The mission of LeanOhio is to make government services in Ohio simpler, faster, better, and less costly. Using the improvement methods of Lean and Six Sigma, Ohio's state agencies are cutting red tape, removing inefficiencies, improving customer service, and achieving measurable results. 

The LeanOhio Network includes hundreds of state employees who have been involved in Kaizen events and other improvement projects. Many have earned Lean certifications. The Network includes state employee unions and members who promote Lean, improve processes, and partner with the state to teach Lean tools and strategies.

At the Office of Quality Improvement, Cotter developed organizational excellence services, including project management, process improvement, and change management. She also coordinated the development and implementation of UW-Madison’s strategic plan over the course of 20 years. She now works as a special assistant in the Division of Continuing Studies.

The government’s main goals are to:

• Improve the satisfaction of Nakano residents / constituents by delivering excellent customer service
• Improve the satisfaction of Nakano-ku employees
• Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of city hall

Mr. Nagata explained that the ward delivers on its goals is by developing people to work self-reliantly to improve the satisfaction of constituents. In order for employees to “give great satisfaction” to constituents, employees must enjoy what they are doing!

I was one of the founding board members on the ASQ Public Sector Network (now the ASQ Government Division). I also, created and have maintained the Public Sector Continuous Improvement web site for a decade (some additional details on my background).

There have been many great efforts in the government, but still so much more needs to be done. 

 Here are articles exploring what has been done:

• Doing More With Less in the Public Sector: A Progress Report from Madison, Wisconsin by William G. Hunter, Jan O’Neill, and Carol Wallen
• Transformation and Redesign at the White House Communications Agency by March Laree Jacques

Governor Gina M. Raimondo signed an executive order that will mandate the use of Lean principles and methods in state government.

As mayor, Jarrett experimented with Deming’s approach in the public sector. As a result, the city reduced its budget by 20 percent while improving and increasing services. For example, through process improvement, the city’s permitting team slashed the time for approving most re-model permits from 90 days to only three days.

“Deming’s influence lives on in any team or organization seeking to continuously improve. Two decades after his passing, his insights remain fresh, relevant and, all too often, astonishing to those new to his work.”

 

City Manager Tommy Gonzalez began implementing the Lean Six Sigma program in Irving, Texas, in 2006. As a result of eliminating unnecessary steps in city operations, he says the city is performing services more quickly, departments are working cooperatively, and morale is higher among city employees. American City & County Contributing Editor Jennifer Grzeskowiak spoke with Gonzalez about the effects Lean Six Sigma has had in Irving.

Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center:

the Tanker Division utilized an array of process improvement tools to facilitate improvements while increasing quality, efficiency and safety; thus enabling them to become the benchmark effort in lean implementation for Tinker Air Force Base. The results were dramatic: within four years, the average yearly flow time for a KC-135 PDM dropped 52%, the number of aircraft on station (WIP) decreased 49%, and capacity increased 75%.

The legendary sage of quality control, now halfway through his 88th year, appears to think not. Last week in an Arlington conference hall, he devoted four days to lecturing 420 senior Pentagon officials on how the "Deming Way" could build efficiency and morale in the nation's armed forces. It was his first foray into this most formidable of Washington bureaucracies, part of continuing efforts there to stretch resources and reduce waste.

In his trademark rumpled suit and crusty voice, Deming expounded his gospel of "doing it right the first time," bringing rank-and-file employees into the decision-making process, of using statistical analysis to track down and eradicate faults in a production line. He sketched graphs on a projection system. He paced the podium. Pregnant pauses abounded, in which the master gazed enigmatically at the assemblage of note-scribblers. There were generals and admirals among them, but few in the audience had the courage to raise questions.

These days there is a considerable amount of discussion on new ideas for improving quality and productivity in organizations and the need for a complete transformation of the way these organizations are managed. Such discussions are almost always couched in terms of organizations in the private sector. There are compelling reasons for believing that significant improvements in quality and productivity can also be made in organizations in the public sector. This report describes some experiences gained in city and state governments in Madison, Wisconsin, in using these new methods and provides some practical guidelines for getting started elsewhere.