The NAWB Annual Forum on March 30, 2015, focused on utilizing big data to enhance performance reporting and decision-making in government sectors. Presenters emphasized the importance of developing effective dashboards that communicate key metrics, drive continuous improvement, and facilitate public access to data. The forum highlighted challenges in data processing and the need for innovative tools to interpret existing datasets for better community and workforce outcomes.

1. NAWB Annual Forum
March 30, 2015
Share Information,
Change the World.
Big Data, Small Apps, Smart Dashboards & the
New Information Ecosystem

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“Embrace openness, experiment.”

4. The Challenge…
“Big data is sending ripples through
all sectors of society. We track
everything…this trend is leading to a
critical need for [people] who can
mine and interpret…”

5. #Music-to-ears

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“Silos – good for farms,
not so good for
government.”
Secretary of Labor, Tom Perez

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A New Kind of Ecosystem

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Performance Reporting
(Did we meet program goals?)
Intelligence
(How does our labor market
work? Who benefits most?
Where/how do we intervene?)

9. Overview: WDQI Project

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Presenters
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“A dearth of mechanisms that
process and deliver data to people
is among the biggest gaps…if
there’s a need for government to
open more data, there’s an even
bigger need for someone to design
tools that make sense of the data
that’s already out there.”
Open Data’s Next Move,
Colin Wood, GovTech, March 2015

13. “Public-ness”
Wisdom

14. Presenters
Scott Wheeler
Labor Market & Performance Analysis
WA Employment Security Department
Kristin Wolff
Senior Analyst
Social Policy Research Associates

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Vinz Koller
Director, Technical Assistance & Training
Social Policy Research Associates
Chris Given
Code for America Brigade Education Lead
Social Policy Research Associates

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Turning Workforce Data into Knowledge
By Scott Wheeler
March 30th, 2015

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Presenter
Scott Wheeler
Washington State
Employment Security Department
Labor Market and Performance Analysis

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Finding common ground in
performance management
 Goals for a system dashboard
 Observing the current environment
 Orienting to the environment
 Finalizing a draft
 Distributing the dashboard
 Indicators vs. measures
 Improving the dashboard

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 Highlights measures common across all
programs
 Communicates success/failure clearly to
elected officials, board members, and front-
line staff
 Drives continuous improvement
 Encourages integration and efficiencies
Goals for a system dashboard

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 Beginning from the system’s and program’s
needs
 Finding what data is available
 Identifying what is required
 Inventorying existing measures at the state
and local level
Observing the current environment

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Observing the current environment

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Orienting to the environment
 Develop a measurement “buffet” (mock
dashboard)
 Communicate with agency & local representatives
 Incorporate feedback

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 Simplify the measures
 Subtract unnecessary measures/data
 Improve the report’s “friendliness”
Finalizing a draft

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Distributing the dashboard
 Provide the dashboard to all stakeholders
 Encourage dissent
 Solicit feedback through any means possible
 Partner to improve the next version

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Indicators

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Measures

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Improving the dashboard
 Eliminate outdated data / unnecessary
measures
 Incorporate new data (online job postings,
interstate education outcomes, WIOA
elements)
 Provide additional context (labor market data,
training completion, economic trends)

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Thank You!
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Dashboards
Gateways to
Understanding

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Insert Tesla Dashboard

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Dashboards
Defined
a visual display
of
the most important information
needed to achieve
one or more objectives
that has been consolidated
on a single computer screen
so it can be
monitored at a glance
Stephen Few, March 20, 2004
“Dashboard Confusion”
Intelligent Enterprise

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Principles
Use Metrics that Matter
Offer Visual Appeal
Provide Easy Access
Make It Interactive

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Metrics that Matter

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Outcomes and
Demographics:
• Enrollment, completion
and placement rates
overall and by category
as well as over time
•Participant
demographics, including
ethnicity/race, gender,
TAA, veteran status,
incumbent, and age
•Participant home
addresses relative to
colleges
Macomb:
Key Metrics

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Macomb:
Enrollment
and
Employment
•Enrollment by program
type
•Placements by type,
employer, and with
starting average wage
•Average wage by career
pathway
•Average wage of
incumbent workers
before and after
enrollment

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Visual Appeal
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“Clutter and confusion are
failures of design, not
attributes of information.”
- Edward R. Tufte

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Charting
the
Beatles
ChartingThe
Beatles.com

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Provide Easy Access
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Easy Access
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Make It Interactive
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Make It Interactive

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Make It Interactive

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Interactivity (if possible)

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Potential Pitfalls
Avoid - Too Much Complexity
Data That Is Not Current/ Relevant
Underestimating Maintenance

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Promise
http://www.tableau.com/about/blog/2012/04/guest-post-future-
data-visualization-16578

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Promise
Your Dashboard
Here

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data.gov

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ncdc.noaa.gov

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wunderground.com

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THIS IS AW ESO M E.

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codefordc.github.io/districthousing

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electionmap.wamu.org

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dcactionforchildren.org

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ourdcschools.org

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Vinz Koller, vinz_koller@spra.com (@Social_Policy)
Kristin Wolff, kwolff@thinkers-and-doers.com (@kristinwolff)