| p>Today's municipalities face unprecedented | | | | make up and facilitate the delivery of city services. It |
| challenges. The public's resistance to tax increases has | | | | enables and supports those who perform each |
| resulted in flat tax revenues which contribute to | | | | process and know it most intimately to streamline and |
| perennial budget shortfalls. Compounding the problem, | | | | cut the wastes of time and resources from the |
| state governments are struggling with billion dollar | | | | process itself, a little at a time. |
| deficits of their own reducing the givebacks to city and | | | | The Lean program is not accomplished by creating |
| county governments making it necessary for these | | | | more work for already overburdened city employees. |
| government entities to do more with less. Concerned | | | | Rather, it is a liberating program. It simply allows |
| city leaders searching for an answer will be interested | | | | workers to use their creative genius to do their jobs |
| in a highly successful management approach that has | | | | more effectively and more efficiently. |
| been recently accepted in government. The approach | | | | The power of lean is derived from the speed and |
| is based on the work of quality guru W. Edwards | | | | flexibility of its approach and the involvement of all |
| Deming who repeatedly demonstrated that excellence | | | | employees. Because employees are encouraged to |
| can be achieved at the least cost through process | | | | recommend change and participate in implementing |
| improvement. | | | | change, they buy in to the Lean process. |
| While originally implemented in manufacturing, these | | | | LEAN PRODUCES THE SAME RESULTS FOR |
| process improvement principles have proven equally | | | | EVERY INDUSTRY |
| applicable to service industries, including government. | | | | Contrary to popular belief, Lean thinking is not just a |
| City workers must rely on broken processes to | | | | manufacturing strategy nor is it a headcount reduction |
| accomplish their tasks and provide value to the | | | | program. It is a continuous improvement strategy with |
| customer. Deming' s approach, dubbed "Lean Thinking" | | | | universal application because its emphasis is on |
| (by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of | | | | improving processes. The Lean Approach puts the |
| Technology) for its ability to do more with less, | | | | customer first, increases employee involvement, and |
| focuses on removing unnecessary non-value added | | | | creates a workplace that actively supports and |
| steps within these processes. | | | | nurtures real ongoing improvement. |
| DOING MORE WITH LESS | | | | Lean applications have been effective and successful |
| Many organizations in today's economy face a similar | | | | in every industry in which they have been applied |
| do-more-with-less challenge. Interestingly, those who | | | | including service industries such as banking, law |
| are successfully meeting it, regardless of industry, | | | | enforcement, insurance, uniformed services, city, |
| share a commonality - the focus on process | | | | county and state government agencies, service |
| improvement. This approach to improving performance | | | | bureaus, and most recently, health care. When tailored |
| and efficiency (doing more) while using the minimum | | | | to the individual organization's specific needs and |
| amount of resources (with less) is called "Lean." Lean | | | | systemically applied, Lean Process Improvement has |
| Process Improvement does not relate to layoffs or | | | | produced the same outcomes, regardless of industry:o |
| downsizing. Rather, the Lean approach focuses on | | | | Increased performanceo Increased delivery |
| doing more with existing resources. | | | | effectivenesso Cost savingso Increased employee |
| WHAT IS LEAN? | | | | satisfactiono Increased customer satisfaction/quality |
| Lean is a program of organizational improvement that | | | | CONCLUSIONS |
| empowers each and every worker in your | | | | Lean management is not a new concept in city |
| organization. The essence of lean thinking is to engage | | | | government. The cities of Fort Wayne, Indiana and |
| staff members responsible for the work in redesigning | | | | Grand Rapids, Michigan have implemented Lean and |
| it, keeping in mind the need to provide the best possible | | | | achieved some outstanding results in reducing costs |
| product or service to your customers and to increase | | | | and cycle time. There is no question that differences |
| their personal performance and job satisfaction | | | | exist between a manufactured product and a city |
| through process improvement. Lean engages | | | | service. But common similarities exist in the value |
| everyone in streamlining their work processes by | | | | delivery systems of city services and a manufacturing |
| identifying and eliminating the steps within the process | | | | operation, delivery systems made up of complex |
| that are wasteful. | | | | processes. Because all work is a process, many |
| Lean is based on the customer's perception of value. In | | | | aspects of process improvement methodologies and |
| Lean if a process step or activity is something that the | | | | other Lean tools can and do apply to city government |
| customer is willing to pay for then it does not add | | | | processes. |
| value. In other words if the step doesn't increase the | | | | Forward thinking City Managers recognize both the |
| form or function of the product or service it is | | | | application and the implication Lean has for improving |
| non-value-added or in the language of Lean waste. | | | | city government operations. Lean's history of delivering |
| HOW DOES LEAN WORK IN CITY | | | | process improvements in every industry that has |
| GOVERNMENT? | | | | applied the concepts demonstrates the wide-ranging |
| Lean partners city workers from every department | | | | utility of its principles. |
| and at every level to improve the processes that | | | | |