Understanding the Policy and Systems Change Compass
The Policy and Systems Change Compass (Compass) is a practical, step-by-step framework developed by the National League of Cities and the Urban Institute to help cities align with partners to turn complex challenges into actionable solutions.
Through a 10-step process organized into four connected phases, the Compass guides local leaders from problem identification, to uncovering root causes, through to designing and advancing policies that improve community outcomes.
Problem
Dubuque’s challenge uncovered via the Compass process is common in city government: data was everywhere, but data-driven decision-making remained uneven. Without a citywide policy governing how data was collected, managed and used, individual departments operated in silos—each with its own practices, systems and blind spots. The result posed a challenge to equitable decision-making regarding, for example, allocating resources, tracking disparities and data-informed governance. Poor communication between departments and partners deepened the problem, leaving the city without the connective tissue needed to act on what its own data might reveal.
Solution
Using the Compass steps of mapping the policy ecosystem and assessing feasibility and impact, the Dubuque team’s strategy addressed the structural dimensions of the challenge. The city committed to developing a formal data governance policy and a shared data system capable of tracking disparities and guiding resource allocation across departments.
Progress
The city leaders began by surveying departments to establish a baseline understanding of current data practices and usage. A data governance committee was formed to guide policy development, and a draft policy was produced and moved into formal review. To support the work, Dubuque hired a contractor to develop an inventory of data related to key city council goal areas, ensuring the effort stayed anchored to the city’s stated priorities.
The organizational infrastructure built around this work is particularly notable. Dubuque established a network of data stewards with representatives from every city department. The network operates with bilateral communication through the governance committee and includes ongoing training opportunities. The city developed internal dashboards to track departmental KPIs aligned with city council goals and assessed options for making data publicly available. An organization-wide administrative policy for data governance has been approved and posted. The committee has also prioritized developing a broader open-data infrastructure, pointing toward continued expansion of the work.
Outcome
Through its work with the Policy and Systems Change Compass, Dubuque is becoming a more outcomes-driven, data-informed city—one that treats equity not as an aspiration but as a metric. By building the governance structures and human networks needed to use data well, the city is positioning itself to make decisions that are more consistent, more transparent and more responsive to the communities it serves.
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