1. finance
2. personal finance
3. insurance
4. health insurance

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APPENDIX D – CORPORATE IMPROVEMENT MINI-BUSINESS CASES
Through the review of the Opportunity Log and a session with the Review Team to reflect upon
their experience in the collection of information from across the organizations, a number of
opportunities were identified as being corporate in nature. These opportunities transcend the
boundaries of any single Department, and, in some cases, impact both the City of Regina and
Regina Police Service.
This Appendix presents a summary table of the corporate opportunities, followed by a detailed
mini-business case for each opportunity that includes type of corporate opportunity (revenue,
efficiency and process improvement), potential value, implementation considerations, and costs.
The following eleven (11) corporate improvements were identified for review:
ƒ
Customer Service Strategy
ƒ
Integrated Business Planning
ƒ
Succession Planning Strategy
ƒ
Employee Wellness and Attendance Management
ƒ
Corporate Revenue Strategy
ƒ
Knowledge Management Centre
ƒ
Corporate Project Management Office
ƒ
Deployment of Workflow Technology
ƒ
Rates and Fees Review
ƒ
Corporate Strategic Planning
ƒ
Asset Management Strategy
Note: The information contained in the mini-business cases is at a very high level and each
case requires more review and analysis prior to implementation.
As the implementation of change moves forward, each item will be reviewed with the associated
Department to ensure that the analysis was appropriate and the conclusions are correct.
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
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Opportunity Log - Common Corporate Opportunity Log
Description
Issues/Considerations
Develop a Customer Service
Strategy
Inconsistent approach to customer service within the City - customers can be
transferred around looking for help, voicemail is a primary means of
communication, no consistent standard to get back to the customer. Reduce
number of times a customer is transferred. Complex customer issues - often
times cannot get someone live to assist the customer on the phone or in person
- or the other area refuses to take the customer call (its not my job). No
workflow process to refer a customer inquiry to another work area; no customer
tracking system for all customer inquiries; no log of repeat customers/issues; no
call recording device to record all customer calls; no consistent online
documentation for the City.
Develop a Customer Service
Strategy
Differing vision & commitment of customer service delivery between div/dept.
Revenue Administration has a good division strategy for use as an example.
Lack of identification & recognition of customer service skills as part of job skills
across the organization, missing opportunities in the recruitment process to
building a workforce focused on customer service. Teach front line customer
service staff more about complex inquiries to reduce number of times to
escalate to manager. Develop customer service level standards that are
consistent throughout the corporation. Communicate our strengths and areas to
work on. Use customer service strategy as a means to improve image of the
City. Good customer service up-front reduces complications later on.
Integrated Business Planning, Once a Capital project has been approved in the year's budget, there should be
3 year budgets,
no need for further approval unless the project has changed significantly.
standardization of the
corporate budget process.
Develop a Succession Plan
and Employee Retention
Strategy.
A large % of work force is going to retire within 10 years, of whom a large
portion will be leadership. There are staff who are looking forward to attaining
these positions but there is a lack of training or direction on requirements to get
the position in today's standards. Working managers who currently have
excessive workloads can delegate more enabling them to do more planning
exercises, performance management, communication, change management,
skills development etc. Provides succession management and skill development
opportunity, Managers will work less overtime, and overall better customer
service.
Technical Training availability is limited due to work loads of the business
technical staff. The skill set needs are high for these positions to support the
database and GIS processes. Difficult to recruit these skills, once the employee
is trained. Retention is an issue as technical staff are very marketable.
Classification plans should be updated to reflect current skill requirements.
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Development of an Employee
Wellness Program,
Attendance Management
Program and Return to Work
Program.
Increase health and fitness of employees. Create a return to work Co-ordinator
position to work in conjunction with individuals working in HR and Pension and
Benefits to support these areas and supervisors and managers in dealing with
employee absence. Reduction of Insurance costs for having program, improved
return to work indicators, Practical training for managers (including role play
scenarios) about dealing with various employee issues, especially absenteeism,
stress (mental and behavioural issues), substance abuse, insubordination and
disciplinary meetings. Return to Work Program must be consistently applied
across the organization and Departments accountable for searching for
opportunities within their area, within reason, which would be considered for
employees on Long Term Disability, Workers' Compensation Benefits, SGI or
lengthy sick leave situations.
Development of a Corporate
Revenue Strategy
More corporate sponsorships in City venues i.e. Advertising. Seek sponsors to
pay for things like the printing of the bicycle route map/brochure etc. Allow
limited commercial development of Wascana Park.
Development of a Knowledge As the City implements additional automation and technology, there has been
Management Centre
no consideration given to increasing the ongoing resources required to maintain
the existing support levels. Implement a document management system.
Electronic Document Management would facilitate the retention, distribution,
version control and check in/out of documents of the organization. The cost
would be about $600,000 and the return would be measured by the reduction in
disk space (traditionally 60%) and the reduction in administration time
employees spend in managing and looking for documents.
Provision of project
management mentorship
through a corporate Project
Management Office
Corporate PMO services would assist all City departments in the use of a
consistent project management methodology, which brings benefits in the area
of reduced project timelines, communication, status reporting, scope
management, resource allocation management, and financial management.
Tools to enable PM process should be evaluated.
Workflow technology to
replace current manual
process
Current manual process for filling out forms is very time-intensive. This includes
anything that requires approvals and routing (i.e. On/Off forms, Access Request
forms, Travel and Training Request forms). Use of portable handheld devices
for entry of information, billings, inspections, etc.
Rates and Fees Review,
Reduced Fee Services by
Departments should be
eliminated
Institute user fees for all City services to reflect actual costs.
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Strategic Level Planning
Integration of long range and strategic planning functions presently carried out
in a fractured way throughout City Departments, RPS and some external bodies
(i.e. RREDA, various advisory committees) into one coherent functional area.
This would include forward planning for infrastructure, transit, transportation,
urban development, neighbourhood and community planning, housing, financial,
parks and open space, facilities, environmental, business development and
social planning. The City's vision and the necessary strategic plans, policies,
targets and financial/budgetary requirements could be integrated in one
coherent document for effective implementation and ease of presentation to the
public and other stakeholders. Create a Long Range and Strategic Planning
Office. This would require a greater effort in flushing out the City Vision, so
majority of staff can understand Corporate goals and service level targets.
Asset/Infrastructure
Management Program
/Strategy
Put furniture and other larger office equipment on an asset management
program so that desks (for example) are replaced on a schedule instead of only
when funds can be found. This would create consistency between areas and
ensure that staff are working on ergonomically appropriate equipment.
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Corporate Improvement Opportunity Mini Business Case
Opportunity Reference Number:
Title of Opportunity:
Development of a Corporate Customer Service Strategy
Type of Opportunity:
Efficiency
877 & 898
Opportunity Description and Scope
This opportunity describes the need for the development of a corporate customer service strategy. This
strategy will define what good customer service is for the City of Regina, determine timeframes for
implementation, and provide general standards for all departments to measure against to evaluate
whether the standards are being achieved.
Current State Description
Within the corporation, each department is responsible for dealing with customers. There are multiple
access points for people to access the City including City Central (7000 number), 4-9 Dispatch, Transit’s
RIDE line, Community Services’ PLAY line, Fire and Police’s emergency and non-emergency lines, as
well as contact to divisions and individuals through direct phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
There is no consistent technology in place across the organization that will allow calls to be tracked or
analyzed consistently. As such, response times for Requests For Service vary, as does the
methodology for closing Requests For Service, which impact the level of service that customers are
receiving. Furthermore, because there are different methods currently being used to track customer
calls and requests for services that may result, there is duplication of tasks. For instance, customers
may call one line to request service and then follow that by calling other lines to request that service
again in hopes that the more requests that can be sent in, the greater the chance that it will get
completed sooner. This duplication of effort and the confusion it causes inhibits the efficiency of the
organization. To help assist with this, a Customer Relationship Management system, Hansen, has been
implemented in some key areas, but it is not being used across the organization. It does allow for
records to be kept about who called and why, and allows Requests for Service to be sent to others to
answer. However, not only do all departments not use Hansen, but some departments do not log any of
their calls and others only do if they think they it will be an issue later. This is an example of the huge
inconsistency with respect to dealing with customer inquiries across departments.
These differences in levels of customer service provided are a result of there being no corporate
direction provided to guide departments in the direction of providing consistently good customer in our
organization. For instance, customer service in the private sector where the bottom line is the driver to
maintaining good customer service is different to that which it means in the public sector. In the private
sector good customer service may be that the customer is always right no matter the cost whereas in the
public sector customer satisfaction may be having the customer leave the interaction with the
understanding of what service is able to be provided. In any case, a definition on what we as an
organization define customer service as is yet to be determined. At that point, strategies to meet that
definition can be implemented.
There are also no standards for dealing with customers; we are inconsistent in what we expect. While
different areas interact with customers at different levels or for different purposes (for instance City
Central tracks requests, answers questions, or creates Requests for Service for others to respond to
while Paratransit books pick-ups for customers), there should be some key performance indicators for all
areas to measure against to ensure consistent service is provided to all customers, no matter which
department is being contacted. Of those contacted when doing this case, there is general consensus
that there needs to be some corporate standards set around customer service. Creating essential
service guidelines for all employees to follow in their dealings with customers will help create a
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
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consistent experience for any customer contacting any area of the City.
Work within the organization has been done to make customer service a priority, but these have largely
been done in isolated departments. There is concern that having these types of standards created in
isolation through the organization creates competition rather than collaboration amongst departments.
The Omnibus Survey shows that the City of Regina does have good customer service. However, it is
evident that we could do better!
Groups Affected by Opportunity
Research has shown that the customer has an opportunity to form an impression of the City with each
point of contact that they have. Therefore, no matter which area a customer may be contacting, it is
important to ensure that the same service expectations are met.
Furthermore, all employees are in some way connected to and impact the external customer. For
instance, if the front line people do not receive information or resources in a timely and effective manner
from the research staff in order to respond to an inquiry, their ability to meet customer expectations is
reduced. There is also the operational aspect of customer service. Front line employees are the face of
the City and play a significant role in influencing public perception of our services and of the organization
as a whole.
