Using Best Practices in the Design of a Performance Management Plan StatNet Conference August 20, 2013 EDWARD J. COLLINS CENTER FOR PUBLIC MANAGEMENT

What Are Best Practices? ▸ They represent the service levels that are achieved by well-managed and high-achieving municipalities. ▸ They replace the industrial engineering time-and- motion studies that no one does any more.  Too costly, and no one has time to conduct them  Eliminates the “Hawthorne Effect”  They come from industry sources (APWA, AWWA, etc.) and first-hand observations of municipalities excelling at the services they provide.

What Are Best Practices? ▸ They may relate to:  Response times  Resource utilization  Service provision (e.g., provision of master plan, strategic plan, five-year plans, etc.) ▸ They are NOT:  Surveys of similar organizations  Averages of data  Statements of outputs

Why Use Best Practices? ▸ They reflect the practices and service levels of well-managed municipalities providing the same or similar services that you provide in your own city or town. ▸ They can be useful in developing and refining your own performance measures.  Establish your own baselines  Compare to best practices  Make alterations in processes  Refine your performance targets

Why Use Best Practices? ▸ They can highlight services that may need to be altered:  Is additional training required?  Is outsourcing the most viable option?  Should your DPW be “insourcing” more work? ▸ Used in combination, they can highlight staffing or operational issues:  Example: 200 VEUs per Mechanic, and vehicle downtime over 10% points to a staffing issue.

Enhance Keep as Is Reduce Resources Contract or Eliminate Low High Mission Criticality (Importance) Low High Performance SERVICE DECISION MAKING MATRIX

Examples ▸ Staffing: ▸ 1 Parks Maintenance FTE per 8 to 10 developed acres ▸ 1 Equipment Mechanic per 90 to 110 Equivalent Vehicle Units ▸ 4 to 5 traffic engineers per 100,000 population ▸ 1 Facilities Maintenance Technician per 50,000 square feet of maintainable space

Examples ▸ Resource Utilization ▸ Vehicle Maintenance “wrench turning” time should be 80% to 85% of available hours. ▸ Facilities maintenance technicians should achieve a 1:1 ratio of preventive to corrective maintenance.

Examples ▸ Response Times ▸ Respond to all reports of potholes within 24 hours ▸ Establishment of priority codes for facilities maintenance response: ▸ Priority 1: Safety and health. Should respond 95% of the time within 2 hours. ▸ Plan reviews should be completed by Engineering staff within 2 weeks of receipt (for first review).

Examples ▸ Service Provision ▸ Replace 1% to 2% of distribution and collection line annually ▸ Resurface 5% to 8% of paved surfaces annually ▸ Attain APWA certification ▸ Develop and implement five-year strategic plan