Breaking the Paradox
do MORE with less
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More often than not, when public-sector organizations feel the pinch of tightened budgets, their most common responses have been to “downsize” staff or to reduce services. By employing operational analysis (also known as “industrial engineering”), public works providers may gain a clearer understanding of how their service levels and budget objectives align with current operational processes, materials, and structures.
While many cities, counties, and other public agencies employ internal experts to manage public works operations, they generally are too busy and understaffed to undertake in-depth analyses of their operations. And, as a result, they reduce their services or cut staff.
An operational analysis includes comparing business processes with several variables—frequency of service, equipment used, new technologies, new products, locations of service or storage, best practices, and industry standards. This analysis and assessment may identify opportunities for improvements that will result in more cost-effective operations—and not necessarily include a choice between downsizing staff or reducing services.
Analyzing snow plow operations may result in less human hours for the same level of service by using new materials for de-icing or more efficient driver/route distribution. The increased efficiency may also result in less drive hours, increasing safety, and reducing costly overtime.
Performing an in-depth investigation of street sweeping operations may reveal that developing and implementing structured maintenance and repair schedules for equipment will reduce machine down-time and keep more “sweepers” in operation.
Studying alternative approaches to maintenance and spring pavement repair due to unsightly and dangerous potholes may result in using newer products that produce longer pavement life, and structured maintenance schedules.
Analysis at Work
Whether a community is as large as San Francisco, moderate-sized as Sioux Falls, S.D., or a smaller community with a population of 1,500 people or less, conducting an operational analysis may yield impressive cost and time savings.
With nearly 800,000 citizens, the City of San Francisco certainly is not exempt from budget and service concerns. The City hired SEH’s Public Works Solutions Team to assess the City’s street sweeping operations, which includes more than 70 street sweeping vehicles and an aggressive operations schedule. The study will compare San Francisco’s current street sweeping methods, routes, sweeping frequency, types of equipment, shop locations, and other criteria against best practices and industry standards.
The same principles that SEH is implementing in San Francisco’s street sweeping operational analysis apply to a variety of public-sector services, from snow plowing to streetlight maintenance. The operational analysis offered by SEH’s Public Works Solutions Team comes from a team of former municipal and public works staff.
As the former Director of Public Works for the City of Minneapolis, Dave Sonnenberg understands the pressure to deliver maximum service on minimal budgets. “It’s pretty easy to keep measuring success by focusing solely on schedule and budget, which are important operational components of any size community,” SEH Client Service Director Dave Sonnenberg said. “But if the operation as a whole can be improved on the front end, those schedules and budgets will fall into line more easily.”
Collectively, the Public Works Solutions Team has more than 300 years of experience as public works directors, managers, or staff, and has first-hand knowledge of the challenges of managing and improving operations to meet budget constraints.
Contact SEH Client Service Director Dave Sonnenberg at 612.758.6714 for additional information.
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