Transcript Document
Working with Your Staff to Improve
Customer Relations & Prepare
Staff for ePlan Review Technology
Tom Phillips, Building Official, Salem, OR &
Tim Anger, Document Mgmt Supervisor, Osceola County,
FL
Webinar for the FIATECH Jurisdictions
Committee, Tom Phillips, Salem, OR,
Chairman & Robert Wible, FIATECH
March 9, 2010
Working with Your Staff
FIATECH Jurisdictions Committee – Welcome &
introduction - Tom Phillips, Salem, OR, Chair
Successful Approaches –
– City of Salem, OR - Working with Staff to Improve
Customer / Stakeholder Relations
– Osceola County, FL – Working with Staff to
prepare them for ePlan technology
Next Committee Webinar – Intro to the ICC
Replicable Building Guideline
Accountability & Predictability
SALEM, OREGON’S EXPERIENCE IN
BUILDING TRANSPARENCY AND TRUST
Tom Phillips, City of Salem, Oregon
Inefficient permitting process
hinders economic growth
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Permitting delays increase costs
Delays reduces returns on investments
Investors may seek other opportunities
Increased cost and delayed returns on
investment are built into rents paid by all
tenants
• Discouragement of new construction leads
to tighter real estate market
Competition between jurisdictions
for new development dollars
• Improved permit processes that are efficient
and predictable can be a cost effective tool
in addition to or in lieu of other inducements
such as preferential tax rates or regulatory
relief.
Efficient permit processes can
permanently increase local
government revenues
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Temporary acceleration of property tax
collections.
Result in a permanent increase in
government tax revenues, with a
permanently changed system.
Statesman Journal
February 24, 2008
Editorial:
Developers vital in Salem core’s renaissance
“Dealing with the city is easier, attracting more
investment.”
“This kind of local commitment speaks well for
Salem,
“…It’s good to be able to attract outsider’s
money by persuading them of this areas
strengths”.
Statesman Journal
“However, attracting local investments still
would be a hard sell if Salem’s city staff and
processes remained as rigid as they used to
be”. Dealing with city hall has become far
easier and more pleasant in the past few
years. That has encouraged local
developers to set aside past grudges and
commit to multi-year projects”.
“…Salem is changing. For the better”.
Government: “Here to help…”
• Professionalism: “Close enough…”
• Flexibility: “One size fits all”
• Risk-taking: “Worst case scenario”
• Policies & Procedures: “Tablets of
Stone”
• Equality: “If we do it for you…”
“Be proactive….not reactive”
Create a culture of trust
Improve the organizational structure
Streamline your processes
Promote an appropriate regulatory
environment
Create processes that fits the majority
Building Relationships
Building & Safety Staff
Other Divisions and Departments
Stakeholders
Advisory Group
Citizens and neighborhood groups
Services that Serve
Customer “approved” processes
Build flexibility into your processes
Predictable turn-times
Customized permit services
Money-back guarantee
Project Coordinator Program
Transparent Budget
Accountability for each program
Develop revenue & expenditure “silos”
Move towards “no subsidies”
Data driven decisions…
Be willing to share with “whosoever”
Establishing Methods of
Accountability
Performance measures
Benchmarking
Decision-making model
Flexible policies
Problem-identifier/Problem-solvers
“Making a Better Wheel…”
“Drilling down…”
Refining policies and procedures.
Lean Six Sigma
Removing redundancies and “extra stupid”
processes.
ePlan Review
Preparations for successful integration
An FIATECH Presentation
Tim Anger Supervisor of Document Management
Building Office, Osceola County Growth Management Division
407-742-0276 (w)
407-742-0202 (f)
[email protected]
Question?
“With Osceola County being so large and
the development moving to the south, how
do we effectively provide services without
being a hindrance to the developer,
contractor, or even the homeowner?”
www.osceola.
org
Osceola County Growth
Management Division
Answer! And more questions
We knew that the answer was ePlan Review
However it brought even more questions…
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How are other jurisdictions handling this issue?
