Managing today’s weatherization program

session overview

Challenges Concepts A little theory Case study A couple tools Food for thought

Managing Today’s Weatherization Program

bpc.oppco.org

Dave FinetOpportunity Council

Director, Energy & Home Repair

• 20 years at the OC• Started as a crew member• Worked as auditor• Production coordinator• Program manager• Service area director ( 12 years)• Made just about every mistake possible

Opportunity Council

• Private non-profit community action program• Bellingham Washington• Serving a 3 county area• The agency just celebrated its 40 year

anniversary

Opportunity Council Programs

• Early Childhood Opportunities Northwest• Childcare and Family Resources• Community Services• Island County Services• Energy & Home Repair Services

Energy & Home Repair Programs

• Energy Assistance (LIHEAP/PSE)

• Weatherization• Home rehabilitation /

repair program• Indoor environmental

programs• Building Performance

Center

• 30 employees• 3 office locations• $4.6 million budget• 150 weatherization

projects• 75 home rehab projects• Fee for service

Funding

Allocated• Dept. of Energy • LIHEAP• Bonneville Power

Administration• Puget Sound Energy• Energy Matchmakers• Washington Community

Energy Fund• HOME

Competitive• CDBG• USDA• 2060• HUD Lead hazard

control

Building Performance Center

• Training– Peer Circuit Rider– Weatherization

agencies– Systems analysis– Contractors– Utilities

• Building Performance– Indoor air– Energy retrofits– Building failures– Low-income

weatherization– Consulting, design– Energy Star

Opportunity CouncilEnergy & Home Reapir

Jon MartinDevelopment Manager

Gail McDonald.5 Admin Asst.

Tamara RollinsRehab Intake

Vicki LippiattFiscal Coordinator

Chris ClayTechncial Coordinator QA

Fred KunchickTech I

Mark WickmanLead Technician

Klayton WilliamsTech I

OPENTech I

Tom BrentonLead Techncian

Jim HendrickTech I

Bob GronhovdLead Technician

Kyle WhiteProduction Manager

Adam PopaTech II

Dan CeasarWX AuditorLead Tech

Tom BungerIsland Co WX

and Home RehabCoordinator

OpenPositionProject Coordinator

Daniel HooperProject Coordinator

Paul ReavleyProject Coordinator

IT Lead

Sean SlocumHQS Specialist

John DaviesWX & Rehab Program Manager

Toby MartinezEnergy Specialist

PollyCriscoula

Energy Specialist

Claudia BassoEnergy Lead

LorenaWeisenbergerOutreach lead

Kristan JohnsonOutreach Coordinator

Debbie PattonEnergy Assistance Prog Manager

Dave FinetDirector

No Orphans A case study in systems thinking and

program revitalization

• Unhappy clients• Marginal workmanship• Not meeting production goals (closure)• Bickering staff, finger pointing• 100 open projects• Vendors not getting paid• No one taking responsibility

Weatherization program

Descriptors“Messy”“Tough”“Complicated”“Challenging”“Endless change”

Technical developments of the weatherization program

• House as a system• Blower door diagnostics• Combustion safety testing• Computerized audit tools• Ventilation• Lead Based Paint• Mold• Worker safety

Training and technical assistance investment

• Over the last 15 years there has been a lot of technical and field training but not much training or technical assistance for management.

Where has management come from?

• The ranks• Other social service programs• Private sectorAre new managers (leaders) prepared to lead

programs as complicated as weatherization?

Group exercise

• Introduce yourself to the person next to you (groups of 2 or 3)

• Where are you from?• How is your job related to weatherization

management?• From your perspective what is the biggest

challenge in managing weatherization programs?10 minutes

Challenges of management• Limited financial resources • Changing regulations• Employee

• Compensation• Training• Retention

• Development of contractor relationships• Budget development and tracking• Insurance• Risk management• Diversity of funding sources• Working within a larger agency

Keys to successfully managing today’s weatherization program

• Leadership from management• Build a team• Understanding the work• Developing key staff• Create an enjoyable work environment• Supportive personnel practices• Tracking progress at the program level• Emphasis on quality and customer satisfaction

Leadership by definition

lead·er·ship n1. the office or position of the head of a political

party or other body of people2. the ability to guide, direct, or influence people3. guidance or direction4. a group of leaders (takes a singular or plural verb)

LeadershipCreating shared vision• Guidance• Clear expectations

Role and responsibility• Planning

Long termShort termManpower planning

• ImplementationAppropriate delegationCreating shared vision

Building a Team

• Part of being a team is being able to trust and rely on your teammates. Once that trust is broken you cease to be a team, each team member walking through the motions of their own responsibility without taking advantage of the efforts and talents of the others.

