The Blog

Wendy Korthuis-Smith, GMAP, Office of the Governor

11/08/12

Working together, the public and private sector can achieve extraordinary results. The first report to the Governor about Washington state government’s Lean transformation progress provides promising examples of that potential.

The report underscores the effectiveness of the Governor’s Lean Transformation Executive Order 11-04 for making Lean a priority for all Executive Cabinet agencies statewide. The diverse results from the 95 projects submitted spanned from cutting down the number of customers receiving a busy signal by 27,000 calls a month in one agency to reducing the time to issue processed food export certificates to foreign countries by 60% in another. Staff participating in these efforts have become reenergized by the ability to improve their own work. The report also includes accomplishments to date, lessons learned, recommendations, and next steps toward a 2020 vision of state government transformation.

The hallmark of our journey is that we didn't do it alone. We reached out to those who had gone before us, including numerous private-sector organizations. These partners provided valuable resources such as Lean training, coaching, site visits, and key advice along the way.  With the help of these partners, we began a pioneering approach to harvest their lessons learned and their “best of the best” practices to help foster and sustain a Lean culture in Washington state government.

A recent effort highlighting what can be accomplished working outside of traditional government and business lines is the Washington State Government Lean Transformation conference. The purpose of the conference was to (1) share information and showcase progress on the state’s Lean journey, (2) continue to increase awareness and understanding of Lean thinking, tools, and techniques, and (3) give back, recognizing we have been extremely fortunate to have partners influencing our journey.

More than 2,200 participated in the two-day historic event that included Washington state government employees, private sector partners and stakeholders, local city and county government employees, elected officials, legislative staff and employees of other state governments. The robust schedule included many private-sector organizations sharing their unique Lean journeys and lending their expertise. State government employees also shared the state’s experience so far and the opportunities that lie ahead. 

Within Washington state, we are all connected. With city, county, state government, and private and public partnerships all using Lean, imagine the innovation that can be harnessed within Washington state. 

With the conference and the report, it is reassuring to see actions taken by agencies clearly demonstrate Lean’s potential for reducing waste, eliminating delays, saving money and providing high quality services to the citizens of Washington.  While Lean is a framework for gaining efficiencies, engaging employees and boosting morale, it is also proving to be a catalyst for working across traditional government, business, citizen and stakeholder lines. Continuing to foster and reciprocate Lean across traditional boundaries will benefit all Washingtonians.