As well, employee interaction with people they know contributes significantly to the public perception of
the organization and educating employees about their impact in this area and building employee pride is
important. As such, all employees should be equipped with some key messages to pass along to those
who ask them questions about municipal services and programs.
Opportunity/Future State Description
A corporate customer service strategy using a citizen-focused approach will be developed. This strategy
will define what good customer service means for the City of Regina as well as outline overarching
standards and methods for measurement levels of customer service being offered across the
organization. Due to the unique nature of some services provided by some departments, each will
utilize this information to guide the development of their own strategies to match the corporate one.
However, they will also be encouraged to assist each other, especially those with more experience
relating to the provision of good customer service as a primary focus. There could be a staff member
designated to oversee customer service across the organization to determine whether the strategy is
working effectively and whether modifications are required.
The level of customer service provided and the treatment the customer receives will be consistent no
matter which department is contacted. According to the Customer Service Review drafted in April 2004,
a corporate approach for customer service delivery aligning provision of service in all departments to five
essential elements of service: timeliness, knowledge and competency of staff, courtesy, fair treatment,
and successful problem resolution. These elements will all be met in a simple, convenient and effective
way in the future state.
Best Practices:
1) One software across the corporation to fully track customer inquiries and assist departments.
2) Educate all City staff on the value and need for providing good customer service. As a result, all
employees will be equipped with key messages to pass along to others who may ask them
questions about municipal services and programs.
Until the corporate strategy is developed, it is difficult to determine exactly what customer service
options will be implemented. The investment in implementing these options will be dependent on what
customer service means for the City. Examples of the options that are available to improve customer
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service are:
3) Partnership with other levels of government, the Regina Health District, etc. to provide information to
citizens on all various programs and services affecting Regina citizens through City Central.
4) Stronger on-line component to expand self-service options.
5) One primary point of customer contact
6) As an alternative to the above, the provision of a PLAYLINE and RIDELINE telephone connections
at City Hall could be made.
7) Provision of satellite service options (i.e. Services currently only provided at City Hall would also be
provided at the leisure centres and Sportplex).
8) Increase in “one-stop shopping” idea. For instance, having the provision of goods and payment
options all available at City Hall (and leisure centres and Sportplex). For instance, you could pay
water bills, pay taxes, register for swimming lessons, and buy a bus pass all at the same location.
These are some examples of how customer services could be expanded. This is not an extensive list,
and research would need to be done on what options would best meet the standards and guidelines set
in the corporate customer service strategy.
Rationale for Opportunity/Future State Description
Developing a corporately accepted customer service strategy would provide the citizens of the
community with consistent service no matter which department these customers need to deal with.
Providing good customer service will leave customers better satisfied and more confident in their local
government, and even create a greater sense of pride in their community as a whole. More specifically,
the corporate strategy has to line up with the delivery of its services. In other words, if the City is
describing its programs and services as municipal initiatives, then it is essential to also deliver these
programs as a corporation, not as separate departments or divisions. For instance, having people have
to come to City Hall to pay their water bills and then have to go to the Transit office a few blocks away to
purchase their bus pass does not make for good customer service.
As well, having good customer service throughout the corporation is becoming increasingly important for
municipalities as citizens’ expectations for getting good service rise as a result of their experience with
private industry. Customers hear from private organizations that their business is valued and they want
loyal customers. They are starting to want similar recognition from government.
The public service sector has seen rapid change driven by a changing emphasis in service delivery,
technological advances, fiscal realities and shifting customer expectations and demands and it is
imperative in today’s changing public service environment to see service as the key to building and
maintaining positive relationships with citizens. A major research initiative of the Public Sector Service
Delivery Council, the Citizens’ First 3 study found that citizens actually regard the specific services
provided by government more positively than they regard government. This confirms the need to ensure
that every point of contact with a customer is positive, reinforcing the concept that the City of Regina is
an organization focussed on providing exceptional customer service.
As a final point, there are employee benefits of having a corporate strategy. They will understand what
is expected of them in terms of their dealing with customers. Furthermore, the working environment
within the corporation will become more collaborative versus competitive as everyone will be on the
same page and working towards the same overarching customer service goals.
Issues/Considerations
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Overall there seems to be a general acceptance and recognition across the organization that there are
areas related to customer service that could be improved upon. However, while this strategy is
developed, there are challenges that should be acknowledged:
a) Collective Bargaining Agreements. For instance, within the Transit union, it is stated that transit staff
are to provide scheduling and route information. As such if the plan to deal with the number of
abandoned calls that call the transit RIDE line were dealt with by directing them to the 7000 City
Central number, negotiations with the union may be required.
b) Amount of Calls Pertaining to External Organizations. As the public becomes more familiar with the
City Central line, there is an increasingly large number of calls from the public coming into City
Central that are related to external agencies (such as the Province of Saskatchewan, Regina Health
District and Tourism Regina), not City services or programs. As such, there should be some
discussion about partnering with some of these external organizations to determine how to deal with
this drain on City customer service resources.
c) Resistance from Departments. Some areas of the City may be unsure about changing their
departmental customer service strategy to be more corporate in nature as there may be concern
that the change may mean that they will not have as much control over their department or just
general anxiety about change and what it will mean for their departments. Some departments may
simply be most comfortable with doing what they already do and may be unsure about the perceived
complexity of utilizing a corporate information system, for instance, to improve their customer
service. As such, as the strategy is developed, there should be thought put into creating a
consistent approach with consistent measures/standards that also account for unique
customer/business needs that different areas of the corporation meet.
d) Training. Some areas of the City have training for staff that deal with customers while others do not.
If there was a corporate strategy around customer service, identifying all those that would require
training and providing it to them would be essential.
e) Support to ensure all of the tools for consistency are in place. Especially in the early implementation
stages, having support available to move this initiative through the departments will be essential.
This may involve putting someone in the role of overseeing the entire customer service strategy
implementation as a whole versus it simply being rolled out to all departments to deal with on their
own.
f) Technology and support to measure the customer experience.
Associated Initiatives
In April 2004, a group of City staff representing various departments (largely those who deal with
customers as a primary work function) drafted a vision, terms of reference, and moved towards
developing a customer service strategy.
Costs & Benefits
Estimated One-time
Savings ($)
-
Estimated Annual
Savings ($)
-
Estimated One-time
Revenue Realization ($)
-
Estimated Annual
Revenue Realization ($)
Yes, but difficult to
quantify before the
strategy is developed
From discussions to date, it seems unlikely that there would be any substantial savings resulting from
the implementation of this opportunity. While it would ultimately depend on what the customer service
strategy for the City would be, it is likely that it would result in shifting staff around versus eliminating
positions completely. It would not be about taking work from people, but rather giving them more to offer
and better using current staff and resources.
Similarly, it is very difficult to determine what potential revenues may be as a result of improving the level
of customer service that the City is able to provide. Customer contact points in and of themselves do not
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generate revenue. Instead, they generally support another revenue-based function. The primary
benefits of having a defined corporate customer service strategy are the consistent and fair treatment of
customers, a good customer experience, and staff development and support.
At the same time, it can be assumed that as the level of customer service increases, customers will
likely feel more confident in the City’s services and programs and may begin to access them more
frequently, simply because they are easier to access and information is easier to come by. This may
result in increased visits to City facilities, increased number of bookings, increased level of registration in
City programs, increased transit usage, etc. Exactly what those levels would be is almost impossible to
predict given that there are other factors that will influence people’s decisions to take part in those
programs (e.g. programs and services may already be used to capacity). However, we can assume that
the public will be more satisfied with the City, will have greater confidence in their municipality, and thus
may feel a greater connection to their community. This may in turn lead to community pride and fewer
people leaving.
Implementation Requirements
Estimated Time Required to
Implement (In Months)
12
Estimated One-time
Implementation Cost ($)
No additional costs as existing
staff would be used (approx.
worth $25,000 of their time)
Estimated Annual
Implementation Cost ($)
$50,000
(part of an existing position to
coordinate all pieces of customer
service operations)
It has been suggested that a phased approach would be required to implement the customer service
strategy. However, determining a specific timeframe for implementation is difficult to say unless we know
what strategy or approach is being implemented. But it is believed that a huge step could be made within
a year.
It should be noted that because there is not a consistent approach to customer service, not all steps
identified above are routinely done by all departments who deal with customers.
Recommendation
Proceed with more Detailed
Business Case
Opportunity Requires Further
Study and Development
Significant Savings/Revenue
Offered by Opportunity
YES
YES
YES
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Improvement Opportunity Mini Business Case
Opportunity Reference Number:
Title of Opportunity:
Integrated Business Planning
Type of Opportunity:
Common Corporate Process
Major Activities Associated with the Current State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Department/Division identifies need to create customer service
standards.
2.
Department/Division independently develops customer service
standards, trains staff accordingly, and regularly measures performance
and compares it to the standards.
3.
Continue to monitor, measure and modify as required.
Total:
38
Total Cost to
Perform Activity
Currently ($)
Varies by
initiative
Opportunity Description and Scope
To develop an Integrated Business plan framework that follows the overall Corporate Strategic Plan and
supports the budgeting process. Business planning lends itself to multi-year budgeting, which intern
allows programs to initiate, unfold, terminate and for review. This allows managers to plan for the future
instead of reacting to the present.
Current State Description
There is no current corporate framework around integrated business planning. The Regina Police
Service uses a “statement of requirements” to develop expenditure plans. Some of these are focused
on current year budget, while others focus on future budgets. The City’s budget document would
informally resemble a business plan.
Groups Affected by Opportunity
The corporation as a whole would be affected by this opportunity. By tying an Integrated Business
Planning process to the Strategic Plan and annual budget cycle, the corporation could focus and support
on the operational requirements of the corporation.
Opportunity/Future State Description
The Integrated Business Plan would serve as a communication tool for departments to show how they
align with the Corporate Strategic Plan. The plan should identify the goals and objectives of the
department, the core business provided, the distribution of resources (financial and human), and the key
performance measures for the department. Comprehensive business plans work best in a multi-year
budgeting framework. This allows the service area to develop programs and implement them over time.
