Action Plan - CitiTech Systems Inc.

This Action Plan was developed following a survey of public works and street superintendents. It incorporates the major issues, suggested solutions and proven management techniques. It assumes budget cuts, increased workloads, increased operating costs and the desire to improve responsiveness are the major issues facing street departments today.

It also assumes community support, especially among city councils or county commissions. Without this support, operational managers are unable to effect change. Change is a difficult process and there is a tendency to remain status quo. But, the old ways of doing business won't work today. Cities are no longer just allocate funds between departments and operate in today's economy. City decision makers from the mayor and city council to the department heads must adopt a proactive approach to improve operations and save money.

And finally, this plan assumes implementation must be a simple process. Superintendents operate with limited time and money. They have a job to do and can't spend unreasonable amounts of time or money re-inventing their departments.

This Action Plan supports five objectives:

The Plan:

Gather your department together and discuss the issues. Your staff is interested, because these are issues that can affect their jobs. They can be your best source of information on how you can improve operations and productivity because they are the folks that do most of the work.

The whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. A single wagon was vulnerable on the prairie in the 1800's. Many single wagons joined together to form a wagon train and the team effort was superior to many independent efforts.

It's time to circle the wagons. For too long, managers have managed and workers worked. We need to develop a team spirit that promotes involvement from everyone in the department. Like the old wagon master, the superintendent leads. But, also like the wagon master, the superintendent must get everyone involved to make it work.

This is a team-building philosophy. Superintendents complained about the difficulty in finding quality, dedicated personnel. The major difference between successful and unsuccessful organizations isn't necessarily the skill level, but rather the motivation level... the team attitude and personal commitment of the people involved. People joined wagon trains, but the wagon master (leader) built a team that worked together for a common goal.

Stop the Bleeding!

Take immediate action to control costs. Increased costs are bleeding your organization. Even if it takes extra effort, you have to get a grip on costs and cost centers. This requires a management focus.

You have to know where your costs are and which operations are cost centers. If your computer system can't provide it, you need to demand "operational" information, not "accounting" information from your finance office. You must stop the bleeding before you can heal the patient. You can't stop the bleeding if you don't know what is causing it. "Accounting" information from the finance office normally doesn't provide the detailed cost information needed to effectively manage the department.

A typical street department can be bleeding from several areas. Cost control identifies those areas. A docture can't cure the patient unless he knows the cause of the illness. Likewise, the superintendent can't control costs unless he or she knows what costs are impacting on the department.

Cost control is the single most important factor in improving operations. It doesn't mean laying off people, because skilled people are your most important asset. It means evaluating your organization in terms of cost/benefit ratios and determining inefficient operations. Since many times, inefficient government services cannot simply be abandoned, it becomes the responsibility of the department head to provide the service with the maximum efficiency possible.

Plan for the Future

Most cities acknowledged they lack a comprehensive long-term plan for their departments. It's been said that "If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail". Today, citites can't afford the luxury of business as usual and, unless viable, long-term planning is adopted as the standard, the situation will continue to deteriorate.

An entire course of study is devoted to "organizational development" The details of that study are beyond the scope of this report, but some of the basic principles are offered to address specific issues voiced by superintendents and others.

Develop A Plan: Actually, several plans need to be developed: A five-year Master Plan, an Operational Plan and an Information Plan, just to name a few.

Departments recognize the importance of planning and several placed planning as a major goal. But, it's an awesome task... and where do we start? While each department will have different goals and objectives, basic planning principles still apply: Assess the problem, Plan a course of action, Implement action and Evaluate the results. After evaluation, make necessary changes to the plan and start the process again.

The Five Year Master Plan: This is a long-range plan. It assesses department needs, responsibilities and operations. It projects resources against future demands such as capital improvements, equipment needs, manpower needs and other factors. Without a Five-Year Master Plan, the department lacks a roadmap to the future. It's like charting a course in the ocean without any idea where you want to go.

The Operational Plan: What are you doing right... and what are you doing wrong? Operationally-speaking, what can you do, both short-term and long-term, to improve operations and be more responsive and efficient?

The Information Plan: Departments are computerizing and installing software in an attempt to improve operations and management control. But, past efforts have been ineffective, "patchwork" solutions. Lack of a comprehensive, "Big Picture" Information Plan allows software systems to become fragmented, costly and cumbersome.

To illustrate: Lacking a comprehensive plan results in several, independently operating software applications to be operating. One application handles fleet management issues, another payroll, and yet another pavement management. Each system has its own method of data collection. Each prints it's own reports. Each performs a specific function... but it doesn't share that information with any other system!

If an employee spends two hours fixing a pothole at 123 Main Street, uses some equipment and inventory, the "patchwork" approach could require up to five separate systems to record the activity. One for labor costs, another for equipment, another for inventory, another for pavement management, and yet another for work orders.

Not only does this require duplicate data entry (promoting the possibility of data errors), it fragments the information. It would be virtually impossible to analyze pothole repair costs because information is scattered across several separate software applications.

An Information Plan takes a "Big Picture" view of the department. What does a department do and what tasks or functions are involved in each activity (i.e., fixing a pothole). Integrating those tasks into activities puts mission-essential information at the manager's fingertips.

Unfortunately, the Information Age is its own worst enemy. We have come to rely on information to make decisions, but we haven't learned how to use it. We are inundated with Information from all sources; so much, in fact, that we can't analyze it all. An Information Plan helps identify critical information needs and provides for a comprehensive way to collect, manage and use information.

Set Goals and Objectives: While it's not necessary to re-invent the department, this may be one of the most important tasks. Analyzing operations and systems can not only be a time-consuming process, it can also become unwieldy and cumbersome. It tends to take on a life of its own and without a clear set of goals and objectives (with timetables), the project may never get done.

Prioritize: Set priorities (with time tables) and stick to them. What is the most important thing you can do to do a better job? Which projects or activities are the most important? Prioritizing activities gives you the tools to allocate resources most effectively and efficiently.

Recognize Achievement!

The objective is to build a cohesive team that works together and accomplishes common goals. An effective achievement program is more than just a suggestion box or an annual awards ceremony. It is a living, viable program that encourages excellence on a daily basis.

Recognizing achievement doesn't mean just "doing the job". It implies an active effort to improve the process, doing things better, faster, at less cost. It's the recognition that counts! People become more involved and take a greater interest in the outcome, if they truly believe they are appreciated. True recognition is a powerful weapon and it yields immediate results.

The government and corporate America have adopted a variety of programs to recognize achievement. Some work, some don't. The underlying factor that influences a successful TQM (Total Quality Management) program is how it's administered. Programs that entail layers of bureaucracy and committees to evaluate suggestions and proposals aren't as effective as an immediate, low-level response to the employee.

Listening and responding to ideas is the key. Immediate and sincere recognition by peers and management encourages more ideas. Even if the idea can't be implemented due to cost or other factor doesn't diminish the positive aspects of the effort. Someone cared enough to offer a new idea. He or she should be recognized immediately and sincerely.

If the idea results in costs savings, streamlines operations or improves service, compensation or other bonus should be considered. But, we've found that while "money talks", the most successful TQM programs are built on "Quality Circles" where pride, intra-department competition and complete employee involvement are encouraged.


	Action Plan