Performance Reporting Tips For Local Council Workers

Accountability is the key to any effective government. That’s why today, virtually all local council offices across the country are tasked with preparing routine performance reports, ensuring that both local citizens and federal government officials alike can be rest assured their tax dollars are making a meaningful contribution to the betterment of their region or district. 

Simply put, performance reporting ensures that our local councils maintain transparency and fight corruption. As a result, it’s essential for not only local council workers but civil servants at all levels to develop a strong understanding of the fundamentals of performance reporting, including how best to ensure your reports stay accurate and perfectly reflective of the work you do day-to-day.

Here we’ve selected a range of tips like knowing how to phrase your reports, present them, and even just how to format them when working with digital file formats. Keep in mind as you read – because reporting may differ between states and territories, some of these tips may not be applicable to your council’s unique reporting processes. But so long as a couple saves you time, that’ll pay off in the long run!

 

1. Use Online Tools To Edit And Organise

If you’re handwriting performance reports, then stop right there. Did you know that much of your report work can be done right in your browser? For example, you can edit, merge, compress and convert PDF files to other file formats using online tools like Adobe Acrobat. And besides saving you the trouble of downloading various programs, you get the added benefit of being able to do so on the fly. So if you’ve forgotten a key piece of info, you can quickly open an online tool and change it.

Similarly, if you need to add images to your reports, you’ll be able to make quick work of editing and formatting your JPG files by using image editing software like Pixlr, Canva, or even Adobe Express, another free tool that allows for easy photo editing straight from your browser.

2. Keep A Notepad & Folder

No, we don’t mean a physical notepad here – unless it works for you and you don’t mind typing up your notes as a means of reviewing them. Regardless, if you have the major task of filling out the annual report for your council, you’ll want to have a lot of notes and files on hand. 

Thankfully, there is a digital solution or two for you to use here too. Microsoft OneNote is a useful program for storing and organising these, but competitors like Google Keep may be more useful if you’re already using their other programs – that way these programs can integrate with each other and allow you to send information between them.

3. Know the KPIs And Relevant Statistics

A council’s annual report has more data points than most tax returns. They also range from easy to find numbers like the yearly balance to obscure ones like the number of shrubs planted that year. But they all need to be counted and collected, so knowing what’ll be reported will make managing it all a little easier (or just your part of the report).

Our best tip here is to simply stay on top of your local news and other updates that pertain to your council or district by engaging with peers across other departments, reading their own reports, communicating with your higher ups, and generally keeping your finger on the pulse however else you may be able to.

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4. Collaborate with Team Members

The very meaning of council is an advisory group of people, so don’t feel that you have to keep track of the numbers yourself. Even if you’re delegated to doing the council’s environmental scorecard or summing the number of library visits, reaching out for advice could save you a ton of time. After all, there may be a tool you don’t know about, or a trick you haven’t heard that’ll automate something for you. Most young professionals who’ve just taken on a government job, for instance, do outline a proficiency with digital tools and utilising technology for administrative purposes on their CVs. So see what nifty tricks these new recruits may be able to share with you!

5. Automate Data Collection

If you’re using tools like mail out surveys to collect your data, not only are you using your time and money inefficiently, you’re providing yourself the headache of sorting through it all. Instead, make the jump to digital tech. Online surveys can be mailed out by your council’s mailing list, and the tool will collate the data to give you the averages and most common answers that you’ll likely use in your reports. 

6. Survey the locals

One of the benefits of reporting is that you can understand where improvements can be made. So, besides just surveying your team and counting trees, you can reach out to the council’s citizens for more information. For example, people may want to see more public art installations, and knowing that you can organise some then enjoy the positive response come annual report time – just don’t expect your citizens to be as forthright with their answers as your responsible council members.

Keep in mind too, that if you’re using digital channels to survey locals (and these channels are supported by a .gov URL), then you’ll absolutely want to make sure that these channels are secure for citizens to use. If citizens are sharing their personal information like their Aadhaar e-Cards, then knowing how to open digital Aadhaar PDFs is vital for ensuring that your surveys not only collect the information you need, but can do so whilst respecting any sensitive data shared by participants. 

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7. Use the Templates and Guides

If you haven’t been provided them already, you’ll be pleased to learn that there are plenty of templates and guides for your reporting work on the government sites. There are the basic balance sheets and tables for you to fill out, but there are also annual reports for you to be inspired by. For example, some councils report the number of photoshoots they’ve done that year, or gold coin donation proceeds.

8. Review and Improve

It might sound silly that you should make a report on your reporting, but if you can find a way to improve, it’ll pay off forevermore. See where you or others are having a hard time collecting data, and you might find a better way to do it – for example, using a clicker is much easier than writing a mark on a piece of paper, isn't it? And with technology advancing so quickly, there may be even quicker options available already – like using AI to count the number of visitors using detection technology. 

Conclusion

At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you fill out your report accurately. Whether you manage to make it eye catching, or figure out how to put your data into a program is secondary. But so long as you keep learning and improving, you’ll make that reporting a little easier each time – for you and for everyone else too.

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