About Virginia Performs:
Virginia's Performance Leadership and Accountability System

The Commonwealth of Virginia has earned a strong reputation as a great place to live, get an education, work and raise a family. As with other states, Virginia faces the challenge of how to preserve an excellent quality of life amid changing opportunities and shifting economic & demographic landscapes.

Sustaining and improving our quality of life requires the collective effort of individuals, organizations and leaders in both the public and private sectors. Virginia's state government contributes to these efforts by creating policies that aim to transform Virginia, and by ensuring that the programs and services for which we are directly responsible meet their objectives and are efficiently managed.

Virginia Performs, originally developed by the Council on Virginia's Future (2004-2017), is a performance leadership and accountability system within state government. It begins with a vision for Virginia’s future: Responsible economic growth, an enviable quality of life, good government, and a well-educated citizenry prepared to lead successful lives and to be engaged in shaping the future of the Commonwealth.

Seven long-term goals further define this vision by outlining specific outcomes we wish to achieve:

• Be a national leader in the preservation and enhancement of our economy. (Economy)
• Elevate the levels of educational preparedness and attainment of our citizens. (Education)
• Inspire and support Virginians toward healthy lives and strong and resilient families. (Health and Family)
• Protect, conserve and wisely develop our natural, cultural and historic resources. (Natural, Historic and Cultural Resources)
• Protect the public's safety and security, ensure a fair & effective system of justice, and provide a prepared response to emergencies & disasters of all kinds. (Public Safety)
• Ensure Virginia has a transportation system that is safe, allows the easy movement of people and goods, enhances the economy, and improves our quality of life. (Transportation)
• Be recognized as the best-managed state in the nation. (Government and Citizens)

Virginia Performs aligns specific state government outcomes with larger statewide goals.

Quality-of-life measures (societal indicators) answer the question, "How is Virginia doing?" on broad issues such as obesity, land preservation, and educational attainment.

Enterprise priorities, issue-specific report cards, and key outcome measures help us see whether we are getting results on our highest priorities -- for example, reducing childhood obesity, increasing agricultural exports, and strengthening workforce skills.

Finally, a range of other metrics help us gauge whether state programs and services are producing the desired results and whether agency operations are well-managed.