Multi-year budgets focus on staffing, retention, and sustainability; they also ensure that programs are
justified. In essence, an Integrated Business plan allows the organization to perform an internal core
service review every 3 years. This cycle would reflect a council/board’s term of office.
Rationale for Opportunity/Future State Description
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Municipalities need to have integrated strategic, business and budgeting plans. This makes for effective
use of resources and supports the overall service area delivery of programs and services. Leading best
practices from across North America have been considered.
Issues/Considerations
Currently there is no documented Strategic Plan that a business plan can follow. By basing the strategic
plan on City Council’s vision, there would be a need for buy in from Council or the Board of Police
Commissioners. This may have some impact as council/board and administration change periodically.
Re-tooling the organization to reflect this new opportunity will require time and effort. Documenting the
process, providing templates to follow and reviewing the process annually would benefit the transition to
this process.
Associated Initiatives
Some departments have existing forms of strategic or business plans. Some are tied to the budget
process and others are part of their mission or vision. The current budgeting document acts as an
informal business plan.
Costs & Benefits
Estimated One-time
Savings ($)
0
Estimated Annual
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
Savings ($)
Revenue Realization ($) Revenue Realization ($)
4,000,000 over 3
0
0
years
This opportunity would have no immediate effect on revenue or cost savings. However, the City
departments could realise as much as $4,000,000 spread over the 1st and 2nd year of the budget cycle.
This money, primarily in the form of timesaving would be allocated towards projects or resource
allocations to support department initiatives. As the process is developed and fine tuned, opportunities,
amalgamation, change, dissolution and alternate service delivery would be come more identifiable. By
adding this tool, the decision making process would be streamlined.
Implementation Requirements
Estimated Time Required to
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
Implement (In Months)
Implementation Cost ($)
Implementation Cost ($)
12
100,000
5,000,000 every 3 years
Once a Corporate Strategic Plan is established a formal Integrated Business Planning model can be
used. This would be in the form of a template and would take 4 months to develop and implement. At
this point the business planning and budgeting can begin. It should take about 4 months to create,
rationalize and revise the initial business plan and budget. Approval of the initial 3-year budget will take a
couple of months. Once the budget is approved the interim years will see “supplemental budgets” that
will cover off any major changes that where not foreseen.
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Major Activities Associated with the Current State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Create an annual operating budget
2.
Create an annual capital budget
Total:
Major Activities Associated with the Future State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Establish or review Corporate Strategic Plan (see mini-business case
#155)
2.
Establish or review Integrated Business Plan
3.
Create 3 year operating budget based on business plan
4.
Create 5 year capital budget based on business plan
5.
Revise operating budget during 3 year cycle (supplemental budget)
6.
Revise capital budget during 5 year cycle
Total:
Recommendation
Proceed with more Detailed
Business Case
YES
Opportunity Requires Further
Study and Development
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Total Cost to
Perform Activity
Currently ($)
2,500,000
500,000
3,000,000
Estimated Total
Cost to Perform
Activity ($)
1,250,000
1,250,000
500,000
500,000
500,000
3,000,000 every
3 years;
1,000,000 on the
1st and 2nd year
Significant Savings/Revenue
Offered by Opportunity
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Corporate Improvement Opportunity Mini Business Case
Opportunity Reference Number:
Title of Opportunity:
Succession Planning Strategy
Type of Opportunity:
Efficiency/Cost Saving
1221
Opportunity Description and Scope
Develop and implement a succession planning strategy for the City of Regina and Regina Police
Service.
Forty-five percent of the City of Regina workforce, and thirty-four percent of the Regina Police Service
will be eligible to retire within the next 10 years. Retirement will translate into skills and knowledge gaps
that will impact all areas of doing business. Succession Planning is one of the proactive tools or
processes that can help facilitate and address these gaps, and provide development opportunities to
City staff.
For the purposes of this opportunity, succession planning is a defined program that an organization
systemizes to ensure leadership continuity for all positions by developing activities that will build
personal talent from within.
Current State Description
The City of Regina Human Resources Department is currently addressing this opportunity:
Status:
- The Workforce Planning Strategy is in DRAFT form and being discussed at each department
management team throughout the fall of 2004.
Background:
- In the fall of 2003 an Organizational Development (OD) Working Group was formed to develop a
succession-planning program for the City of Regina. This twelve member interdepartmental
committee came together to participate in Phase I of a five-year multi-phase development:
Phase I Includes the development of a Workforce Planning Strategy to proactively manage the
future human resource needs of the organization and foster an environment that provides career
development opportunities for out-of-scope employees. The Workforce Planning Strategy was
developed after significant research into best practices, and the development phase was guided
by the following principles:
- Transparency and integrity in the process
- Building the current workforce
- Professional growth and development
- Long-term sustainable strategy
- Based on best practices of workforce development
Phase II – Leadership & Development Strategy
Phase III – Leadership & Development Strategy
Phase IV – Evaluation
The DRAFT that was presented to department management teams in the Fall of 2004 includes
(Phase I):
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The DRAFT was developed based in the following definitions and approaches:
• Workforce Planning Process is a systematic process for identifying and addressing the gaps
between the workforce of today and “human” resources needs of tomorrow. The Gap Analysis
looks at the current profile of departments (supply) and future profile of departments (demand),
which will indicate if there is a surplus or shortage of a skilled workforce.
• Talent Management Program, initially suggested for out of scope participants to begin with, is to
retain or develop our key talent through a proactive approach.
At this time the Regina Police Service does not have a formal succession plan.
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Groups Affected by Opportunity
Employees, City of Regina and Regina Police Service
Opportunity/Future State Description
City of Regina: To successfully development and implement Phase I, II, III and IV; based on the
feedback on the draft being discussed by management teams in the fall of 2004.
RPS: To develop an Executive Development plan for its membership. This program is forecasted to be
developed in 2005. If a formal succession plan is required, the RPS would need to develop and
implement a model to meet their needs.
Rationale for Opportunity/Future State Description
Within the next ten years forty-five percent of all City employees, and thirty-five percent of the Regina
Police Service will be eligible for retirement. The City and Regina Police Service have recognized the
need to implement a succession plan into their organizations to provide career development
opportunities for employees. This program will lead to highly skilled and desirable managers.
Issues/Considerations
The following issues and considerations would need to be considered for a successful program:
-
Focus on supervisory skills and leadership development opportunities;
The highly skilled and desirable City managers may be recruited by outside organizations;
however, the City of Regina would be a more attractive employer, as it will have a strong
Leadership Development Strategy;
Corporate buy-in, modeling behaviour of Senior Management, which will lead to successful
implementation;
A broad based program, which includes all levels of employees and work groups;
Collective Agreements; and
Employee input into the process.
Associated Initiatives
The following includes a list of associated activities that may be duplicated or impacted by this
project:
- Employee Recognition Program (Currently being addressed through a Project Team)
- Recruitment Strategies (i.e.: e-recruitment)
- Leadership Development Program (Currently being addressed for the Regina Fire Department)
- Knowledge Management Program (part of Core Services Review business case)
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Page 218
Implementation Requirements
Costs & Benefits
Estimated Time Required to
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
Estimated
One-time
Estimated Annual
Estimated
One-time Implementation
Estimated Annual
Implement
(In Months)
Implementation
Cost ($)
Cost ($)
Savings ($)
Savings ($)
Revenue Realization ($) Revenue Realization ($)
48
$10,000
$100,000
0
0
0
0
The annual estimated implementation costs reflect staff and research time required to develop and
implement all four phases of the program. The estimated one-time costs reflect resources and
A
successful succession-planning
program would not net any cost savings or revenue opportunities for
communication
costs.
the City of Regina. However, current research shows that for every dollar spent on a well executed
succession planning program could save as much as seven times in recruitment dollars.
Major Activities Associated with the Current State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
2.
3.
4.
Total:
Major Activities Associated with the Future State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Implement Workforce Planning Strategy to senior management
2.
Program implementation
3.
Program evaluation
4.
Implement Phase II, III, and Phase IV of program
1.
Total Cost to
Perform Activity
Currently ($)
Estimated Total
Cost to Perform
Activity ($)
Regina Police Services need to determine need and follow through on
program.
Total:
Recommendation
Proceed with more Detailed
Business Case
NO
Opportunity Requires Further
Study and Development
Significant Savings/Revenue
Offered by Opportunity
NO
NO savings offered
A further business case review is not required as the City of Regina is on the process of implementing a
succession plan. However, the Regina Police Service needs to consider proceeding with a succession
plan to address their skills and knowledge gaps (by retirement).
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
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Page 219
Corporate Improvement Opportunity Mini Business Case
Opportunity Reference Number:
Title of Opportunity:
Employee Wellness and Attendance Management Program
Type of Opportunity:
Efficiency/Cost Saving
1222
Opportunity Description and Scope
Create positions to manage and develop employee wellness and attendance management
(absenteeism, return to work) programs. These positions would develop and implement programs that
would increase the health and fitness benefits of City or Regina and Regina Police Service employees,
and provide support to managers who are dealing with employee absence (long term disability, workers
compensation benefits, insurance or lengthy sick leave situations). Benefits would include a reduction of
insurance costs for having a program, improved return to work indicators, corporate absence reporting
process, and practical training for managers (absenteeism, stress, substance abuse, insubordination
and disciplinary meetings). These programs must be consistently applied across the organization.
Current State Description
The City of Regina and the Regina Police Service have programs that deal with employee wellness,
absenteeism and return to work, but these are not coordinated or applied consistently.
Programs include:
- “Transfit” Program (Regina Transit) – All Transit employees attend the Dr. Paul Schwann
Applied Health and Research Centre (DPSC) for a Comprehensive Health Assessment and
Consultation every even year (i.e. 2004, 2006) and will participate in a DPSC program of their
choice every odd year (2005, 2007).
- Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) – Services (i.e. referral to professional)
available to all City of Regina employees (full time, casual or retired). Members of the Regina
Professional Firefighters Association (Local 181) and Regina Police Service employees are
covered under their own assistance programs.
