DBE Goal-Setting Effort Develops Standard Work, Uniform Practices
Anna Ryazantseva and Marcus Ritosa, Process Improvement Interns
January 16, 2014
A ragtag hodgepodge of strangers battles the elements and each other in pursuit of a common goal. They reach their goal and overcome their quarreling differences along the way. The new “family of friends” conquers barriers against all odds. This great adventure story is retold in countless legends, books, movies, and news stories. Rarely as compelling nowadays is what happens next: this new family of friends acts as a cohesive unit, able to take on new challenges and daily issues with ease. In government and industry, the “what happens next” is called “Standard Work” – one of the fruits of developing efficient and effective collaboration. One example of this is Colorado Department of Transportation's (CDOT’s) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Goal-Setting process improvement effort.
Workshop
What was improved, briefly
Sponsored by Heidi Humphreys (CDOT’s Director of Administrative Services), a process improvement team was established to develop and implement a standardized DBE Goal-Setting process. This Team included members of CDOT’s Civil Rights & Business Resource Center, the Equal Employment Opportunity staff, Strategic Workforce Solutions organization, and key Managers from CDOT Regions. A checklist-based tool was developed and is currently being used in all Regions as a guide to setting goals for DBE involvement in CDOT’s projects. Using this “standard work” assures DBE compliance, reduces external criticism potential, and enhances external understanding of CDOT’s internal processes.
Background
At CDOT, the DBE Goal-Setting process sets goals for how much of a project is to be done by approved DBEs. A current misconception that contractors often have is that the process of setting the goals is inconsistent throughout the state. A three-day Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) aimed to address this perception, among other issues. The project team met and discussed ways to communicate to contractors what really goes on in the Goal-Setting process.
Project Team
The project team included:
Region Civil Rights Managers: Micki Perez, Mary Dugan, Chip Brazelton, Anna Leiferman, Alice Baker, Darrell Wells
Headquarters Equal Employment Opportunity: Greg Diehl, Rose Estrada, Sabrina Hicks, Gregg Ernst, Fred Longs, Katherine Williams, Greg Martinez
HQ Strategic Workforce Solutions: Beverly Wyatt, Joe Czajka, Emily Harp, Kathy Pickard, Lynn Livingston, Jacquelyne Perez, Amanda Parkhurst-Strout, Michelle Gonzalez
Internal CDOT customers of this process: Dole Grebnik, Karen Delgado, Ed Stieber
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA): Melinda Urban
With the help of Lean principles and concepts, this Team developed a work plan that would accomplish a higher level of consistency. The work plan will also provide more clearly defined roles and responsibilities and increase process transparency, communication, and awareness. The work plan targets several commonly-used documents as well as the DBE Goal-Setting website to improve the overall process.
Improvements
These improvements include the following:
Reviewing the DBE Goal-Setting Process Map and integrating it into training delivery with internal and external customers
Enhancing the DBE directory to streamline search criteria and user interface
Developing the DBE Goal-Setting Checklist for both contractors and projects
Developing a web-based DBE goal status dashboard Evaluating and implementing new reporting tools in the Civil Rights
Labor Management System Developing standardized internal and external DBE training plans that utilize available tools
The Team is currently in the process of implementing the improved DBE goal-setting tools. With these improvements, the project team will improve communication; establish clearer roles and responsibilities; and enhance transparency. Greg Diehl, the Manager of the Civil Rights & Business Resource Center and a member of this project team, noted, “The Lean effort was helpful in terms of communication with Regions. I've heard from the Regions that the checklist has been helpful and is now a good training tool they can use with new staff or reinforce concepts with more experienced team members.”
The improvement to the DBE Goal-Setting Process is an indication of the cooperation and understanding of Lean principles at CDOT and a great example of CDOT’s Lean vision: Everyone, Every day, Improving Every Process and Every Product, to Benefit Every Customer.