| Subject: Lean-Six Sigma in Dearborn County |
Author:
Rudy Howard (equity, efficiency and accountability)
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Date Posted: 10:49:23 06/29/12 Fri
Woodrow Wilson (1887) called for the work of government to be done with "the utmost possible efficiency and the least possible cost either in money or energy." Wilson was, for all intensive purposes, calling for the same mechanization of government that was taking place in industry at the time. The idea of Scientific Management was the foundation of this drive for mechanization, and people like Henry Ford were using these principles to change the world. I feel they can be used to fix our local government in Dearborn County.
One need only study the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana for the example. A study of the City and Graham Richard will tell you all you need to know. Richard was elected mayor of Fort Wayne in 1999. With a population of around 200,000 Fort Wayne, was(is) the 2nd largest city in the state of Indiana. Richard was dedicated to the idea of using Lean Six Sigma to transform the way the City operated.
Lean is a modern manufacturing method that uses time and motions studies to improve efficiency. Six Sigma is a statistical process control system that uses the scientific method to eliminate errors and improve quality. Lean Six Sigma, a hybrid of both systems, is the modern incarnation of Taylor's idea. Lean Six Sigma calls for the use of the DMAIC cycle. DMAIC stands for: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. The DMAIC cycle is clearly in keeping with Taylor's ideal.
Richard rolled out his program in February of 2000. He pushed to rewrite job descriptions to allow for cross-functionality, and pushed waves of city employees through training. He called for 10-20% of trained employees time and corresponding city resources to be spent on improvement projects. Within three years the City had twenty employees trained as Expert "Black belts" and forty mid-level "Green belts."
The training and concentrated effort worked. Within four years, the City was able to save over $3 million dollars through sixty successful projects in every department in the city. The City was able to increase fire inspections by 23% without adding manpower. Potholes that once took days or weeks to repair, now took less than 24 hours in 77% of cases. Complaint calls to the parks and recreation department were down 33%. Before the project it took an average of fifty days to get a building permit and that time was reduced to twelve days. Other projects addressed community development, water pollution, traffic control, and solid waste. Using the modern incarnation of Taylors theory, Fort Wayne has decreased cost, improved services, provided better stewardship of the public trust, and empowered its workforce.
Dearborn County needs this type of change. The City of Fort Wayne, Indiana provides an illustration of the theories relevance in today's public sector organization. The core of Taylor's principles are clearly still being used today. Yet, Taylor would not recognize today's Scientific management. The worker is no longer a mindless drown, but an integral part of the formulation of the work they do. The Chinese have a proverb that states, "tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand." Fort Wayne illustrates how today's Scientific Management can improve both outcomes for the organization and the overall employee experience at the same time. This County is wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, and it must stop! I believe it's time we all call on our local government to bring Lean-Six Sigma to Dearborn County.
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