Visualization Adoption Roadmap

Use Your Self-Assessment Results

Use your results to focus on what will make the biggest difference for your agency. Start by reflecting on the areas with the lowest scores and consider where improvements could most strengthen your visual communication. The Visualization Adoption Roadmap then help turn those insights into action, offering practical steps, examples, and guidance across six key areas so you can take a clear, achievable next step—wherever you are starting from.

Six Competency Areas

Tools & Technology

Acquiring, piloting, scaling effective tools

Skill & Staffing

Building internal capacity to deliver strong visuals

Leadership & Governance

Embedding visualization into agency culture

Communication Strategy

Aligning visuals with messaging and audience needs

Data Infrastructure

Ensuring reliable, accessible data

Evaluation & Feedback

Learning what works and improving over time

The Visualization Adoption Roadmap helps agencies turn self-assessment results into practical next steps. Designed for all stages of data visualization maturity, it focuses on six core areas—from tools and skills to leadership, data, and evaluation. Each section offers clear actions and examples to help you move from early efforts to more established practices and focus where your work can have the greatest impact.

Competency Area	Emerging (Getting Started)	Developing (Building Systems)	Mature (Sustaining & Innovating)
1 Tools & Technology	Staff use basic tools (Excel, PPT, GIS exports); ad hoc visuals	Teams pilot advanced tools (Power BI, Tableau, ArcGIS), begin consistent workflows	Tools are integrated with systems; agency uses templates and automation across teams
2 Skill & Staffing	A few individuals create visuals; little training or support	Visualization roles, trainings, and peer learning networks emerge	Visualization is a shared skill across departments; job descriptions and mentorships in place
3 Leadership & Governance	Occasional leadership support; no formal expectations	Some leaders champion visuals; basic standards or expectations set	Leaders model best practices; visualization policies and governance structures guide practice
4 Communication Strategy	Visuals created without audience in mind; limited messaging	Staff begin tailoring visuals by audience and using narrative callouts	Strategic communications staff co-develop visuals; visuals are part of campaigns and planning
5 Data Infrastructure	Key datasets exist but are siloed or unstandardized	Shared data folders, documentation, and informal data stewards	Automated pipelines, centralized access, and clear governance of data for visualization
6 Evaluation & Feedback	Visuals rarely reviewed after release	Staff gather informal feedback; some visuals adapted over time	Structured feedback loops, embedded metrics, and continuous improvement inform visual design