- Noon hour Fitness Classes – The City of Regina currently offer free noon hour fitness classes to
employees, such as yoga.
- Wellness Program (Regina Police Service) – Regina Police Service, currently employees a
wellness coordinator to offer education and fitness classes to its members and new recruits.
The RPS Wellness Program also includes an exercise room located in the M.J. Building.
- Health and Safety Miscellaneous Programs – Such as workplace ergonomics, first aid, flu shots
are some the programs offered to staff at various times throughout the year.
- Workers Compensation Board – Premiums are paid to cover both the Regina Police Service and
City of Regina employees.
- Return to Work Policy – Still in “DRAFT” stage – To provide assistance and direction to
managers and supervisors who are dealing with employees experiencing illness or injury. The
intent of the program will be facilitating an employee’s return to the workplace that is in the best
interest of both the employee and the City of Regina.
- Attendance Management Policy – This policy deals with employees who are failing to attend
work, and provides guidelines for management to work with employees to maximize attendance.
The costs of operating these programs for the City of Regina and Regina Police Service are:
- Regina Transit, “Transfit” Program - $30,000, including 0.1 FTE
- Employee and Family Assistance Program - $300,000, including 2.5 FTE’s
- Regina Police Service Wellness Program - $80,000, including 1.0 FTE, equipment and facility
- Health and Safety Miscellaneous Program - $30,000, including 0.2 FTE
- Workers Compensation Board - $1,950,000 (premiums), including 0.5 FTE
- Return to Work Policy “DRAFT” - $40,000, include 0.6 FTE.
- Attendance Management Policy - $8,000, including 0.1 FTE
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
These associative costs do not include managers and supervisor’s time spent promoting a safe
workforce or attendance management programs.
Groups Affected by Opportunity
These programs and services are offered to all City of Regina and Regina Police Service employees. In
some instances they are designed to aid management and provide guidance. Since these programs are
not offered in a coordinated or consistent manner they are either not used, staff are unaware, or they are
not used to the full potential.
Opportunity/Future State Description
In order to support and enhance an environment that values employee wellness, and informs employees
of the benefits of and opportunities for improving personal wellness the following needs to be
considered:
Two dedicated positions could be created, they include:
- Workplace Wellness Coordinator - to be responsible for the coordination of two primary areas,
Health and Wellness and Injury Prevention
- Occupational Health Coordinator – to be responsible for Return to Work and Disability
Assistance for employees.
Programs and initiative could include:
- Wellness Subsidization Program: This program could offer all City employees a subsidy on
memberships at any of our City Operated Civic Leisure Centres (such as 25%). The financing
for this program could come from the revenues of “new” membership sales.
- Awareness and Education Programs
- Health Programs
- Fitness and Lifestyle Programs
- Referral Services
- Implementation of a corporate “Return to Work Program”, including benchmarking and
evaluation measurements
- Management of the Attendance Management Program, including benchmarking and evaluations
measurements.
Program Objective:
- To promote an environment that encourages and promotes a healthy and injury free workplace.
- To promote a safe, timely and successful return to work for an ill or injured employee that is in
the best interest of the employee and the City of Regina and Regina Police Service.
- To foster an environment of trust that encourages participation in the program.
- To focus on the employee’s capabilities and the contribution that he or she can make to the
workplace.
- To ensure fair and consistent treatment for all employees who are returning to work.
- To promote a team oriented approach to return to work planning among employees, supervisor,
union representatives, and other program resources.
Rationale for Opportunity/Future State Description
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Appendices
Corporate dollars spent on workplace wellness and attendance management strategies come back in
the form of substantial gains for employers. It is estimated that three dollars will come back to a
company for every one dollar invested in a workplace wellness program. Healthy workers are more
motivated, work harder and increase productivity. In the City of Toronto for example, employees who
participated in the City’s “Metro Fit”” program reported 3.35 fewer sick days in the first six months than
colleagues who did not enrol.
Benefits of Workplace Wellness, include:
- Improvements in corporate images and recruitment;
- Gains in productivity;
- Decreases in absenteeism’s and turnover; and
- Lower medical costs and reduced workplace injury.
Secondary benefits, include:
- Reducing disability through early detection and prevention (the “Transfit” program has shown
success in this area);
- Stress Reduction;
- Peer support; and
- Communication among employees.
Benefits of an Employee Absenteeism and Return to Work Program:
- Reduction in overtime payments;
- Increased productivity levels;
- Decreased costs of hiring and training new or casual employees;
- Increased employee morale;
- Reduced time for managers and supervisors in maintaining and controlling absenteeism;
- Reduced Workers Compensation Board premiums; and
- Increased employee retention.
Issues/Considerations
Things to consider before you start:
- The majority of companies currently offering employee programs do so through memberships in
athletic facilities.
- Only one in five members of fitness clubs join as a result of company-sponsored programs. This
is in conjunction with a corporate rate.
- Assessment of workplace culture.
- Workplace survey to determine what employees think of the idea.
- Evaluation plan and benchmarking.
Associated Initiatives
The following includes a list of associated activities that may be duplicated or impacted by this project:
- Regina Transit, “Transfit” Program;
- Regina Police Service Wellness Program and Coordinator;
- EFAP (as another refer program or positively); and
- Workers Compensation Board Premiums.
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Page 222
Costs & Benefits
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
Savings ($)
Savings ($)
Revenue Realization ($) Revenue Realization ($)
0
$500,000* (long term)
0
0
It is estimated that three dollars will come back to a company for every one dollar invested in a
workplace wellness program. Productivity gains would require further research over the long term.
Organizations statistics will have to be mined for the following:
- Current data on absenteeism;
- Current turnover rates;
- Average age of employees;
- Health claim history or claims for the organization;
- Workers compensation claims;
- Survey data on what your employees want; and
- Survey data on what other organizations are doing.
*Most cost savings would come from WCB premium savings.
Implementation Requirements
Estimated Time Required to
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
Implement (In Months)
Implementation Cost ($)
Implementation Cost ($)
36
$50,000
$300,000*
The estimated annual implementation costs include the salaries and benefits of two employees
(Workplace Wellness Coordinator and Occupational Health Coordinator), in addition to other staff time
throughout the corporation (EFAP, Finance, Public Affairs, etc.).
The estimated one-time implementation costs include miscellaneous equipment and resource costs.
To realize any cost savings or productivity savings these programs would need to be fully implemented
over a number of years.
*These costs do not include WCB premiums or memberships.
Major Activities Associated with the Future State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Review current employee wellness and absentee management
programs for effectiveness and cost benefit – determine need.
2.
Develop a new and improved workplace wellness program
3.
Develop a new attendance management program
4.
Implement programs, including communication plan
5.
Evaluate programs
Total:
Estimated Total
Cost to Perform
Activity ($)
Recommendation
Proceed with more Detailed
Business Case
Opportunity Requires Further
Study and Development
Significant Savings/Revenue Offered
by Opportunity
YES
YES
YES
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
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Page 223
Improvement Opportunity Mini Business Case
Opportunity Reference Number:
Title of Opportunity:
Corporate Revenue Strategy
Type of Opportunity:
Common Corporate Process
25
Opportunity Description and Scope
To develop a Corporate Revenue Strategy by building new revenue opportunities. These opportunities
could include: corporate sponsorships, naming rights, advertising, infrastructure development fees, etc.
The strategy should aim to provide stable, on-going revenue that fits the long-term financial goals of the
City.
Current State Description
Currently a working relationship exists between Public Affairs and other departments to develop their
marketing and communication plans. Revenue strategies are department specific, and work
independent of each other. There are no partnering or sponsorship initiatives at present.
Groups Affected by Opportunity
The Corporation as a whole will be impacted by this opportunity.
Opportunity/Future State Description
A revenue strategy should be part of a long-term financial plan. This strategy should generate reliable
funding for multi-year projects and be accountable to the source of the revenue. Once Council has the
authority, they will be required to approve the new revenue source via bylaws and will need a solid plan
to justify the revenue. There would be a need for co-ordination of the communication and marketing of
the program in support of the departments participating in the new revenue, co-ordination of the
partnering and sponsorship arrangements with outside entities. In addition, there would be a need to
review and adjust rates according to development and additional infrastructure requirements.
Identification of Operating and Maintenance Costs for each facility would be required in order to set
prices for naming rights.
Rationale for Opportunity/Future State Description
Municipalities can no longer fund requirements using existing revenue tools. In order to meet aging
infrastructure the City is in need of new sources of revenue. Leading best practices from across North
America have been considered.
Issues/Considerations
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
This opportunity comes with several considerations. First and foremost, council and administration lack
authority in some regards to implement certain revenue opportunities. Legislation would need to be
passed by the provincial government before many opportunities could be looked at. Secondly, City
Council will be the driving force behind implementing a revenue strategy. The political sensitivity from
various groups will need to be considered. Also, the Administration must have a sound plan for
supporting the revenue initiative. Without careful consideration and research to support new revenue
sources, Council will not be able to approve them without public concern. Lastly, the City must develop
solid marketing skills to support partnering and sponsorship programs as well as current marketing
programs.
The Regina Police Service may be limited in the number of possible options it has to raise additional
revenue; this would be a result of possible conflict of interest guidelines that they must adhere to.
Associated Initiatives
Public Affairs handles Communication and Marketing for all advertising initiatives within the City. Transit
and Community Services currently have marketing initiatives.
Costs & Benefits
Estimated One-time
Savings ($)
Estimated Annual
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
Savings ($)
Revenue Realization ($) Revenue Realization ($)
400,000
3,000,000
Possible options include (but are not limited to):
Development fees: $3,000 per home in a new development (all forms 500 unit/yr avg.). Covers the cost
of new infrastructure.
Funding Partnerships: should be based on Operating and Maintenance cost recovery.
Sponsorships: should be based on Operating and Maintenance cost recovery.
Lodging Tax: 1% of nightly rate. Used to fund economic development, reducing City’s annual out-ofpocket commitment.
Marketing: Advertising expanded from buses and program guides to other City assets and media.