What formats are they accepting?
What about seals and signatures?
What is the stance of the Boards?
What are the hardware requirements?
Will we still need the paper?
But no one was truly leading the way
?????????
Determination
Complement existing permitting system
Wanted a web-based system for document /
plan submissions
Reduce the required number of plan
submissions from thirteen (or more!) to zero
Increase reviewer accountability
– Tracking of all:
• Review activities
• Workflow responses
• Task completion times
I. T.
Growth
Mgmt.
Agent
ePlan Review
www.osceola.
org
Osceola County Growth
Management Division
Planning Phase
Business process and
workflow documentation
for Plan Review
Identified hardware
requirements
– Dual monitors
– Upgrades to computers
Determined a core team
for testing and training
– Growth Management
– I. T.
CHALLENGES
Indentify ePlan usage
– Narrowed the scope of the initial implementation
Streamline the process for County-wide use
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Planning / Zoning
Development Review
Public Works
Infrastructure Projects
Education and Empowerment
– Employees
– Customers
www.osceola.
org
Osceola County Growth
Management Division
Requirements
“““We didn’t want to reinvent
the wheel, we just wanted
to add a little tread so that
Complement existing
it could run faster!”
permitting system
Electronic submissions add a little tread so that it
could run faster!”
Increased
communications
Increase reviewer
accountability
Decrease review times
Eliminate paper
Ease of use
www.osceola.
org
Osceola County Growth
Management Division
Linear Review
Intake
Reviewer
1
Reviewer
2
Reviewer
3
Multiple sets of plans for reviewers
Lengthy review times
Waiting of others to complete tasks
Paper shuffling from one to another
Old style of “Doing Business”
Reviewer
4
Concurrent Review
Web-enabled content
Single set of plans
Simultaneous review
Instant collaboration
Open communication
Applicant participates
Twenty-First Century
style of “Doing
Business”
Reviewer
1
Reviewer
5
Reviewer
2
Intake
Reviewer
4
Reviewer
3
Biggest Issues
Some of the issues that we had to overcome
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Electronic signature
Tangibility
Monitor Envy
Fear
Employee quotes
– “I am an engineer, I review on paper!”
– “I like holding the paper. It just seems more
real.”
– “My monitor is not big enough.”
– “Where is the seal and signature?”
www.osceola.org
Osceola County Growth Management
Division
Expedited Work
Commercial Projects
4 Days
10 Days
Residential Projects
4
Days
<1
Day
Commercial and Residential increased
productivity
Greater accountability with review staff
Business not limited to “normal” hours
– Allowed plans to be submitted 24 / 7 / 365
Benefits
Significant contractor savings
– Reduced paper plans
– Elimination of permit runner
– Saving of hundreds to thousands of dollars per
project
Enhanced contractor communications
Digitally submitted revision
Approved plans downloaded once fees are paid
www.osceola.
org
Osceola County Growth
Management Division
Press Release
Embassy Suites (300 rooms, meeting center)
Paperless submittal, review and issuance
Return/Value on Investment (ROI/VOI)
– Eliminated printing of over 700 pages (100 lbs)
– Review time = Weeks 4 days
• Simultaneous vs. linear
– Electronic Stamping = 1-2 days ½ day
www.osceola.
org
Osceola County Growth
Management Division
An FIATECH Presentation
Tim Anger Supervisor of Document Management
Building Office, Osceola County Growth Management Division
407-742-0276 (w)
407-742-0202 (f)
[email protected]
QUESTIONS
FIATECH Jurisdictions Committee
Membership open to jurisdictions all sizes
with fee based on population ($200-$800)
Monthly webinars/conference calls on topics
of immediate concern to local and state
building and land use/zoning departments
For registration form and more information
visit: www.fiatech.org
Next Jurisdiction Committee Webinar – MidApril, 2010 on “Introducing the new ICC
Replicable Building Guideline”