Case Studies

Case Study #5

Rapid commercial development had completely overwhelmed the City's ability to provide development services, and demand continued to increase
Dysfunctional, confrontational relations with developers, City Council and other City Departments
Unacceptably long plan review cycle time
Huge backlog for plan review
Very few documented and standardized procedures
Extensive quality problems with building inspections, permits and planning procedures
Workers had not been trained to provide consistent service
Very low morale

Completed organizational assessment to determine critical business issues from internal and external perspectives
Developed Department Strategic Plan that initiated crisis management on some of the more pressing issues (e.g., complaints from developers)
Refined organizational reporting structure and formal chain of command
Mapped and streamlined development services processes, established format for documenting Standard Operating Procedures
Completed "Work Analysis" studies on the front counter, building inspections and plan check work groups to determine proper staffing levels.
Trained all supervisors on "High Performance Management System"
Implemented performance measurement and accountability system for each department
Implemented "Employee Performance Management Process"

Complaints from developers to City Council were eliminated in the first week
All complaints from developers were eliminated in the first 30 days. Received numerous unsolicited commendations from developers within the same timeframe.
Significantly increased number of permits granted by front counter staff, thus freeing up skilled technical staff
Permit accuracy improved form 60% to 95% in two months, significantly reducing staff rework and reducing customer complaints
Percentage of front counter customers receiving service in less than five minutes has increased from 66% to 79%.
Increased capacity, technical expertise, capabilities and quality control in Plan Review work group