Improving Processes to Drive Organizational and Employee Performance
The Challenge
The client, a large state government organization, is required by state mandate to conduct periodic audits of county governments. These audits include reviews of revenue generating activities (e.g., court fines, tax assessments), technology resources, human resource policies and procedures, and numerous other processes that each county government enacts to accomplish its daily mission. The audits are designed to provide timely and accurate feedback that localities can then use to improve performance and ultimately better serve their constituents. The client also shares best practices with other localities around the state.
Though these audits are helpful to the county governments, they are resource intensive and often overtax the client’s resources and their ability to perform other mission requirements. The level of effort required to complete a thorough audit by conducting interviews, gathering data, analyzing information, developing recommendations, and presenting findings is a burden. Facing this dilemma, the client elected to partner with Wedgewood to perform audits and meet both the mandated audit requirements and the needs of local agencies.
The Solution
Wedgewood partnered with the client to conduct systematic, comprehensive, detailed organizational assessments of county government management practices and to provide process change recommendations, share best practices, and improve performance. To accomplish this task, Wedgewood employed a business process improvement (BPI) approach, which included understanding current processes and organizational results, determining and defining a desired future state, and assessing the systems, structure, processes, and behaviors required to close the gap between the two.
To accomplish each BPI phase, Wedgewood analyzed existing documentation, conducted numerous interviews with local officials, mapped processes, worked with other localities to identify best practices, developed performance improvement recommendations, and delivered a written document capturing recommendations and identifying activities required to close performance gaps.
The Result
Wedgewood's contribution to this project allowed the client to meet legislative requirements. They were able to implement strategies that improved performance, saved resources, and ensured its employees remain focused on the county’s priorities. Key to our success was bringing value to the organization through Wedgewood’s proven ability to develop findings and recommendations that seek to streamline operations, reduce or contain costs, identify shared service opportunities, and magnify strongly performing programs among local Texas governments.
To learn more about how Wedgewood can help your organization, please contact us at 866.842.4131, Ext. 8868 or info@wedgewoodgroup.com.
