The staff at a bureau within a large NYC municipal agency did not have an effective approach to managing the increasing burden of email. As a result, work piled up and deadlines slipped. People were overwhelmed and felt as though they had no control over their jobs. The staff was taught how to apply lean […]
Thibodaux Regional Medical Center (TRMC) in Louisiana started to apply Six Sigma and change management methods to a range of clinical and operational issues. In October 2004, one project that clearly aligned with the hospital’s strategic plan was an initiative to reduce nosocomial or hospital-acquired pressure ulcers. The project to address this issue was approved by […]
Written by Brion
A Six Sigma project was conducted with the Fort Worth Habitat for Humanity (now called Trinity) to reduce the cycle time from Final Inspection to Permanent Electric Meter being set for new homeowners. The goal was to reduce the time from an average of 15 days down to 10 business days, to reduce the homeowners […]
Written by Brion
DES MOINES – Sallie Nostwich admits she felt a small shock on March 16 when she and six colleagues in the Department of Personnel training bureau were told their manager was not going to be replaced. With that, Nostwich, Glen Howard, Cathy Mallard, Kumari Riedemann, Rachel Miller, Mike Elliott and Jonnie Wright were pushed onto […]
Written by Brion
DES MOINES – Caught in the crossfire of nagging deficits and taxpayers clamoring for relief, state officials have occasionally responded with a magic bullet called privatization. With budget pressures building, legislators and Gov. Terry Branstad appear poised to reload, aim and fire again in hopes of hitting their target of a streamlined, cost-effective government. But […]
Written by Brion
DES MOINES – The push to do more with less is leading state agencies to rethink their shapes and the way employees perform their jobs. The trend has not been completely voluntary: legislation passed five months ago has ordered a halving of middle management positions within two years. Since 1986, departments have been through restructuring […]
Written by Brion
Note: The following article was an insert within a larger article about TQM at the State of Iowa. DES MOINES – Steve Wall paces back and forth at the front of the meeting room at Iowa Lutheran Hospital, amusing and captivating his audience of mid-level state employees with a story about a mythical work force […]
Written by Brion
DES MOINES – Iowa state government is in the early stages of a quiet evolution. It is a quest for a new way of doing business under the banner of a native son’s brainchild called “Total Quality Management.” Among its ardent fans are three-term Gov. Terry Branstad and most of state government’s top echelon. Hoping […]
Written by Brion