Implementation Requirements
Estimated Time Required to
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
Implement (In Months)
Implementation Cost ($)
Implementation Cost ($)
12
50,000
382,000
One time costs are associated with committee reports, council approving the programs and training of
staff. There will be an increased demand on the accounts receivable area as more receivables are
generated and the complexity of them increases. There could be a need to increase staff complement by
1 FTE in order to support a corporate marketing role. Departments effected by the new opportunity would
need to incorporate this in their business plans.
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Page 225
Major Activities Associated with the Current State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Transit Marketing
2.
Community Services Marketing
3.
Public Affairs
Total:
Total Cost to
Perform Activity
Currently ($)
132,000
150,000
10,000
292,000
Major Activities Associated with the Future State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Corporate Revenue Strategy established
2.
Training of marketing, receivables and support staff
3.
Transit Marketing
4.
Community Services Marketing
5.
Public Affairs expertise (1 FTE), support and materials
Total:
Estimated Total
Cost to Perform
Activity ($)
35,000
15,000
132,000
150,000
100,000
432,000
Recommendation
Proceed with more Detailed
Business Case
YES
Opportunity Requires Further
Study and Development
Significant Savings/Revenue
Offered by Opportunity
YES
UNKNOWN
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
Page 226
Corporate Improvement Opportunity Mini Business Case
Opportunity Reference Number:
Title of Opportunity:
Development of Knowledge Management Centre
Type of Opportunity:
Efficiency
37
Opportunity Description and Scope
To establish Knowledge Management practices aimed at capturing and sharing knowledge throughout
the City of Regina.
Current State Description
Most knowledge is transferred in informal ways, such as word of mouth and on the job training, and is
typically contained within a business area. Similarly, documentation is typically owned by one area. This
exposes the City to a high risk of the loss of knowledge, especially when experienced resources leave
the City. There is also a lack of information sharing between relevant areas.
Groups Affected by Opportunity
All areas of the City of Regina would benefit from this opportunity. Documentation of knowledge
currently existing would help to ensure knowledge is not lost and promote a growing body of knowledge
available to the entire organization. Lessons learned captured as they occur and then shared would
reduce the likelihood of repeating errors and build on effective strategies and processes.
Opportunity/Future State Description
A process and sufficient technology to:
- support the capture and sharing of knowledge.
- ensure knowledge shared is kept relevant and current
- communicate the availability of corporate knowledge and the expectations and responsibility of
employees to capture and document their own knowledge
- work the knowledge gained, especially lessons learned, back into the organization
Rationale for Opportunity/Future State Description
Currently, the City of Regina has no formal vehicle for capturing and sharing knowledge. We have long
term employees with a lot of valuable knowledge that will leave the corporation when they do unless we
take action to consciously document and distribute what they know. We also have some business areas
and departments that could benefit from knowing about successful practices taking place in other areas,
reducing their need to do rework (e.g. research, business cases). An environment with a Knowledge
Management component supports consistent application of critical processes such as Budgeting and
Customer Service.
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
Page 227
Issues/Considerations
Privacy of information needs to be considered when implementing a Knowledge Management System.
There is a challenge to manage information overload and keep information relevant and current.
Associated Initiatives
Knowledge Management is associated with any initiatives that have organizational deliverables in
addition to project deliverables. The nature of organizational deliverables makes them likely sources of
corporate information and knowledge, and a Knowledge Management process and system would
communicate and track the knowledge gained.
Other business cases being developed that are related to Knowledge Management include Project
Management, Workflow, and Succession Planning.
Costs & Benefits
Estimated One-time
Savings ($)
Estimated Annual
Savings ($)
Estimated One-time
Revenue Realization ($)
Estimated Annual
Revenue Realization ($)
Savings realized through Knowledge Management are difficult to quantify, however the following
statistics were presented in the article “Measuring Intangible Value: The ROI of Knowledge
Management” on the website www1.astd.org:
These benefits fell into five areas: Personal productivity, the productivity of others, speed of problem
resolution, cost savings and quality. Knowledge management generated substantial productivity
benefits for those who initiated discussion threads (40%) and consequently improved productivity for
other employees (16%). Cost reductions accounted for 25% of the benefits. Increasing the speed of
problem resolution (15%) and improving work quality (4%) rounded out the benefits.
Implementation Requirements
Estimated Time Required to
Implement (In Months)
Estimated One-time
Implementation Cost ($)
$75K – $100K (COR or
consultant resource)
Estimated Annual
Implementation Cost ($)
Dependent on staffing level and
technology selected
Steps:
Research tools and best practices in Knowledge Management.
Identify scope and requirements for Knowledge Management at the City of Regina.
Establish the implementation strategy (likely staged) that will best effect a culture change, and develop
project plan.
Determine level of technology required to support the requirements, and select vendors/suppliers if
necessary.
Determine resource requirement and ownership of the process of knowledge management and assign
resources accordingly.
Roll out Knowledge Management as established in Project Plan.
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
Page 228
Major Activities Associated with the Current State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Knowledge is shared informally.
2.
Documentation is saved and shared in a proprietary network structure.
3.
Knowledge is often lost when resources leave the City.
4.
5.
6.
Total Cost to
Perform Activity
Currently ($)
Total:
Major Activities Associated with the Future State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Capture knowledge including relevant documentation, lessons learned,
and successes.
2.
Store knowledge documentation in a location/format that makes it
available to the optimum number of resources.
3.
Communicate information availability
4.
Maintain relevant and current information only
5.
6.
Estimated Total
Cost to Perform
Activity ($)
Total:
Recommendation
Proceed with more Detailed
Business Case
YES
Opportunity Requires Further
Study and Development
Significant Savings/Revenue
Offered by Opportunity
NO
YES
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
Page 229
Corporate Improvement Opportunity Mini Business Case
Opportunity Reference Number:
Title of Opportunity:
Corporate Project Management Office
Type of Opportunity:
Efficiency
33,40
Opportunity Description and Scope
Establish a Corporate Project Management Office to provide Project Management standards and
procedures, ensure consistent Project Management practices, provide Project Management mentorship,
and ensure the capture and distribution of lessons learned across the corporation. A Corporate Project
Management Office would also provide critical support to Corporate Portfolio Management and Strategic
Planning.
Current State Description
Individual departments at the City of Regina follow separate methodologies, some formalized, others
informal and with varying degrees of standardization and process definition. The Special Projects area
of the RPS does not use a formalized methodology.
The City of Regina Information Systems Division currently has 1 term FTE committed to its Project
Management Office. This resource has established the PMO and operated it for approximately 18
months. The IS PMO supports a standardized methodology, provides training and mentorship for
project resources and administers the departmental Portfolio Management process. The term is
currently set to end at Dec. 31, 2004
Groups Affected by Opportunity
All departments would gain from having a centralized Project Management Office to provide direction
and structure to the projects they are required to manage. A corporate office would ensure consistency
across the corporation and the expectations of project team members as well as project customers
would be consistently communicated and managed. By capturing and sharing lessons learned, a
corporate area would maximize its Project Management experiences, preventing the repeat of Project
Management errors, and building on successful Project Management practices.
Any areas involved in Corporate Strategic Planning would be strongly supported by the Portfolio
Management aspect of the PMO
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
Opportunity/Future State Description
A Corporate Project Management methodology could be adopted and project teams could receive initial
training to learn how the methodology is to be applied at the City. This initial exposure will result in
subsequent projects having a smoother initiation phase, clearly defined roles and responsibilities, wellmanaged scope and change control, and productive close out activities. The following elements are
provided in a Project Management Office:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Standard methodology for managing projects
Responsibility for PM process and project reporting and tracking
Assurance that similar projects are executed in a similar way
Provision of information needed to improve a PM process
Process for resource allocation and capacity management
Assurance that projects have direct links to company's strategic and operating plans through
standardized Portfolio Management processes.
Support and mentorship for individual Project Managers.
Rationale for Opportunity/Future State Description
The lack of formalized project management procedures at the City of Regina results in a fractured
approach to achieving the goals of the corporation. Individual Project Managers don’t have a standard
process to follow, resulting in Project Management practices that are inconsistent and dependent on the
knowledge, experience, and philosophy of individual resources with varying degrees of Project
Management experience. This puts the City at significant risk in the area of transfer of knowledge when
Project Managers leave the city.
A Corporate PMO would help to ensure that all projects implemented at the City of Regina support the
corporate Strategic Plan and Mission Statement. A consistently applied Project Management
Methodology would ensure all projects are executed according to proven procedures and standards
resulting in a higher level of accountability for all participants. All projects would benefit from lessons
learned in previous projects. Experience is not lost when resources leave. Solid support would be in
place for a Corporate Project Portfolio Management process.
Issues/Considerations
The current practices at the City would need to be investigated to determine the most suitable
methodology to apply.
Current Project Managers would have to be re-educated and buy in to the new processes if required.
Corporate wide Project Management practices would provide a further opportunity in the areas of
Portfolio and Program Management on a corporate scale.
Associated Initiatives
The Information Systems Division at the City has established a small PMO to address Projects
undertaken in that business area. This model may help to build a basis for a corporate office.
This opportunity would feed into other opportunity currently being researched, including:
• Knowledge Management – by capturing Project Management knowledge for use by the
corporation.
• Strategic Planning – by ensuring Project Initiatives are prioritized and executed in support of the
corporate strategic direction
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Appendices
Costs & Benefits
Estimated One-time
Savings ($)
Estimated Annual
Savings ($)
Estimated One-time
Revenue Realization ($)
Page 231
Estimated Annual
Revenue Realization ($)
The City of Regina does not currently keep statistics on the impact of project overruns and cancellations,
but it is reasonable to expect our results would be similar to other project environments.
According to two critical studies (Source: Center for Business Practices), Project Management has
clearly shown its ability to directly and positively impact the company’s bottom line and boost the return
on investment in Project Management, according to two critical studies:
• An average of 36% improvement in Customer Satisfaction, 30% improvement in Employee
Satisfaction, with an overall improvement of 54% in Financial Performance for General Project
Management Initiatives (Source: Center for Business Practices, “Value of Project Management”
survey, February 2002)
• An average of 37.6% improvement in Customer Satisfaction, 22.8% improvement in Employee
Satisfaction, with an overall improvement of 21.7% in Time to Market for Project management
for IT firms. (Source: Center for Business Practices, “Value of Project Management in IT
Organizations” survey, February 2002)
Implementation Requirements
Estimated Time Required to
Implement (In Months)
6-12 months
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
Implementation Cost ($)
Implementation Cost ($)
$75K-$100K (COR or consultant
Dependent on optimum staffing
resource)
level identified in start up.