Leading a team

• Successful leadership is maximizing the talent and resources available within the team to meet common goals that align with the teams values and vision.

Shared vision

• Sustainable organizations rely on leadership that can create systems and lines of communication that allow for the continual adjustment of course to achieve established goals created by the the team out of shared vision.

What is the difference between Conversation and Dialogue?

• con·ver·sa·tion n1. an informal talk with somebody, especially about opinions, ideas,

feelings, or everyday matters2. the activity of talking to somebody informally3. an informal talk about something involving representatives from various

interested groups4. an interaction with a computer carried on in real time5. a nonverbal exchange that is perceived to have the qualities of

conversation

• di·a·logue or di·a·log n1. the words spoken by characters in a book, a film, or a play, or a section of

a work that contains spoken words2. a formal discussion or negotiation, especially between opposing sides in a

political or international context

Shared vision is created through conversation

Role = responsibilitydefined

• role or rôle n1. an individual part in a play, movie, opera, or other

performance played by an actor, singer, or other performer

2. the usual or expected function of somebody or something, or the part somebody or something plays in a particular action or event

3. the part played by somebody in a given social context, with any characteristic or expected pattern of behavior that it entails

Implementationthe responsibility of Management

• The single biggest barrier to program development or success is the lack of effective implementation.

Why is it so difficult?5 Minutes

Implement - defined

• 1. to put something into effect or action• 2. to provide or equip somebody with the

tools or other means to do something (formal)

Understanding the work

• Get into the field• Observe staff in action• Contact with clients• Review projects with staff• Knowledge of program policies and

specifications

Developing key staff

• Emphasis on learning• Meaningful evaluation• Involve them in planning• Provide them with the information they need to

make decisions• Give them the authority equal to the responsibility• Utilize and further develop their strengths• Get to know them, find out what gets them excited

Key

• Your No.2 is your most important hire. Pick one who complements your management style, shows loyalty without being a yes-man, and has a talent for working with others.

Shackleton

John DaviesWeatherization & Home Repair Manager

Create an enjoyable work environment

• Surround yourself with cheerful, optimistic people. They will reward you with the loyalty and camaraderie vital for success.

• Do your part to help create an upbeat environment at work. A positive and cheerful workplace is important to productivity.

Personnel management

• Good hiring practices (hire based on values and then experience)

• Compensation• Evaluation• Professional development• Mentoring• Creating the culture

Shackleton’s Wayon hiring

• Be a creative, unconventional interviewer if you seek creative, unconventional people. Go deeper than job experience and expertise. Ask questions that reveal a candidate’s personality, values, and perspective on work and life.

• Hire those who share your vision. Someone who clashes with your personality or the corporate culture will hinder your work.

Supporting staff• To help your staff do top-notch work, give them

the best equipment you can afford. Working with outdated, unreliable tools creates an unnecessary burden.

• Always keep the door open to your staff members, and be generous with information that affects them. Well-informed employees are more eager and better prepared to participate.

Shackleton

Tracking progress at the program level

• Don’t depend on grant/fund accounting to run your business

• Provide staff with reports that make sense to them• Meet with staff and review the progress• Take the time to analyze the data

Emphasis on quality

• Make your standards clear• Identify quality when you see it, praise it• Perform in-progress inspections• Involve staff in problem resolving quality

issues• Create feedback loops

The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization

• Systems thinking• Personal mastery• Mental models• Building shared vision• Team learning

Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline

No Orphans A case study in systems thinking and

program revitalization

• Unhappy clients• Marginal workmanship• Not meeting production goals (closure)• Bickering staff, finger pointing• 100 open projects• Vendors not getting paid• No one taking responsibility

Orphan, definedor·phan n1. a child whose parents are both dead or who has been

abandoned by his or her parents, especially a child not adopted by another family

2. a young animal whose mother is dead or has abandoned it

3. an opening line of a paragraph that is also the last line on a page, cut off from the rest of the paragraph by the page break.

4. what the Opportunity Council was doing to it’s client because they didn’t have systems of accountability

(Problem)on the surface

• To many open projects– (No established goal for project completions)

• Lots of calls from unhappy clients in progress– (Gaps in quality assurance, incomplete system)

• Middle management always asking for more staff– (No routine review of production goals, unclear expectations)

• To many trips out to each household– (Lack of mentoring and monitoring by the director)

• Development of program came to a halt– (Systems were not thought out well enough in advance to implement

new technology or new programs)

(Problem)on the surface

• Vendors not getting paid– (A parent agency problem that exacerbated the other problems)

• No one taking responsibility, people problem– (Unclear roles and responsibilities)

Continuity

• Everyone was running their own program– No shared vision– Little accountability– Lack of discipline– Roles and responsibilities not clear

Power of many? or the thoughts of a few?

