Montgomery County Public Schools Process Management and

Improvement Journey

If all of the employees in your organization resigned their positions on a Friday afternoon and you were able to successfully fill their positions over the weekend; how would the new employees know what to do?

An Accountability System

GOALS

ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM

OUTCOMES

MEASURES• Students’Test Scores• Graduation Rates• Bilingual support

services • AYP• Pre-K and Head-start • Advanced Placement• SAT

Improvement SystemAND

IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM

PROCESSES

MEASURES• Cost• Time• Value-Added• Quality• Productivity• Customer Satisfaction• Waste

© APQC

The District is a Collection of Processes

Teaching and Learning

Ordering materials and supplies

Developing curriculum

Assessing student learning

Evaluating employees

Collecting and analyzing data

Monitoring Instructional Programs

Many, Many, More…

Key Processes

A key process is vital to the success of the

organization.

With your Team, Identify Five Key Instructional or Operational

Processes

MCPS is Organized Functionally

Deputy OSESSOCOOITOHR OSP

Schools are Organized Functionally

Classrooms Administration.

Grade levels

SupportStaff

Departments Instructional Staff

But Most Processes are Cross-Functional

Process Process

Process

Process

Process

Process

Departments

Process Process

Process Process

Process

Process

Process Process

Process Process

Process

Process

Process

Support Staff

Administration

Process Process

Process Process

Process

Process

Process

Instructional Staff

But Most Processes are Cross-Functional

Process Process

Process

Process

Process

Process

Instruction

Schools

Process Process

Process Process

Process

Process

Process Process

Process Process

Process

Process

Process

Information Technology

Human Resources

Process Process

Process Process

Process

Process

Process

Child Nutrition

How does our work impact others and how do we know?

IGOE

INPUT OUTPUT

GUIDES

ENABLERS

Process

IGOE

What is an IGOE?

A strategic planning tool that helps us think through the resources we need to develop/evaluate/revise/refine processes

It enables us to ensure that we know how and when we are impacting others

It helps us see how processes are interconnected

INPUT OUTPUT

GUIDES

ENABLERS

Process

What helps us know why, when and how wedo what we do?• Policies · Regulations ·

Knowledge• Standards · Laws

Where do we do it and who/what helps us do it?• Human Resources · Assets• Tools · Facilities• Equipment · Systems

What do we need to do this?• Information• Materials• People• Consumed or

transformed by the process.

What do we produce or deliver?• Results• Information• Deliverables• Products• People

Trigg

ering

Event End

When do we use it?

When:

Developing a new process

Evaluating an existing process

Revising/refining an existing process

Looking for root causes for a process that is broken

Process Owner Responsibilities

● Be a coach that guides and facilitates the process

● Conduct scheduled process performance reviews and refine the process as appropriate

● Conduct an annual process review and refine as appropriate

Process Owner Responsibilities

● Ultimate responsibility for process design, performance, and improvement

● Keep everyone informed and engaged about the entire process

● Resolve conflicts between process team members

● Advocate for the process – “Go To” person for the entire process

SO WHAT?

Process Management in MCPS is all about

Continuous Improvement in every office, department, and

division

Why map processes?

To ensure:– Everyone knows the responsibilities they have

in getting the work done– Everyone knows how the work gets done– We are effective and efficient (time, money,

quality) – Processes are routinely evaluated and refined

Why do we measure and evaluate processes?

So we can determine if:

The process is efficient and effective

And if not:

We revise/refine it

In-Process and Outcome Measures

► In-process measures – to find out on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis if a process is adding value – we cannot wait until May to find out that a certain instructional program is not working or that teachers are not using a particular curriculum guide

In-Process and Outcome Measures

►Outcome measures – to find out if the process added value in helping achieve the goals of the organization

PROCESS REVIEWHOW DO YOU ANSWER THESE

CRITICAL QUESTIONS?

Questions?

What services are needed basedon stakeholders requirements?

How will we provide these needed services?

How will we know if the needs are met?

How will we know if our processes are effective and efficient?

What will we do if they are not?

In-Process Measures of time, quality and Cost Effective

-What services are needed based on stakeholder and customer requirements?

-How will we provide these needed services?

-How will we know if their needs are met?

-How will we know if our processes are effective and efficient?

-What will we do if they are not?

Measures Answer the Following Questions?

-Is our process meeting our objective?

-Is our process meeting customers’ needs?

-Is our process efficient and effective ?

You cannot improve what you can’t, don’t or won’t measure

-How will we know when we have achieved our goals?

What to Measure?

Select the right things to measure

Measure the critical few, not the trivial many

Measure what is important

Focus on the customer

When to Measure?

-At critical times in the process

-Monitor as close to the data collection

time as possible

-Measure Frequently

Performance measures should be SMART

SMART

Performance Measurements

imely

pecific

easurable

ccountable

elevant

In – Process MeasuresQuality

Performance Measurements

• How Accurate is the service provided?• How many defects are there?• What is the customers’ satisfaction – internal

and external

Quality

In - Process MeasuresEfficiency

Performance Measurements

Timeliness

Percentage of transaction completed on time

Answers questions - how long the process takes?

