Seattle Process Improvement Sample Snapshot

1. Seattle Process Improvement Sample Snapshot [August 2019] Mike Worden, Director of Citywide Mobility Operations Coordination

2. Why? • Improved City-Wide traffic incident management requires process mapping between Departments to develop best practices/improvement • SDPM Fong email to sample 8 City Departments on “specific approaches to performance/process improvements around key operations—particularly those focused on customer service” • Take relevant findings to Good Government Subcabinet for discussion…. Sam, Mami, Jesus, Debra, Calvin, Nathan, Saad and Bobby: The Mayor and I chatted briefly earlier in the week and one item she’d like the Good Government Subcabinet to spend some time on this year and going into next is to highlight for her and review some of the efforts underway in our City departments where we are deploying a specific approach to performance/process improvements around key operations – particularly those focused on customer service.  We’ve been taking on customer service from a several different angles – but this element is primarily focused on the deployment of LEAN principles or other internally focused efforts around efficiency and performance improvement.  Highlighting some of these efforts is an opportunity to bring attention to good work happening in the departments but also a sharing/learning lab opportunity enterprise-wide for us an organization. I have asked our Innovation and Performance Team to partner with Mike Worden, who has considerable private sector and governmental experience in process improvement techniques, and visit with you to learn what organizational and structured approaches you are taking to improve performance, especially with regard to customer service and other internal services/operations.  We are looking to take an initial inventory of strategies, methodologies, commitments and notable results to date.  We’d also be interested in the challenges you have faced, the lessons you have learned, the concerns you have and what you would recommend to the City at this point.  Our plan is to baseline the findings and then take the relevant findings to the Good Government Subcabinet for discussion and see where the conversation goes from there.  Hoping you will be willing to take a little time to engage Mike around this topic as he does this baseline work for us.  If you have any questions, thoughts or recommendations – feel free to contact me, Mike or Tina. Thanks again, Fong Michael Fong Senior Deputy Mayor City of Seattle | Office of the Mayor O: 206.256.6191 | C: 206.639.3647 | michael.fong@seattle.gov

3. Baseline Questions “Improve processes before buying new tech” • What stimulates improvement in your organization? • Top Down Guidance (burning platforms, reorgs, goals, etc.) • New technology (platforms, IT systems, devices, etc.) • Feedback Loops (supervision, customer, etc) • Grass roots initiatives • Harmonizing similar activities/processes • How has Department demonstrated commitment to improvement? • Began process improvement initiative in 1997, 2008, 2015, 2018 (2), 2019 (3) • Managed at Department Level (2) + (2 more in 2018/2019); else at or below Division level • What organizational approach(es) have Departments taken to make process improvements? • Formal staff accountability for process improvement (5) • Formal solicitation of improvement ideas (4) • Routine use of “Lean” Tools (5) • How choose improvement area • Pain point • Best ROI • “Lean” advocates “Executive Leadership Commitment is Key” “Still project focused versus leadership and culture focused”

4. Baseline Questions (cont) “Kaizen workshop experience motivates further lean training” • How are Departments training for process improvement? • Pursuing Lean/6 Sigma training (6) • Use Consultants (5) • Online (3) • How are Departments measuring success? • Challenges in documentation and “as is” process mapping • Quantifying saving time, resources, money • Reducing mistakes/rework, customer dissatisfaction • How are Departments managing and sustaining continuous improvement? • Reward with verbal recognition (8); financial reinvestment (2); certificates (2); formal training (1) • Most just starting; formal programs (4) • Promulgate improvements via SMEs (5), via newsletter (3) “Savings must be reinvested in continuous improvement” “Need more willing Lean Managers”

5. Baseline Questions (cont) • What results have you achieved? • Dept A: Cut street closure permit wait times from 10 weeks to 1 day (simple), 11 days (complex); HR hiring from 142 to 77 days; 30% project design approvals from 18 months to 7.5 months; Accounts payable: non-purchase order waits from 34 to 10 days, purchase order from 44 to 8 days; Utility major permits: preconstruction steps from 66 to 43; waits from up to 243 days to 59-71 days; postconstruction steps from 41-14; waits from up to 195 to 31 days. • Dept B: 2FTEs of work on credit and collections; calls answered in over 60 seconds reduced 11.4%; streetlight repair from 75 to 10 days; invoice processing from 8.5 to 2 weeks. • Dept C: Customer service call waiting from over 10 to 2 minutes; commercial vehicle inspections time reduced by 30%; Time to hire consultants TBD. • What challenges have you faced? • Limited time and resources (people, funding) • Unfunded mandates; competing priorities • Lukewarm, change averse managers • Lack of/ limited Executive direction • What Lessons did you Learn? • Kaizen events grow advocates • Few process maps exist • There is slack in every process • Support of whole Department and Director helps immensely • Success requires continous visibility, awareness and communications • Frontline staffs generally lead change (closest to customer) • Thinking differently about their work is more critical than implementing with tools “Managers are generally conservative and reluctant to buy in to Kaizen workshop results” “Three keys to success are committed leadership, resources and cultural change”

6. Baseline Questions (cont) “Lean is not seen as core to success” • What concerns do you have? • Few dedicated resources • Little to no organized process to get customer feedback on key processes • Little to no training in process mapping (critical skill) • No momentum leads to spreading cynicism and stagnation • What recommendations do you have? • Leadership should be vocal on continuous improvement and resource accordingly • State and County have accomplished Lean Programs; City should too • Need City forum (community of practice) to share best practices • Invest in workforce training that aligns with values and improvement • Use “pilot efforts” to assess if worth City-wide implementation • Need to standardize terminology and tools City-wide • Need Quality Management Systems training for managers. “Create space to adopt Lean philosophy, then train to use tools”

7. So What? Discussion

8. Now What? • “Continuous Improvement” Committee (pilot initiative) to pursue Subcabinet recommendations: • Build plan to create and share best practices? • Build plan to establish, expand training? • Build plan for collaborative governance and methodology to build process improvement capabilities City-wide? Not yet approved Continuous Improvement Committee to come back and brief on affordable, phased way ahead