The effort to establish a Corporate PMO would be the dedication of City of Regina resources or the hiring
of consultants to establish the framework, organization, and practices of the Corporate PMO.
Steps:
Research tools and best practices in Project Management.
Identify scope and requirements for Project Management at the City of Regina
Establish the implementation strategy (likely staged) that will best effect a culture change, and develop
project plan.
Determine level of technology required to support the requirements, and select vendors/suppliers if
necessary.
Determine resource requirement and ownership of the process of knowledge management and assign
resources accordingly.
Roll out Project Management as established in Project Plan
Major Activities Associated with the Current State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Projects are managed independently by different City of Regina
departments by resources with other duties than Project Management.
2.
Total:
Total Cost to
Perform Activity
Currently ($)
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
Major Activities Associated with the Future State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Project Managers identified and trained in standard methodology
2.
Project team roles and responsibilities clearly defined and
communicated at beginning of each project
3.
Project reporting would be done consistently and roll up to a corporate
summary
4.
Project scope and change would be managed and documented
5.
Project status would be consistently tracked and roll up to a corporate
level.
6.
Project closure used to capture lessons learned and apply them to
future projects.
Total:
Recommendation
Proceed with more Detailed
Business Case
YES
Page 232
Estimated Total
Cost to Perform
Activity ($)
Opportunity Requires Further
Study and Development
Significant Savings/Revenue
Offered by Opportunity
NO
YES
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
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Page 233
Corporate Improvement Opportunity Mini Business Case
Opportunity Reference Number:
Title of Opportunity:
Corporate Process – Workflow technology
Type of Opportunity:
Efficiency
62
Opportunity Description and Scope
Definitions:
Workflow: The automation of a business process, in whole or part, during which documents, information
or tasks are passed from one resource to another for action, according to a set of procedural rules.
Workflow Management System: A system that defines, creates and manages the execution of
workflows through the use of software, which is able to interpret the process definition, interact with
workflow resources and invoke the use of information system tools and applications.
The City should entertain the benefits of purchasing workflow technology in order to streamline the
corporation’s paper (hard copy) forms.
Current State Description
Current state notes:
A) The June 2001 print shop inventory of forms shows the City of Regina has over 1000 used in
the corporation. 25 of forms are used corporate wide in large volumes.
B) The corporation is decentralized away from City Hall. Departments are spread throughout the
city. One of the functions of the print services area is to facilitate the delivery of mail throughout
the organization. Resources are spent on daily driving to all facilities in the corporation.
C) The Information Systems division created a report called “Electronic Forms and Workflow
Report” in January 2002. The report highlights some initial research on what potential products
were available and what solutions could be best for the City of Regina.
D) 99% of all current forms are hard copies, however the City of Regina has incorporated some
forms online and available on the Intranet. These few forms only create the ease of location.
The use of the form must still be printed and submitted in a hard copy format.
E) The forms used in the corporation fall into three categories:
• Used in the approval process and therefore the forms are routed for authorization. (i.e. travel,
on/off forms)
• Used to collect data and then entered into a system for future use. (i.e. timecards, overtime)
• Used to collect data and filed in a file cabinet (i.e. access to park form)
F) The Human Resources and Payroll system (VIP) for employee data has modules that support
workflow. The modules have not been purchased nor have they analyzed of the potential.
G) Records Management Software (TRIM) has some workflow components within it. Early stages
of this project are on the way being coordinated by the Clerks office.
H) Call Centre Software (Hansen) captures data on request for services and has the ability of
sharing information among departments and divisions.
Groups Affected by Opportunity
All City of Regina and Regina Police Services departments.
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
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Page 234
Issues/Considerations
Opportunity/Future State Description
• Research reveals that wherever there is a form being used, there is an opportunity to improve
the process or automation of the form. Some forms have more value than others based on the
cost to produce and the volume of use within the corporation.
• For many areas of the organization, there are resources allocated to the data entry of
information from the forms. Software would eliminate the need for this function if the information
is captured at the ‘front end’ and then transferring it into the appropriate system for use.
• There are added costs for the corporation in the storage of paper copies and forms. This fact is
further highlighted by the space allocated for file cabinets throughout the office buildings. The
decentralized organization also increases the duplication of copies based on locations.
• There are many occurrences that a form must be completed in certain time frame. Without
software or automated forms there is no tracking of the forms delivery within the system.
• The current routing of forms is time consuming and there is a potential for forms to be lost.
Rationale for Opportunity/Future State Description
The corporation would have less paper used or stored. The turnaround time on the completion of
routing forms would increase. The data entry resources to transpose information would decrease.
•
•
•
•
The Information Systems service area does not support wireless software at this time. They do
support systems with docking stations for the transfer of data.
There are security issues around the infrastructure of data. Policy and agreements are needed
to be in place before moving into wireless information systems.
The corporation would have to spend resources to identify which forms or processes are most
beneficial.
The corporation would have to spend resources to identify which software is best suited based
on the current software being used.
Associated Initiatives
There are some current software applications that the City uses where workflow is part of the package
however the modules have not been incorporated.
The Human Resources and Payroll system (VIP) has modules that support workflow. The modules
have not been purchased nor have they analyzed of the potential.
Records Management Software (TRIM) has some e workflow components within it. Early stages of this
project are on the way being driven by the Clerks office.
Costs & Benefits
Estimated One-time
Savings ($)
Estimated Annual
Savings ($)
Estimated One-time
Revenue Realization ($)
Estimated Annual
Revenue Realization ($)
Research on this topic has revealed that every corporate form (form used by more than one division)
has an annual cost of $75,000 to maintain it in a hard copy form. Cost includes printing, inventory,
updating, filing and tracking of forms in use. As noted before, there are roughly 25 corporate forms.
25 forms x $75,000 = $1,875,000 once they are all in place.
Other research indicates that for every dollar invested into workflow management systems returns an
investment of 4 to 8 dollars back.
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
Implementation Requirements
Estimated Time Required to
Implement (In Months)
3-18 months
Estimated One-time
Implementation Cost ($)
20,000 to 140,000
Page 235
Estimated Annual
Implementation Cost ($)
60,000
There are dozens of software applications that have workflow components involved in it. Without doing a
detailed project analysis to evaluate the requirements, compatibility and costs would be impossible to give
anything more than general information.
The one time cost is only the software component but this depends on features, number of users and
number of forms. In all cases there are three fees: A) Server price; B) user price and C) maintenance fee.
Major Activities Associated with the Current State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
2.
3.
4.
Total:
Total Cost to
Perform Activity
Currently ($)
Recommendation
Proceed
with more
Detailed
Opportunity
Requires Further
Significant Savings/Revenue
Major
Activities
Associated
with the
Future State
Study and Development
Offered by Opportunity?
ActivityBusiness Case
Estimated Total
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
Cost to Perform
and associated sub-activities
Number
Activity ($)
YES
YES
YES
1.
Implement Workflow Planning Strategy
to senior management
2.
Program implementation and creation of review team
3.
Identify most beneficial forms to be automated
4.
Implement new process
5.
Program evaluation
6.
Phase II, implement other forms based on step 3-5.
Regina Police Services need to determine need or amalgamate with
City of Regina.
Total:
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
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Page 236
Corporate Improvement Opportunity Mini Business Case
Opportunity Reference Number:
Title of Opportunity:
Rates and Fees Review
Type of Opportunity:
Revenue
140
Opportunity Description and Scope
Rates and fees should be reviewed to determine if they are at market value, and if not, whether there is,
or should be, a policy currently being implemented to bring them to that point. Once that information is
known, a corporate rates and fees policy should be formed to ensure that all departments are using the
same guidelines when developing their rates and fees for programs and services within their areas.
Within the description, it is stated that “reduced fee services by Departments should be eliminated.”
Realistically, as a public service entity, the City cannot charge full cost recovery for all services.
However, this idea of charging full cost recovery for City services where it is possible and where it will
allow the rates to be at market value, is addressed when describing the development of a corporate
rates and fees policy.
Revenues related to property taxes, local improvement levies, payments in lieu, municipal surcharges on
electricity and natural gas distribution fees, interest revenues, and facility operating agreements are
seen to be outside the scope of this business case.
Current State Description
Currently, the City’s departments create their rates and fees independently. While rate and fee
discussions are sent by report to Committee and then to Council, there are no corporate rates and fees
standards to guide departments in developing their specific rates and fees.
Departments range in their frequency of rate reviews. Within the last few years, a number of
departments have investigated how their rates and fees fall with respect to market value, and some of
those chose to increase their fees accordingly. Others have not reviewed their fees for some time and
require a review in order to bring them to market value. Examples of these different cases are identified
briefly below:
In June 2002 Community and Leisure Services Division in Community Services conducted a fees
and charges review. When the review was completed, a decision was made to phase in rate
increases for leisure services to meet market value. For instance, it was determined that rates
should be increased so that adult admission rates are at 75% cost recovery. Within this review,
pricing principles and guidelines were noted which may be useful in creating a corporate rates and
fees policy, including:
• People who can afford to pay for services should be expected to pay. For those who
are economically disadvantaged, programs (such as the Affordable Fun Program)
should be made available to address the cost barrier;
• Where possible, fees should be adjusted to reflect the market for comparable services;
• Fees should not be so high as to prohibit the participation of the majority of the public
but not so low as to ignore the obligation of the user pay for service;
• Differential pricing levels should be established based on age, type of user, and type of
usage;
• Where the City of Regina offers similar programs to private agencies, fees should be
comparable.
