Managing department workflow
From Cyburbian southsideamy: I hope this is the right location for this post -- I've got a Planning Director type question.
I'm a planning director in a suburb and I've been challenged by the administration (whom I've seen referred to as "the man" in other posts!) to come up with a creative way to manage department work flow and also a creative way to communicate this work load to the administration.
I think we're doing what most small departments do: white board the site plans and ZBA petitions and manage the other projects as a list of "things to do". But this method doesn't help us communicate the extent of our workload and show our progress on assigned tasks (We're practically swimming in "special projects" like small area plans and map requests). I have a handle on all of this stuff mentally, but I'd like to be able to communicate this information successfully to my reports and to my bosses.We do a monthly Status and Information report that is largely a summation of current projects and site plans we're processing. We also do a weekly staff meeting to review current projects and plan commission/ZBA agendas.
Rather than try to come up with some new nifty software, I wonder if you could share your experiences in your planning department. Here's some questions I'm curious about:
1. How are site plans and new projects assigned in the department? Who assigns and what's the mechanism for assignment?
2. How do you keep track of site plan submittals, other petitions, and project assignments?
3. How do you communicate your departmental work load to your supervisors and employees?
4. How do you show progress on work load?
5. Do you have a weekly staff meeting?
6. If you do have a meeting, what is the format of that discussion?
Creative Communication
I have utilized two different methods: one is a spreadsheet that shows intake and progress date; the second is the reports generated from the review software. This includes graphs, pictures and other material that engages my commission.
cheating during a microsoft web meeting
it's all in my head and on many post-it notes and in notebooks :-$ but - I do use my Outlook Calendar to assign to myself when I am working on what project and what the deadline is - :a: I also have a quarterly review where my town manager assigns my priorities
I have a similar problem - but being a reasonably large Council - I need the system as much for my own purposes as for our customers and political masters.
A group of our computer savvy staff are working on using our application tracking system* for other planning related projects. I hope to see it operational by mid 2008. I'll repost an upodate if I remember.
* If you want to check out the on-line system, open the link and accept the conditions of use.
Fat Cat
Assignments depend on the size of your dept
You may want to consider setting up a spread sheet showing each project, update the spread sheet every week showing each project and where it is at in the system,
provide copies to senior administration, the PC and if the PC desires to the elected body.
Routing sheets for each project to insure that each dept has reviewed same is helpful, again using a spread sheet
giving each dept three days to review and return to the Planning dept, Everyone reviews and if it doesnt apply they mark NA and sign and date, Each reviewer also signs and dates, I there is an objection the reviewer states the objection and why, dates and signs, This is given to the PC prior to them receiving it,
This also helps to eliminate remarks at a later date that we did not see it. Keep this for records in the event that at some time in the future a question arises,