Departments.

Department Workplans

Published in the Annual Budget Document, annual Department Workplans are comprised of individual tasks or initiatives a Department aims to accomplish in the upcoming fiscal year (budget cycle). These individual tasks or initiatives are developed with countywide goals and priorities in mind, including advancing equity as a central focus. Annual Department Workplans were previously entitled "Department Performance Plans" under the "Managing for Results (MFR)" program.