Efficiency

In – Process MeasuresCost Effectiveness

Performance Measurements

Cost per unit or transaction

Resource utilization

Cost Effective

Outcome Measures

Performance Measurements

Qualitative consequences associated with a program / service

Ultimate “why” of providing a service

Results-oriented; focus primarily on desired results

Outcome

Manage By Fact

Performance Measurements

1. Establish baseline performance (data )

2. Set target Goal

3. Develop an improvement strategy

4. Implement the strategy

5. Track progress

6. Display performance results

Examples of “unseen” waste

-Rework, rejects

-Waiting time

-Moving things and people

-Delayed approvals

-Unnecessary red tape

-Unread documents / memos

-Long chains of command

-Redundant checking

-Non-value-adding policies

-Inefficient and useless meetings

-Repeated phone calls

-Transition time

-Excessive e-mail & scam

-Antiquated procedures and processes

Examples of “unseen” waste

IGOE

Swim Lane Flowchart

Performance Indicator (Measure)  Reduce cycle repair timeIn- Process Measure Type (Time, Cost, Quality) TimeData Source (Where is the data)

EGPS – Copier Service Request System

Responsible Person John MarshallCollection Frequency (Daily, Month, Annual) Daily (D)Monitor Measure Schedule (D, M, Q, A) Month (M)

Response Plan to Measures

PDSA with Day Team; Report to Process Owner & Team

Communicate Results... to, how

Send Month results to OCOO; Web?

Performance Monitoring

Performance Results

Copier Repair Measurement Previous

Year (Vendor)

TeamWorks 1st Year (MCPS)

 Difference

Reduce copier repair time 16 hours

(2 Days) 6 hours  - 10 hours

Increase customer satisfaction  10%  87%  + 77%

Reduce quantity of service requests  No data    

Reduce cost of copier repairs  $ 2.6 million  $ 1.4 million  Savings - $ 1.2 million

Provide products, resources &

services

Process Begins when….? Process Complete when….?

What helps us know why, when, and how we do what we do? Provides direction

What do we need to do this process?

What do we produce or deliver with this process?

Where do we do it, and who / what helps us to do the process? People, equipment, facilities, systems

Procurement Manual

Funding Guidelines

Federal, State, and Local laws

MCPS Policies & Regulations

DMM Strategic Plan (aligned to MCPS & OCOO Plans)

Ethics, Values, Standards

Request for product or services

Customer requests product or services Supplier being paid for product

Contracts with Suppliers

Available Funds

Procure Staff

Controller Staff

Facilities / Warehouse / Office

Suppliers

FMS Software SystemBudget / Funds

Requestor

Materials / Supplies

Completed order

Happy customer

Invoice / Payment to Supplier

Account Owner

Problem: Suppliers have stopped doing business with MCPS

Procure-to-Pay Process

Health Could the problem involve…

√

√

√

√ √

√

√

√

√

√

√

Use IGOE to assist in identifying process issue or concern

Process Improvement

►100% of 2 year-old children who qualify for special education must have an IEP by their third birthday – 2009-95%, 2010-100%

►Secondary transition for special education students who turn 14 – 2006 & 2007 – 99%, 2008, 2009, 2010 – 100%

►Decrease suspensions for students with disabilities – MCPS has the lowest rate in the state (3.8%) – state average is 15.3%

►Initial evaluation of special education students must occur within 60 days of identification – 2007 – 56%, 2009, 91% - 2010, 94.2%

Process Improvement

►Enrollment Projections goal is 99.5% - since 2004, MCPS has achieved an average of 99.02% accuracy

►In-House Copier Repair Program – Outside vendor costs average $2.7 million/yr. MCPS does it for $1.2 million/yr. – cost savings of $1.5 million/yr.

►Copy Plus Program – MCPS produced 99 million copies centrally for teachers saving 40,000 hours of planning and instructional time. Projections for 2010 is 125 million copies saving 50,000 hours of planning and instructional time

►Response to Emergency Work Orders in 1 day –80% in 1 day in 2005, 90% in 2009

Process Improvement►Increase the percentage of work orders completed – Maintenance receives 60,000 work orders/yr. Completion rate in 2005 was 85% and 90% in 2009

►Increase in energy cost avoidance from 632,000 in 2006 to $2.5 million in 2009

►Increase in Kilowatt Hour Avoidance from 6.4 million in 2006 to 18.6 million in 2009

►Decrease in solid waste disposal from 13.5 thousand tons in 2005 to 9.6 thousand tons in 2009 – cost savings of $171 thousand

►Increase in recycling rates from 27% in 2007 to 38% in 2009

Process Improvement►Planned Life Cycle Asset Replacement – MCPS has maintained its goal of 95% project completion rate within budget

►Construction Projects completed within budget – Increased from 87% in 2007 to 100% in 2009

►Maintenance Costs for Overtime – From 2005-2009 the Maintenance Department has maintained an average of 88% budgeted costs

►Maintain food costs below industry standard of 45% - Since 2007 food costs averaged 35% of expenditures, 10% below industry standard

►Buses out of service for more than 24 hours – from 2004-2009 no buses were pulled from service for more than 24 hours from a fleet of 1250 buses

ROAD MAP TOPROCESS MANAGEMENT AND IMPROVEMENT ANDKNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Process Management

46

Flowchart For Problem Resolution

Don’t Mess With It!

YES NO

YES

YOU IDIOT!

NO

Will it Blow UpIn Your Hands?

NO

Look The Other Way

Anyone ElseKnow? You’re SCREWED!

YESYES

NO

Hide ItCan You Blame Someone Else?

NO

NO PROBLEM!

Yes

Is It Working?

Did You Mess With It?