CASE $9\mathrm{.}1$

Madison's Quality and Productivity Campaign

First Steps

Long appreciated in Japan but ignored in his own country, W$.$ Edwards Deming visited Madison, Wisconsin, about the time his precepts about statistical process control and worker empowerment were being odopted at Ford and other U$.$S$.$ companies. One of Deming's seminars so impressed then$-$Mayor Joe Sensenbrener that he resolved to bring quality management to city government.

The cily garage seemed a likely place to start, given a recent audit disclosing long delays in repait and major pieces of equipment unavailable for the many agencies that used the garage's fleet of cars and trucks. When Sensenbrener and his gssistant arrived at the First Street Garage to investigate its problems, the manager and mechanics were surprised and doubfful. But by pledging his personal involvement and confirming the worker's critical role, the mayor got them to agree to form a team and gather dala.

The team found that not having the right parts in stock caused many of their delays. The problem with stocking parts was that the cily purchased many different makes and models of equipment each year. The reason for this bewildering variety of types, makes, and models of equipment was a policy that required the city lo buy whatever vehicle had the lowest price on the day of the purchase.

After checking with the cily attorney, Sensenbrener and the team decided to rewrite the specifications so they included not only price but also warranty, ease of maintenance, availability of parts, and resale value. The new purchasing policy replaced a $24-5$tep process and multiple lexels of control with a $3-$step process.

Building on Success

Employees were so delighted with this success that they began to research the possible savings of a preventive maintenance program. By riding with police on patrol, mechanics learned that the squad cars spent much more time at idling speeds than in the high$-$speed emergencies they had assumed

and planned for in tuning the engines. In cooperation with other cily departments, the mechanics developed new driver checklists for vehicle condition, maintenance schedules for each piece of equipment, and an overtime budget to cut downtime and ensure that preventive maintenance work was done. Average vehicle turnaround time dropped from nine days to three. For every $$1\mathrm{.}00$ invested in preventive maintenance, Madison saved $$7\mathrm{.}15$ in downtime.

These resulis encouraged Sensenbrener to look for managers and employees in other departments who had the imagination and motivation to be pioneers. Sensenbrener recalls:

Their most important characteristic, I found, regardless of political philosophy or train: ing was a strong ego: the capacity to take responsibility for risks, share credit for success, and keep one eye on the prize.

Among other things, workers began to get directly involved in choosing the most costeffective tools and materials for their jobs. For example, city painters picked the most durable, longtasting paints for cily housing projects, and police officers chose the equipment they would be using every day in their patrol car "offices." But all selections had to be made on the basis of hard data.

The healith deparment faced a different problem: how to give citizens quicker, better answers to their questions about clinics and programs. Employees began to sample and analyze the questions that were coming in; then, on the basis of that data, they set up briefings for phone recep: tionists so they could answer most questions. directly. They also created a clear system of referrals for more complicated requests.

Madison's energy resource recovery plant also formed a QP $[$quality and productivity$]$ team. The plant converts solid waste into a fuel suitable for generating electricity. The mission of the team, which consisted of three workers and three managers, was to discover why it was taking garbage truck drivers up to one and one$-$half hours to enter the plant, dump their loads, complete their paperwork, and get back out again.