What Works Cities Assessment Guide
By: What Works Cities
Tags: Cities, Local Government, Government Innovation, Data

What Works Cities Assessment Guide

Certification Criteria

What Works Cities Certification is the standard of excellence for data-driven local government. The program’s 45 criteria outline the people, processes, and policies foundational to a well-managed city.

The criteria are grouped by eight foundational practices:

Data Governance

Evaluations

General Management

Open Data

Performance & Analytics

Repurposing

Results-Driven Contracting

Stakeholder Engagement

Under each foundational practice below, you’ll find a description of that work, followed by the questions that will be asked about your city’s practices. Use this guide to better understand the value of each practice, what is required to be able to answer “yes” to each question, and what supporting documentation will be required to verify your responses.

Completing an assessment is the first step to receiving exclusive, pro bono support from What Works Cities to continue building a more effective local government. The program is open to any U.S. city with a population of 30,000 or higher.

You can find definitions of terminology used below in our Certification Glossary. You can learn more about the methodology behind What Works Cities Certification here. If you have any questions, please email certification@whatworkscities.org.

Data Governance

DG1. Your local government maintains a detailed and comprehensive data inventory that makes its data more discoverable and accessible.

Checklist (Must meet 3 of 4):

Your local government has a documented methodology for routinely collecting and updating the data inventory.

In the past 12 months, the inventory has been updated.

The inventory covers datasets from more than 80% of the departments in the local government.

A version of the data inventory is published online.

Required Supporting Documentation:

A copy of the data inventory.

A documented process for collecting and updating the data inventory.

DG2. Your local government maintains a documented list of data governance responsibilities and meets at least quarterly to carry out those responsibilities.

Checklist (Must meet 2 of 2):

Your data governance process is guided by a statement of purpose or documented set of goals and objectives.

Committees engaged in data governance meet to carry out data governance responsibilities at least quarterly.

Required Supporting Documentation:

Minutes or agenda of your two most recent data governance meeting.

Open data or data governance documents that describe the roles and responsibilities of the data governance team.

Statement of purpose, relevant clauses of enabling policy that identify the goals and objectives of a data governance body, or other official documents identifying the goals of your data governance process.

A schedule of your upcoming data governance meetings.

DG3. Your local government has and carries out documented policies or practices to improve data quality.

Checklist (Must meet 3 of 4):

Your local government identifies data quality problems by conducting a data quality audit.

Your local government implements processes to improve identified data quality problems.

Your local government documents standards for internal data so that certain common fields (e.g., street address) are consistent across the organization.

Your local government establishes feedback channels for data users to identify data quality issues.

Required Supporting Documentation:

A summary of your local government’s process to improve data quality.

A description of what happens when local government staff identify a low-quality dataset and the process for improving the dataset before it is published.

An example of a dataset that has been improved through this process.

DG4. Your local government has documented policies or practices to protect the privacy and confidentiality of government-held data.

Checklist (Must meet 2 of 3):

Your local government has a documented process to reduce the possibility of inadvertently releasing private or confidential data.

Your local government offers staff information or training about how to assess and reduce security risks associated with your data.

Your local government has a process for engaging residents and other external stakeholders in the government’s security risk management program.

Required Supporting Documentation:

Internal memos or training materials that inform local government staff who manage and use data about how to protect the privacy and confidentiality of residents.

DG5. Your local government has a documented and user-friendly process to expedite the sharing of data — including protected data — both cross-departmentally within the local government and with trusted outside partners.

Checklist (Must meet 3 of 4):

Your local government has a written process documenting how to share data internally or with trusted partners.

Your local government has a user-friendly method of collecting requests to share data and requires data-holders to respond in a timely way.

Your local government limits data-sharing agreements to datasets that are non-eligible for open data; otherwise, datasets are publicly shared.

Where there is a risk of liability, your local government uses data-sharing or data use agreements.

Required Supporting Documentation:

Copy of a current data sharing agreement.

Copy of relevant policy or process document.

An inventory of data sharing agreements.

Return to top.