FEATURED TEAM:

Work Management Process
Improvement Team

In January of 1997, the Utilities and Maintenance Services (U&MS) Lead Team began developing the U&MS Strategic Plan. Among the 14 department-wide goals that the Team identified, Goal Three addressed improving communication processes from within and outside of the department. At this point, the U&MS Lead Team handed over the challenge of addressing this goal to the Work Management Process Improvement Team (WCPIT). This team is composed of members from a "cross-section" of Utilities and Maintenance Services department, and two representatives from their customer groups in the campus.

WCPIT members began meeting in January 1999 and developed a team charter, promptly approved by the U&MS Lead Team. The team began to develop process maps of all the work control processes within the department and study how work is referred and redirected within the department. They researched the development of estimates within the department, and ultimately began to understand how communication flowed through the department to the customer.

Early in the process, the team invited Paul Millis and Linda King, project analysts from ITD to assist in developing the process maps. Paul and Linda worked with the team throughout the project, and provided valuable assistance in compiling the data in a useful manner. . The team studied areas including initiating and tracking work requests, initiating and tracking estimates, scheduling, ordering material, billing, coordinating, and communicating.

After the present processes were mapped and validated, the team developed an innovative process for each area and compiled a list of necessary recommendations to implement the innovative processes.

The team worked very hard, meeting two hours every week, and developed more than 30 pages of innovative process maps with a total of 60 recommendations. In 1999, WCPIT presented their findings and recommendations to the U&MS Lead Team who approved the development of the implementation steps and additional development of some of the recommendations. The group is nearly finished with this phase of the development and will soon begin implementation of the recommendations. They expect the implementation phase to take up to two years to complete.

Team Members: Cindy Schaedig-U&MS Work Management, Lyman (Bert) Aris-U&MS Work Management, Dennis Krieg-U&MS Central Shops, Ken Easley-U&MS Central Shops, Eric Albert-U&MS Engineering, Doug Good-U&MS Zone Maintenance, Jack Vickers-U&MS Zone Maintenance, Steve Brabbs-U&MS Training Coordinator (Facilitator), Kris Carlisle-U-M Hospital, Tom Stafford-U-M-Hospital, Paul Guttman-U&MS Contracting Group, Cathy Newton-U&MS Contracting Group, Tom Maschke-U&MS Contracting Group, Bonnie Brown-Medical School Facilities Office, David Atkins-Engineering College Facilities, Paul Millis-ITD Project Analyst, Linda King-ITD Project Analyst, Jim Vibbart-U&MS Work Management Team Leader.

- Kristin Miller, Grounds & Waste Management Services