• As a leader I wasn’t utilizing the biggest asset I had, the power of group thinking.

• It was my responsibility to get things fixed.• I didn’t want to go through this again.

Nice guy or leader?Do you have to choose?

• Establish order and routine on the job so all workers know where they stand and what is expected of them. The discipline makes the staff feel they’re in capable hands.

• Always keep the door open to your staff members, and be generous with information that affects them. Well-informed employees are more eager and better prepared to participate.

Solutions through systems thinking

• Document individual roles and responsibilities• Consolidate contacts with clients (project coordinators

and lead technicians)• Develop a timeline for expected project closure• Establish annual and monthly production goals, review

monthly• Meet monthly and review every “open” project as a

group• Track program expenses at the program level, “real time

accounting”

Communication loops

Monthly• Safety meetings• Technician roundtable mtg.• Project Coordinators/Inspectors mtg.• Weatherization & rehab No Orphans• Emergency furnace repair No Orphans• Building Performance Center No Orphans

Communication loops

Quarterly• Energy & Home Repair Management Team mtg.

Every other month• Energy & Home Repair all staff mtg.

Annual• All day retreat with families

Opportunity CouncilEnergy & Home Reapir

Jon MartinDevelopment Manager

Gail McDonald.5 Admin Asst.

Tamara RollinsRehab Intake

Vicki LippiattFiscal Coordinator

Chris ClayTechncial Coordinator QA

Fred KunchickTech I

Mark WickmanLead Technician

Klayton WilliamsTech I

OPENTech I

Tom BrentonLead Techncian

Jim HendrickTech I

Bob GronhovdLead Technician

Kyle WhiteProduction Manager

Adam PopaTech II

Dan CeasarWX AuditorLead Tech

Tom BungerIsland Co WX

and Home RehabCoordinator

OpenPositionProject Coordinator

Daniel HooperProject Coordinator

Paul ReavleyProject Coordinator

IT Lead

Sean SlocumHQS Specialist

John DaviesWX & Rehab Program Manager

Toby MartinezEnergy Specialist

PollyCriscoula

Energy Specialist

Claudia BassoEnergy Lead

LorenaWeisenbergerOutreach lead

Kristan JohnsonOutreach Coordinator

Debbie PattonEnergy Assistance Prog Manager

Dave FinetDirector

Staffing rules of thumb

• Managers should supervise no more than 6 supervisors

• Construct a progressive skill set for staff to achieve, so staff are ready for promotion

• Hire from within whenever possible• Don’t put staff in positions they are not ready for• Schedule regular meetings, don’t cancel

Quality Assurance

• Separate quality assurance and production• Quality assurance staff are responsible for training

Their role is to not only identify quality issues but to work with staff and management to

resolve them.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Objective:

ｷｷ To communicate the team philosophy of Energy and Home Repair Services Management.

ｷｷ Clarify roles and responsibilities of team members.

ｷｷ Build a common vision of how we need to work together and interact to effectively deliver our services and meet our goals.

Project Coordinators

1) Develop a well thought out project plan that meets the clients needs, achievable

by the crews and reasonably within our funding parameters

2) Communicate the project plan to the lead tech prior to the start of the project.

3) Identify potential obstacles with the project, major repairs, lead issues ect.

4) Coordinate subcontractors so they don’t interfere with crew progress.

5) Check in daily with the lead tech on the progress of the project, see what you can

do to help.

6) Solicit input on the project plan from the lead and QA, be thick skinned.

7) Be part of the job, support your lead tech, they may be out sick tomorrow, have

you kept up on the progress of the job well enough to support the techs that

backup the lead?

8) Check in on-site at your projects with the lead when there are contentious or

complicated issues or diffi cult processes.

9) Pre order any specialty items and check with the person doing inventory and

purchasing to make sure the necessary materials are in stock.

10) Have an expectation you wil l receive training and technical assistance, from

quali ty assurance, project coordinators and the program manager.

1) Communicate your needs to the program manager.

Tools

• Spreadsheets that track monthly progress, both financial and individual production

• Establish a rate• Standardize and consolidate forms

Planning

• Agency strategic plan• Energy & Home Repair strategic plan• Annual production plan• Annual staff plan• Individual staff plans• Budget development

Program accountability

• Every program should be able to answer….• How many units will you do this year?• How many units will you do this month?• What is your average cost per unit?• How many utility $ do you average per unit?• What is your program goal or timeline for

completing a project?• If you have crews, on average how many days does

it take to complete a unit?

Dave Finet

dave_finet@oppco.org

bpc.oppco.org