Written by Brevard County implemented Lean Six Sigma projects to improve its building permit inspection process, which consists of over 40 different inspection types and an average 200-300 inspections conducted daily.
Two key projects were identified, and selected county employees were organized into teams to dissect and examine every part of the process. focused on online inspection requests and optimized inspector assignment.Â
- The online inspection requests process resulted in an online portal for permitting. The new system reduced processing time and improved customer convenience, and saved more than 2,000 hours per year for the county, while also granting customers an additional two hours to schedule inspections. Most permit applications, inspection requests and contractor licensing renewals can now be submitted through the website with instant confirmation instead of a 2-3 hour wait. Over 33% of contractors are using the new system, which frees up phone calls and staff time.
- The improved inspector assignment project was focused on ensuring the assignment of the correct inspector to the inspection based on inspection type and location. The project resulted in decreased rescheduling by 50% and increased customer satisfaction by improving coordination, better expectations and process assurances.
The county plans to continue using Lean Six Sigma for continuous process improvement, having deployed more than 20 improvement teams to examine various County processes.
Read the entire report at https://brevardfl.gov/docs/default-source/lean-six-sigma-documents/improving-inspections-space-coast-daily.pdf?sfvrsn=8148a0d7_8