In 2002, the Building Inspection Division of Community Services conducted a review of building
permit rates in December 2002. Permits fees were based on 75% cost recovery for those costs
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
attributed to processing building permits within that division. Moving those rates to be 100% cost
recovery was suggested and turned down by Council. As such, rates continue to be 75% cost
recovery for that division (i.e. the fees do not take into account the work related to building permits
that is done by other divisions or departments).
In October 2002, Regina Transit reviewed their service and rates. As a result, regular Transit and
Paratransit fares will be increased annually between 2004 and 2006 using a phased approach. No
known transit system is fully cost recovery due to the social responsibility associated with it (e.g.
making a significant subsidy for seniors available, permitting the blind, war amputees and the
deaf/hard of hearing to ride for free, making significant free tickets available for the transit fare
assistance program and the Regina Food Bank, having a $15 discounted pass program, and
providing transit benefits under the provincial employment program). As such the increased fares
that are being phased in only affect those who pay to use transit. Furthermore, every 10-cent
increase in transit fares generally means a 5% reduction in transit ridership. City Council set a target
for Regina to have a 60% cost recovery for transit, and if they include the value of the above noted
subsidies, they state that they are close to meeting this objective.
Urban Planning in Community Services has not reviewed its rates in over four years and believes
that its rates may be as low as 40% cost recovery. It is felt that rates for development applications
should be the same as building permits; set at a level similar to 75% cost recovery and those related
to zoning administration should be at about 60-75% cost recovery.
Parks and Open Space in Community Services develops golf and cemetery fees in conjunction with
its 3-year business plan. The plan considers all relevant factors such as capital expenditures, annual
operating, investment returns, market conditions, etc. The 3-year business plans flow from a larger
planning document that sets strategy for golf courses and cemeteries in the short, medium and long
term. These documents, along with the fees, are reviewed and updated annually.
Generally, Regina’s rates and fees are low in comparison to other municipalities. For instance, many
other centres charge 100% cost recovery for building permits and development applications. In many of
these cases, 100% cost recovery involves incorporating the costs related to work all divisions and/or
departments do to complete the process for completing these types of permits.
As such, it is felt that a conservative estimate of revenue that could be generated under a corporate
service review could be approximately 3%. This assumes that the level of participation in programs and
service usage stays the same despite increases in costs.
Groups Affected by Opportunity
• Human Resources
• Corporate Services: Public Affairs, City Clerk’s Office, Real Estate, Facilities and Energy
Management, Fleet Services
• Finance: City Assessor, Revenue & Admin., Information Systems
• Community Services: Community and Leisure Services, Parks and Open Space Management,
Bylaw Enforcement, Urban Planning, Building Inspections
• Transit: Transit, Paratransit
• Fire: Administration, Maintenance, and Communication
• Engineering and Works: Water, Wastewater, and Waste Management, Development and Technical
Services, Roadways and Traffic
Examples of rates and fees within these areas: Engineering and Works (e.g. parking permits, street
use, solid waste collection, landfill charges), Finance (e.g. bike licences, business licences, water utility
billing, property taxes, parking tickets, duplicating services), Community Services (e.g. admission fees at
leisure facilities, facility rental, program registration, ice rental, green fees at golf courses, cemetery plot
fees, columbarium fees, development application fees), Transit (e.g. cash fares, pass sales, ticket
sales), and Fire (e.g. suppression services).
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City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
Opportunity/Future State Description
The City could have a corporate policy on rates and fees that would establish a rational, fair, and
equitable approach to fees that can be applied consistently across the corporation. This will involve
identifying opportunities to recover increased costs and would rationalize charging less than full direct
operational costs (subsidy) where required. Within this policy there will also be a mechanism to ensure
a continuous, systematic review of pricing strategies for the corporation to ensure responsible cost
recovery targets and competitive pricing. This continuous evaluation should also monitor public
participation levels to determine impact of fee increases.
Departments will review the rates and fees they charge, examine how those were developed, and
determine if they should be changed based on the corporate policy. This will involve examining
applicable costs associated with the rates and fees to determine what full cost recovery levels would be,
and making a decision as to whether these fees would be at market value. It is believed that overall, an
increase of approximately 3% of 2002 revenues will result following the implementation of the changes.
Rationale for Opportunity/Future State Description
A corporate rates and fees policy would assist the organization to make informed decision about
establishing consistent rates and fees across all departments.
In terms of conducting the review itself and implementing changes in rates and fees as required, it would
assist the City with increasing its revenue, and reducing the need for mill rate increases (or at least the
magnitude of them). It would move many programs and services to a user-pay situation, which may be
seen as positive by some citizens as their tax dollars would not seem to be subsidizing programs or
services that they do not participate in.
Issues/Considerations
In terms of increases to rates and fees:
• There would likely be opposition from various groups related to that service or program.
• There would also be potential issues raised from increasing rates and fees and not increasing
service levels. There is often a need for a reason to justify fee increases in terms of what
improvement it will mean for the customer. As such, costs of increasing service levels should be
considered when looking at increasing rates and fees. For instance, Urban Planning suggests that
in order to improve service as well as help convince developers to pay more, it would require at least
3 FTEs in order to fully be able to process development application efficiently and allow planning
personnel to attend to their planning duties (rather than processing development applications as is
currently done).
• Depending on what the review reveals in terms of increases, a phased approach may be required.
As such, the full impact of increasing fees may not be seen immediately.
In terms of developing the corporate rates and fees policy:
• The role of a municipality will need to be recognized as being responsible for the welfare of all
citizens. This requires a balanced approach to subsidies and revenues. As such, as there will need
to be recognition that not all services can be cost recovery. Instead, there will need to research into
what service provide less benefit to the community as a whole and are not broadly accessible, and
thus are less worthy of public tax support.
Associated Initiatives
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City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
As stated previously, a number of departments have recently conducted rate reviews (i.e. Transit
Service Review, Community and Leisure Services Fees and Charges Strategy, and Building Inspection).
Also, parking meters and tickets have also increased and with the change in the water meters, citizens
costs related to water usage have generally gone up due to the increased accuracy of the water
metering. As such, these reports and the research that was considered when these extensive reviews
were conducted should be examined before engaging in a comprehensive rates and fees review. A lot
of work has already been done to ensure fees related to these programs are priced appropriately, and it
should not be negated.
However, while there have been reviews recently done in various areas, they have all been done
independently. As such, it would seem that there is room for ensuring consistency across the
corporation with respect to how rates are set. When researching this case, many of those interviewed
expressed a need to have a formal revenue policy at the City to provide guidance to those setting rates
and fees. As such a report released in March 1987 entitled “Revenue Strategy: Fees, Charges and
Fines” should be reviewed and used as a starting point to developing rate and fee setting
standards/guidelines. The conclusion of that document stated, “The City currently lacks a
comprehensive corporate policy and rationale with which to review and regulate the various fees,
charges and fines imposed. This report lays out a framework for the analysis and categorization of fees,
charges, and fines from which a comprehensive corporate strategy can emerge.” Although this strategy
never made it to fruition at that time, the information contained within that document may still be useful.
Costs & Benefits
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
Savings ($)
Savings ($)
Revenue Realization ($) Revenue Realization ($)
2.1M
Although no amount is specifically noted, the development of a corporate rates and fees policy may
result in some savings as it may result in departments spending less time researching and determining
how to set their rates if there are guidelines to follow.
When estimating the Annual Revenue Increase the assumption was made that overall revenues would
increase by 3% (recognizing that some departments would raise their fees more than others while some
would not raise them at all), given that 2002 revenues were $71M (not including revenues related to
property taxes, local improvement levies, PILs, municipal surcharges on electricity and natural gas
distribution fees, interest revenues, and facility operating agreements). It would also assume that
current participation in programs and service usage would remain the same.
Implementation Requirements
Estimated Time Required to
Implement (In Months)
12
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
Implementation Cost ($)
Implementation Cost ($)
15,000
(related to salaries from existing
staff assigned to this conducting
the review and developing the
corporate policy)
No net additional costs as current staff would conduct review. Their time would amount to about $15,000
of their salaries.
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City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
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Major Activities Associated with the Current State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major
Reference
activities and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Independent department/division is advised (i.e. by Committee) or
opts to conduct a review of the rates charged for services or
programs provided.
2.
Research is conducted to determine if rates and fees are at market
value and what cities in Alberta and Manitoba charge for similar
services or programs.
3.
A policy/review and associated report with recommendations is sent
to the appropriate committee and then to city council for approval.
4.
If warranted, rates and fees increases are implemented.
5.
Impact of increased rates to program participation and/or service
utilization levels is investigated. If there are drops in these levels,
action is taken to try to rectify the situation (increased marketing for
instance).
6.
Plans are made to review rates and fees regularly in the future.
Total:
Page 240
Total Cost to
Perform Activity
Currently ($)
Varies by the
Specific Rate or
Fee being
Reviewed
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
Page 241
Major Activities Associated with the Future State (steps of an implementation plan)
Activity
Estimated Total
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
Cost to Perform
and associated sub-activities
Number
Activity ($)
1.
All departments list their programs and services that generate revenue
from rates and fees, providing the rationale for levels currently charged.
2.
A corporate policy and rationale are developed around setting rates and
fees to ensure consistency across corporation.
3.
Review rates and fees to determine if they are at market value and/or at
the rate recommended by corporate policy. This could be done by
referring to reviews that have recently been conducted.
4.
Create a list of those rates and fees that departments are not satisfied
with and/or those that are not at market value (or those that will not be
at the end of their phased in rate increase).
5.
Make final recommendations on which rates and fees should be
targeted for change based on the corporate rates and fees policy.
6.
Impact of increased rates to program participation and/or service
utilization levels is investigated. If there are drops in these levels, action
is taken to try to rectify the situation (increased marketing for instance).
7.
Review rates and fees regularly.
$15,000 in
Total:
current staff time
In the future, individual departments will refer to the corporate rates and fees policy and the guidelines
within it for rate setting.
This rates and fees policy should be reviewed at the corporate level regularly to ensure its guidelines
continue to be realistic. All fees and charges should have minimum review schedule. For instance, the
City of Winnipeg reviews all its fees and charges at least every three years.
