Making the Invisible Visibleat Spokane County

May 21, 2015

John DicksonChief Operations Officer

Spokane County

jdickson@spokanecounty.org

(509) 477-5770

Big Change Ain’t Easy…

Source: Scott Adams, Inc., Dilbert Takes On Transformational Change

The System of Government

Very Visible!

Politics

Policy

Performance (the ‘pipes’)

People

Big impact...

Huge ideas!

Source: Ken Miller, Where Change Really Happens in Government Service to Customers

Mostly

Invisible

Our System Improvement

Focus

First see and

then unkink

our ‘pipes’ so

our customers

get what they

value more

quickly!

Politics

Policy

Performance (the ‘pipes’)

People

Huge ideas!

Big impact...

Service to CustomersSource: Ken Miller, Where Change Really Happens in Government

Our System Improvement

Methodology…

Step 1 – Training (and

Forced ‘Doing’)

Step 2– Making Our ‘Pipes’

and Projects Visible

Step 4 – Making Our

System Performance Visible

Step 3 – Making Our

System Direction Visible

Step 1 – Training

(and Forced ‘Doing’) 4-Week Lean Leadership Course

Session 1 – Lean Basics (see the ‘waste’)

Session 2 – Process Management (see the ‘pipes’ and the projects)

Session 3 – Visual Management/Daily Huddles (see the ‘pipes’ unkinking)

Session 4 – Lean Leadership (see leaders leading ‘pipe’ unkinking activities)

12 courses completed with over 200 graduates to date!

Goal: Create skilled problem solvers

Problem-Solving Storyboard

Step 2 – Visible ‘Pipes’ and

Projects (and Forced ‘Doing’)

Visual management and daily huddles

Goal: Create skilled process and project managers

Superior Court Family Law

Self-Help Resource Board

“The Resource Board is brilliant! Many

of my clients have raved about it being

so helpful and self-directing.”

Madeline Kardong, The Mediation Center

Step 3 – Visible System

Direction (Strategic Planning)

County and department projects aligned to objectives

Goal: Create skilled strategic leaders

Commissioner

Todd Mielke

District 1

Commissioner

Al French

District 3

Commissioner

Shelly O’Quinn

District 2

Strategy Deployment

Step 4 – Visible System

Performance

County Improvements Portal launched in February 2014

Create skilled system performance managers

Internally-

developed

intranet site

Projects and

performance

visible to staff

https://apps.spokanecounty.org/CookieAuth.dll?GetLogon?curl=Z2FprocessimprovementdashboardZ2F&reason=0&formdir=3

402

Projects!

Visible Success Stories…

(Within Our ‘House’)

Changing

our internal

stories =

changing

our culture

82

Success

Stories!

Visible Success Stories…

(Within Our ‘Neighborhood’)

Changing

our external

stories =

changing our

public’s

perception

Positive

Press!

Self-Insured Worker’s

Compensation Success Story2013 vs. 2014

Time Loss (TL) Paid

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/jul/29/bringing-injured-workers-back-for-light-duty-a/

$242K

Savings

in 2014

Parks and Recreation Special

Event Permit Success Story

2013 Customer Experience…

= 13.6 days …

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jan/02/spokane-county-coo-dickson-makes-gains-in/

= 1.1 days !

■ 2014 Customer Experience…

Our Performance Excellence

Framework - Baldrige

In 2014, 22 Spokane County leaders completed Baldrige

Examiner Training (by PENW)

Goal: Create skilled system leaders

A Final Thought…

Thank You!