Striving to Improve

A continuous improvement project brought to you by Mike Harvey on behalf of the citizens and employees of St. Louis County.

What is Continuous Improvement(CI)?

Continuous Improvement in government is; process improvement that improves our lives, and the quality of service for the citizens we serve.

Why Continuous Improvement?

• Proven methods that work based on lean principles

• Needs, wants & desires of all stakeholders

• Goals are measured (SMART goals) Specific, Measurable, Action Oriented, Reasonable, Timely

• Follow up is scheduled at fixed intervals. 30-60-90 days

CI Tool box – many more as well• Lean tools

− Identifying wastes (TIMWOODS)−Problem solving sessions (many types)− 5 Why’s (root cause)

• A-3 Project Charter (for guidance)• Kaizen Event (The meeting room)

Our Continuous Improvement Project:

• Abatements help correct objective errors in the assessment.

• Some refer to them as tax refunds.

• Specifically we deal with classification & Valuation errors.

• Auditors refund or adjust the tax burden.

Streamlining the abatement process!

Here’s the skinny

Geographic issues – skinny contd.• Our processes weren’t streamlined or

transparent.

• We had 4 offices separated by distance & technology.

• With 7,000 square miles of Northern Real estate to efficiently assess, this was a big problem.

• We are close to Canada…. JK Love you Travis ;)

Goal

• Develop transparent procedures for the new abatement policy that have fewer steps and are simpler to follow; achieve greater understanding of the policy / procedures and how to consistently apply them in our multiple offices.

Main Goals of CI in government work• Get rid of processes that don’t add value! While

continuing to perform our legal obligations.

• Remove waste:− TIMWOODS

• Transport – Moving people, paper & information• Inventory – Storing paper & documents (physical vs. digital)• Motion – Extra bending, turning, walking, reaching & lifting• Waiting – for paper, instructions or other people to sign

something• Overproduction -- Making more than is immediately

required. • Over-Processing -- (extra sign offs) • Defects -- Reworking the process or having incorrect

documentation• Skills- Not utilizing staff creativity or delegating tasks without

correct training first.

A-3 Project Charter

Stakeholders

Getting Quick Wins

Results

Some of our successes

The cycle starts over

• After 90-120 days of implementation, we ask if there are changes that can make our processes even better.

Benefits of CI!• We need to rid government of bureaucracy at

the service level.• There is always a way to make things more

efficient for your customers, while empowering your employees to be proficient.

• Meaningful work respects everyone’s time with autonomy to complete processes in an efficient way.

Benefits! – Contd.• This provides value to everybody involved in

the process because employees are empowered to provide value rather than worry about meaningless tasks.

• Your customers will take notice through the improved attitudes all around.

• They will understand the timeline and thank you for your responsiveness.

Additional Tidbits• Process improvements & paper solutions

should always be looked at first before a large technology overhaul. Sometimes the large investment in technology doesn’t pay off for the scope of the project.

• Don’t put the cart before the horse!

Another great tidbit- ok I will quit talking• It’s better to approach CI from an incremental

people centric perspective. This is especially true in government where the process gets engrained into a person’s identity. Sensitivity about these considerations is important. People shouldn’t feel intimidated or replaceable.

Special Thanks!• Linnea Mirsch – Deputy Administrator, Budget &

Operations, St. Louis County, MN

• Dave Sipila – County Assessor, St. Louis County, MN

• Michael Stalberger – Taxpayer Services Director, Blue Earth County, MN

• Teresa Mitchell & Scott Lyons- Dakota County Assessing Services team, Hastings, MN