Cool Ideas from Client Engagements
by Connie Nelson

Connie highlights the Zoom for Change (a partnership between Outside Edge and Present Dynamics, Inc.) process improvement approach that helped the State of Iowa reinvent key service systems. Connie Nelson is an expert public-sector consultant helping clients world-wide.

Iowans Innovate --- Using Zoom for Change

This month I am highlighting a process improvement approach the State of Iowa is using with great success.

I like to start with results. Here's a sampling of the results realized from front line teams using Zoom inside Iowa:

General Services Contracting Process - The redesigned process now takes 22 days on average, down from 70 days! And, the team's idea to use a "purchasing card" (P-card) for paying contractor invoices is estimated to save as much as $1.45 million / year once implemented.

Public Safety Travel Expense Reporting - The team proved that 88% of airfare prices went up $170/trip during the average wait time of 10 days for executive council pre-approval. Eliminating this upper level approval is estimated to save $363,000 in travel expenses each year.

Public Health Vital Records - The team worked closely with internal customers to develop a streamlined paternity affidavit process, including a new single-page form. The improvements have reduced the process time from 12 days to five. The team continues to test additional ideas, such as hospitals using laptops to gather paperless birth certificate information.

Public Health Licensing - Social worker license wait-time was reduced from 21 to 2 days - and on-line renewal received an overwhelmingly positive response from customers.

Workforce Development Customer Registration Process - Job seekers now register directly into the system, saving about $130,000/ year in staff entry and review. This direct entry has freed up 4,000 days of advisor time across the state to spend with Iowans looking for jobs.

Veterans' Home Incident Reporting - The reporting turn-around time dropped from 54 days to 2 days. The web-based reporting system offers managers with customized data needed to spot safety trends. "Our Zoom team was given a process that had been worked on by another team for over three years with no improvement. The team spent less than a month and reduced the incident report turnaround time by 52 days!" (verbatim client quote)

Let's explore the story behind this last example. In 2004, the Iowa Veterans Home had a cumbersome "Incident Report Process" that started when an incident - such as a patient falling - occurred. The process "ended" when the report was filed, on average 54 days later. A team of managers had spent three years trying to improve the Incident Reports Process with little progress. Then, management sponsors and a six-member employee team from four departments participated in a Zoom For Change process. The team identified - as one reason for the long turnaround time - the organization's belief that state auditors and Iowa code required seven management signatures on each Incident Report. The next day, the team's research proved that only one signature was required—and that it could be electronic. They quickly implemented a web-based Incident Report that now takes less than 2 days to complete! More importantly, the system can customize data reports to enable managers to proactively identify and respond to emerging safety-related issues.

What makes Zoom different from other approaches?

To me, what differentiates the Zoom process from other process improvement techniques is its focused work with a team's authorizer(s), or sponsor, prior to the process improvement work itself. Zoom facilitators work with anyone willing to raise his or her hand and say- "I have an idea for a process that needs improvement." Zoom is especially committed to working with front-line teams. But first, Zoom facilitators go up the chain of command to reach the highest-level sponsor(s) of the process to be improved - to ensure alignment of vision and purpose. If a process crosses organizational lines, Zoom must engage the sponsor who transcends the process. (The authorizing sponsor is the single individual who has authority over the time, money, and personnel required to make the changes.) In one case that involved multiple agencies, Iowa Governor Vilsack himself was the ultimate sponsor!

This up front alignment helps position the subsequent process improvement work team for success. Overall, the three basic elements of Zoom methodology are -

Leadership Consultation and Training
As stated, first sponsors work to align specific change initiatives with the organization's strategic direction. They are convened early on for a one-day "Sponsorship Workshop" to explore their responsibilities for ensuring the success of process improvement teams. While there, they learn how to direct and support process improvement teams by:
Creating a vision for the change effort
• Defining the project scope
• Determining resource requirements and budget
• Clarifying expectations -- and boundaries, and
• Delegating authority to front line employees to implement proven changes.

Zoom Training
Next, members of the process improvement teams attend "Zoom Training"-a hands-on workshop where participants immediately apply tools to a business process. Participants learn to:
• Understand quality from the customer's viewpoint
• Delight their customers through higher quality and value
• Use the Deming-based Zoom methods of improvement
• Employ data and simple tests to prove ideas
• Generate out-of-the-box thinking, and
• Apply their creativity to achieve dramatic measurable results.

I recently spoke with Cindy Axne, head of Employee Development and Training inside Iowa's Department of Administrative Services. Her office sponsors Zoom as an offering for state agencies and local governments to use. One of the attributes she likes most about Zoom is the way it promotes teamwork. She says, "When debriefing Zoom efforts, team members talk about how much closer they have grown as a working unit - how they understand each other better and appreciate each others' skills. Since these are most often natural workgroups that continue beyond any one effort, these teamwork and process improvement skills will apply to other aspects of their work, I'm convinced."

This team Zoom training creates both confidence and enthusiasm, which leads to a high rate of implementation success. But, the process doesn't end there.

Ongoing Leadership Coaching & Team Facilitation
Zoom coaches are available either onsite or by phone to help the organization implement those ideas proven to work. They support both the sponsors and team members avoid predictable pitfalls and steer them towards tested solutions.

Again, here's Cindy Axne - "The second attribute of Zoom that I most appreciate is how all of the solutions are tested before implementation. Zoom teaches teams not to find one solution, but several that need testing out. This objective of not finding THE answer, really frees the participants to think creatively. For instance, at the Governor's reception for Zoom efforts, a team from Iowa Workforce Development reported they had gone full bore after one solution they had assumed the best, but found it didn't cause the effect expected. Because they had kept open other thoughts, one of their other ideas tested out better than expected. I like that this process encourages teams to keep looking; keep thinking; keep testing until you find what works best for you. It sometimes takes a little longer up front, but saves a lot of time and money later."

To me, Zoom for Change is a welcome addition to the world of government improvement. I love how -
• Delighting customers is the overall goal
• Team members are the individuals closest to the work
• Teams are set up for success—by working with their authorizers early on
• Teams are empowered to implement ideas they've proven to work
• Significant time- and dollar-saving changes are discovered and implemented quickly, and
• A culture of continuous learning, new ideas, and innovation is perpetuated.

Overall, both Zoom for Change and kaizen approaches help governments become more responsive and show positive bottom-line results to legislators and citizens—fast! Both complement large scale transformation work so well because they provide quick wins, helping to sustain momentum on the path towards results that take longer to realize.

Congratulations to everyone involved in Zoom initiative in Iowa.

Find out how your teams can save your organization time and money by streamlining processes.

Connie Nelson has been a partner at the Public Strategies Group since 1994. As an expert public-sector consultant, she has helped clients world-wide transform property taxation, child support payments, health consumer advocacy, older adult self-sufficiency and waste water treatment.

Learn more about ZOOM break-through process improvement training.

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