Optimization of Administrative Operations

The leadership of a recently created shared service organization was regularly receiving complaints from customers about the level of service the organization was providing. Customers were the most upset about recruiting, personnel security and retirement services.

The organization’s leadership was also receiving complaints from staff members that the number of resources allocated was not sufficient for the quantity of services they were being asked to provide.

The recruiting, personnel security and retirement processes were not formally documented and the level of service provided in these areas varied significantly depending on which specialist had been assigned.

We worked to establish a Lean Six Sigma program for the shared service organization by first focusing on the services receiving the most customer complaints: recruiting, personnel security and retirement.

To support this effort, we established working teams for each of the three areas. Team members included functional managers, specialists directly involved in providing services to customers, and additional subject matter experts within the organization. We also identified key stakeholders within customer agencies to act as extended team members and provide feedback on the services provided.

We worked through the five DMAIC phases of the Lean Six Sigma approach with each of the three teams (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control).

During the Implement phase, we worked directly with team members to design and implement a set of 23 improvements across recruiting, personnel security and retirement.

With our help, the agency implemented the 23 improvements and was able to meet their performance goals established in the Analyze phase of the Lean Six Sigma approach.

After implementation of the process improvements, the organization’s customers indicated increased satisfaction in the level of services provided to them in the areas of recruiting, personnel security and retirement.