Annual Strategic Research Plan

The County believes that understanding what’s working (and what’s not) is key to providing the best services possible. Evaluating our work helps us make informed choices and manage our resources to serve you better.

Our evaluation plan is reviewed and updated every year. It is then outlined in the Annual Strategic Research Plan (ASRP). It includes questions that we want to answer through research in the upcoming years. The ASRP is a roadmap on how to evaluate what the County does and how well we are meeting our goals. It is important to note that the ASRP does not necessarily cover all research that is going on across the County.

Example questions from the current ASRP:

1. How can the County use alternatives to incarceration approaches to reduce the number of people involved in the justice system?
2. What climate action measures and decarbonization strategies will produce the most return on investment for greenhouse gas reductions, improved air quality, green jobs and increased equity?
3. To what extent is increased investment in prevention services impacting the rate of child abuse and neglect?

The plan will help us focus on the highest priority questions to make the County work more effectively and efficiently. It will also make our decisions more transparent and show how we use data to make choices. The ASRP is part of a bigger project to encourage using data and evidence in all County departments.

Together, these efforts will help us build a culture of learning and improvement, so we can offer better services and create better policies to improve the lives of people in San Diego.

The Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics (OEPA) is working with departments to update the ASRP. OEPA will make sure that the ASRP reflects the priorities of the Board of Supervisors and includes feedback from the public.

Thank you to all who participated in the survey - it is now closed. We will use the information you provided to inform the development of the plan and will update this site as the project progresses.