Awaking In Seattle: Whole System Approach

to Central Office Transformation

Cordell Carter, TBR VI

May 5, 2010
 Agenda
• Setting the Context
– My Intro to Seattle

– Undefined Tasks

• Whole System Approach

– Baldrige

• Challenges and Opportunities

• Future Considerations

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 Setting the Context – Seattle
• First Impressions

– Silos that stored duplicative

processes, people and technology

– Not sure where to start work –

spread too thin

• My Charge from the Execs

– Help departments create key

performance indicators

– Work on business process redesign

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 Undefined Tasks - KPIs
• Key Performance Indicators

– 1st Attempt to leverage existing work

• CGCS National KPI Project

– Result: Dead on Arrival despite assurances to the contrary

– 2nd Attempt to create ownership within each

department
• Porter’s Balanced Scorecards for Public Sector

– RESULT: Rousing Success – in spite of hand-to-hand combat with

executives

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 Undefined Tasks - KPIs
• Early Successes on Key Performance Indicators:

– Facilitated creation of Balanced Scorecards for

29/31 Central Office Departments
– Holdouts have been brow-beaten into creating scorecards on their
own

– Provided Foundation for District-wide

Departmental Quarterly Performance Reviews

– Institutionalization of Performance Measures in

less than 2 years

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 Undefined Tasks - BPR
• Business Process Redesign

– Convoluted processes that had no

beginning or end
• 1st Attempt to facilitate process
change yielded negligible results

– Needed a holistic approach that would

negate opportunities to blame HR or IT for
everything

– Developed methodology and

training on problem solving
techniques

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 Undefined Tasks - BPR
• Early Successes on Business Process Redesign:

– Delivered training to 200 Central Office staff and

selected principals

– Facilitated more than 50 process redesign teams

– More than 155 distinct business processes have been either redesigned
or is in the process of being redesigned without my participation

– 1 year away from complete Institutionalization of

Business Process Redesign as a management
competency

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Whole System Approach – Baldrige Criteria
• Baldrige Performance
Framework
– Already implemented
several elements of
criteria

– Common denominator
for several Broad
Prize Finalists

– Embodies all of the

work of my Broad
Residency

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 Challenges and Opportunities

Seattle’s long-term budget projections will force the

Central Office to look different…

what shape it shall be is up to its leaders.

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 Considerations for the Future
Action Plan
(1) Restructure central office around area executive
director roles.
(2) Consider implementing the NYCDOE network
model.
(3) Seek labor partner waiver from state guidelines
that affect problematic business processes.
(4) Implement performance pay for central office staff
using state-provided cost of living adjustments
and step increases.

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