San Luis Obispo County in California county recently announced a new program based on Lean Six Sigma. The program, called the Continuous Improvement Project, will focus on using data-driven tools and techniques to identify and eliminate waste, as well as increase efficiency.
The decision makes the California coastal county the latest in a series of governments to adopt a program that puts Lean Six Sigma to use in improving public services and reducing costs to taxpayers.
For example, the Colorado Department of Transportation has implemented continuous process improvement to better analyze hydraulic environments, improve roadside maintenance and a fuel purchasing that cut down on potential theft and saved $30,000 annually on paperwork alone. Other governments to use Lean Six Sigma include King County in Washington, Brevard County in Florida and the state of Nebraska.
Jimmy Paulding, who sits on the San Luis Obispo County board of supervisors, said the need for Lean Six Sigma is simple and clear.
“After all, who doesn’t want to make things more efficient, right? So, our job is to serve our constituents. Our staff are empowered to do that work, and we want to make sure they have the resources to succeed and that we’re doing it as efficiently as possible,” Paulding said in a recent county meeting.
California County Will Implement Lean Six Sigma in All Departments
San Luis Obispo County is on the coast of California, north of Santa Barbara, with 100 miles of coastline within its borders. Formed in 1850, it’s one of the 27 original counties formed in California. The country’s population is now about 282,000.
Lean Six Sigma combines the methodologies of Lean, which focuses on eliminating waste and providing value to customers, and Six Sigma, which focuses on eliminating variations in processes that lead to errors and defective products.
County officials plan to implement Lean Six Sigma training and projects within all departments. They will start with the county’s Department of Planning and Building.
“Whether you’re in the public or private sector, the issues of service and customer satisfaction reign supreme,” County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg said in a news release. “There’s no excuse for over-bureaucracy and poor performance and I’m confident this program will help us better serve our community.”
Former Kern County Administration Brings Lean to San Luis Obispo
County Administrative Officer John Nilon implemented Lean Six Sigma in Kern County when he served as County Administrative Officer there. He credited the program with saving Kern County hundreds of thousands of dollars, as well as speeding up the county’s permitting processes.
The San Luis Obispo County program will likely be modeled on the Kern County program. That program, called LaunchKern, encourages employees to improve their work environment, enhance services and save taxpayer dollars. LaunchKern is credited with saving the county $20.95 million annually, as well as saving 162.5 work hours for employees. Projects have taken place in public protection, general government, public assistance, health and sanitation, and education and recreation.
Nilon noted that dozens of local governments have turned to Lean Six Sigma to help public agencies continue to provide services while addressing the growing demand on scarce resources. He said Lean Six Sigma can not only save money by making operations more efficient, but also boost employee morale and improve the quality of services public agencies provide.
The county plans to bring in a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt to serve as a consultant, helping to guide county officials as they initiate and implement the program throughout all departments.
Paulding said the path taken by San Luis Obispo County will help officials “rethink and reformulate our County government to embrace and deliver smart changes. With limited resources and growing demands, it’s critical that we find ways to streamline processes and improve efficiency. This is where the concept of Lean Government comes in.”
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