Starting a new job is usually just a matter of learning how things should be done.
But, two county managers in PennDOT's District 2 thought it would be helpful to learn how the counties operated as well as being able to show new employees why things are done a certain way and where assigned tasks fall in the overall operation.
Peter Kempf, Clinton County manager, and Damon Wagner, Centre County acting maintenance manager, came up with the idea in June while working together in PennDOT's Operations and Performance Office (OPO).
"Since we were both going into positions where we did not completely know the staff, and there was a lot of staffing turnover within each county, we needed to better understand everyone's roles and responsibilities," Kempf explained.
They decided to analyze each county process, identify all the steps and look for any opportunities for increased productivity as they created documents to outline each process.
In the end, not only will the process mapping help new employees acclimate, the documents will serve as a guideline for all staff members to ensure consistency and efficiency. It will define roles and responsibilities for the employee.
Jamie Dietrich, another OPO employee, helped with mapping the processes, and asked questions along the way to make sure the process was accurately portrayed, Kempf said.
They have been working through the most common processes (reimbursable activity process, lowboy move, good receipts, purchase order creations, customer care center workflow, etc.) and plan to do a few each week until all have been mapped.
"When an employee can see the whole process and realize how their work is used by another employee, they understand their role in the organization," Kempf said.
District 2 shared this smart practice through PennDOT WorkSmart, an online system, accessible 24/7, that provides all PennDOT employees with a forum to share their smart practices, or things they are already doing as part of their normal work day, with their fellow PennDOT employees.
To view this or other smart practices, or if you have a smart practice you'd like to share, visit PennDOT WorkSmart.
PennDOT WorkSmart is administered by PennDOT's Bureau of Innovations (BOI). For more information, contact DOTInnovations@pa.gov.