Recommendation
Proceed with more Detailed
Business Case
YES
Opportunity Requires Further
Study and Development
Significant Savings/Revenue
Offered by Opportunity
NO
YES
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
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Page 242
Corporate Improvement Opportunity Mini Business Case
Opportunity Reference Number:
Title of Opportunity:
Integrated Strategic Planning Process
Type of Opportunity:
Efficiency/Partnering
155
Opportunity Description and Scope
Create a Long Range and Strategic Planning Office to integrate the long range and strategic planning
functions presently carried out in a fractured way throughout City Departments, RPS, and some external
bodies (RREDA, various advisory committees) into one coherent functional area. Would include forward
planning for infrastructure, transit, transportation, urban development, neighbourhood and community
planning, housing, financial, parks and open space, facilities, environmental, business development and
social planning. The City’s vision and the necessary strategic plans, policies, targets and financial
budgetary requirements could be integrated in one coherent document for effective implementation and
ease of presentation to the public and other stakeholders.
Current State Description
Currently long range strategic planning for the City of Regina is conducted through the City Managers
office. Police and Fire conduct and implement their strategic planning functions independently. Police
utilize a 3-year strategic plan and Fire a 5-year plan.
The strategic planning function for departments within the City of Regina is integrated through the
budget process. An annual budget forecast document and a budget summary document are developed
which provide an overview and discussion of the strategic issues and trends facing the City. In essence
it is a SWOT analysis. City Council makes choices in relation to budget expenditures which in theory
should match the vision they have developed.
Groups Affected by Opportunity
Conceivably all elected officials, departments, divisions, and service areas within the City of Regina
would be impacted by this opportunity as their goals, objectives and Key Performance Indicators would
need to be aligned with the Corporate Level Strategic Plan. Conceptually the benefits of an integrated
process in terms of efficiency and clarity of direction would transfer to the primary clients of the
organization, those being the citizens of Regina.
Opportunity/Future State Description
Formalize the strategic planning function and assign responsibility for the oversight/facilitation of the
process into an already existing position within the City of Regina such as the Program Review office.
Assigned personnel would be responsible for facilitating the Strategic Planning process and
developing/communicating the document through all City departments. Key to the success of the
initiative would be a strong linkage between the Vision identified by City Council and the strategic plans
long-term objectives, goals and key performance indicators. Policy and budgetary decisions made by
council would need to be reflective and supportive of the overall strategic plan. As part of the Strategic
Planning process departments would be responsible for developing integrated business plans as a
foundation for their budget documents.
Rationale for Opportunity/Future State Description
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
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Page 243
Integrating the Strategic Planning process at the Corporate level would provide unity of mission, vision,
goals, and values for the organization. It would reduce duplication of effort between organizational
divisions/departments in the Strategic Planning process and provide a frame of reference upon which
forward planning could be based. The Strategic planning process would clearly communicate
organizational direction to employees. It would also serve as a useful communication tool with the
community.
Issues/Considerations
City Council is the overall governing body for the City of Regina. City of Regina departments are
responsible to City Council. City Council appoints the Board of Police Commissioners and therefore has
overall governance for the City and Police.
Police are in essence a separate entity existing independently within the umbrella of the City of Regina.
Due to the nature of their specific legislative and structural duties it is necessary for them to have their
own Strategic plan, mission, values, goals and objectives. It may be beneficial to have a corporate
strategic planning position/office available as support to the Police strategic planning process. In this
way Police could be aligned with, but independent of, the City’s Strategic plan.
Associated Initiatives
Implementation Requirements
Estimated Time Required to
Implement (In Months)
Would be very labour intensive
the first time, as process and
corporate methodology would
have to be developed.
Estimated One-time
Implementation Cost ($)
Dependent upon process adopted
Estimated Annual
Implementation Cost ($)
$50,000 (salary of .5 time
employee assigned strategic
planning portfolio)
Creation of Strategic Planning position at .5 of an FTE. Assignment of position to existing department.
There will be FTE costs associated to the strategic planning function at the department level however
these will likely roughly correspond to those currently experienced under the current fractured process.
Major Activities Associated with the Current State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Budget Process. Currently performed throughout the City of Regina.
2.
3.
4.
Total:
Total Cost to
Perform Activity
Currently ($)
$3,000,000 (est.)
$3,000,000
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
Page 244
Major Activities Associated with the Future State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Establishment of Corporate Vision
2.
Defined Mission Statement
3.
Values and Behaviours linked to Vision/Mission
4.
Development of organizational/divisional/departmental Long-term goals
5.
SWOT analysis
6.
Key performance indicators established
Development of Action plans
Total:
Recommendation
Proceed with more Detailed
Business Case
Opportunity Requires Further
Study and Development
YES
NO
Estimated Total
Cost to Perform
Activity ($)
In excess of
$3,000,000
currently spent
on Budget
Process.
Indeterminate.
Employee Salary
Costs
Significant Savings/Revenue
Offered by Opportunity
YES
(in terms of reduced costs
and increasing efficiencies
currently existing associated
to duplication/lack of
synchronization of process)
City of Regina / Regina Police Service—Core Services Review
Appendices
Page 245
Corporate Improvement Opportunity Mini Business Case
Opportunity Reference Number:
Title of Opportunity:
Asset Management of office equipment and furniture
Type of Opportunity:
Corporate process – Efficiency
1223
Opportunity Description and Scope
The common office equipment and furniture should be managed within the corporation. Currently there
is no ownership and no procedure/policy in place for some assets, which results in inconsistent
purchases between large and small departments.
Current State Description
For assets such as cell phones, desks, file cabinets, tables, chairs and digital cameras, there is no one
owner or manager within the corporation. There are purchasing standards set for most items however
the acquisition and ownership of these assets belongs to each department. Each department, working
independently, purchases these assets with the understanding that they will have to fund the purchase
and own the item in the end. Some departments will use capital budget while most make purchases at
year-end from the operating budget. The operating budget purchases only happen if funding is available
due to cost savings from their programs.
Most often, within divisions, there is no consolidated plan of setting aside budget funding for furniture
purchases. Divisions with larger budgets appear to have more opportunity to create a savings and thus
allocate resources to the purchase of office equipment and furniture. Due to the fact that each
department must purchase their own furniture, the smaller budgeted department and divisions have little
opportunity to purchase new furniture. As a result of these factors, smaller areas and decentralized
areas have older and non-ergonomic furniture than others within City Hall.
The City of Regina has no property management area to look after the workstations in the organization.
Without this function there is also limited cascading of furniture. The decentralized offices in the
organization are still working on 30 plus year old furniture. These areas only source of obtaining newer
furniture is through cascading. There is added cost in cascading furniture, however this is the only way
they can improve the office environment.
It should be noted that this opportunity does not include computers, monitors, printers and copiers.
These assets are managed within the corporation by the Information Systems service area of the
Corporate Services Department. They lease computers, printers and the new multi function machines
(fax, copier and printer all in one machine) on behalf of the other service areas and then each service
areas are charged ‘standard costing’ for the use of the machines they lease. This system works well
and this opportunity may have come out of the success of the lease computer program. This current
program could take on the assets of digital cameras and cell phones.
Furthermore this opportunity does not include the outside fleet of vehicles and equipment. In June 2002,
a report called “Review of Fleet utilization and requirements” covered the fleet issue.
Groups Affected by Opportunity
All City departments.
Opportunity/Future State Description
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Establish a property management group for the City of Regina. This group would facilitate the
purchasing, cascading and salvage of office furniture on behalf of department and divisions. There are
two different approaches that the City could engage in. 1. Establish the group with the authority and
budget to purchase furniture. They would have the responsibility to determine which groups require the
assets the most.
2. The second approach is to have a centralized group to aid in the deployment of furniture. They would
obtain corporate knowledge of requirements. Therefore new furniture can be purchased in one area and
the ‘old’ furniture can be cascaded to other areas.
Other notes on the topic:
- In either case, the group should be empowered with the entire office standards. This includes
office size, furniture and assisting acquisitions with vendor selection and furniture models.
- Modular furniture appears to be the best practice as then the pieces are inter-changeable if
reorganizations happen.
- Inventory database management; the research revealed that organizations are mixed on this
topic. Some organizations feel there is no benefit in spending resources on inventorying
something that has no value.
- Storage of furniture should not happen. Old furniture should either be cascaded to other areas
or should be sold off to the public. The costs of salvage out weight the savings in storing old
furniture.
Rationale for Opportunity/Future State Description
1. Many areas do not have the funding for furniture purchases.
2. Many areas are deemed as ‘low end’ office environments and therefore do not require the same
corporate standard.
3. There is no flow of furniture from one user to the next. The furniture should not belong to the
department, but it should belong to the organization as a whole.
4. The outside departments carry too many phones. Many supervisors have a land phone, cell phone
and a truck radio.
Issues/Considerations
Public perception plays a large factor on the purchase of furniture. Public deems that purchases in
these areas are discretionary and therefore should not exist. Since we are working with tax payers’
dollars, public feel money should be spent on city services instead of workstations.
There is a large inventory of chairs and desks that are not ergonomically correct based on Occupational
Health and Safety standards.
Associated Initiatives
The Information Services division lease computers, printers and multi function machines on behalf of the
other service areas and then each service areas are charged ‘standard costing’ for the use of the
machines they lease. This system works well and this opportunity may have come out of the success of
the lease computer program. This current program could take on the assets of digital cameras and cell
phones.
Costs & Benefits
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
Estimated One-time
Estimated Annual
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Savings ($)
Savings ($)
Revenue Realization ($)
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Revenue Realization ($)
To understand the estimated one time and annual cost savings requires additional study. There may not
be a savings in this opportunity, as the number is difficult to quantify. There is a benefit of managing
these assets, however, there is also no corporate budget in place to upgrade office furniture. There is a
cost to cascade furniture, but for a decentralized area this is the only way to increase the office furniture.
Implementation Requirements
Estimated Time Required to
Implement (In Months)
6
Estimated One-time
Implementation Cost ($)
30,000
Estimated Annual
Implementation Cost ($)
Major Activities Associated with the Current State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
Services area establishes and provides funding
2.
Contact made with acquisitions for the purchase
3.
Acquisitions makes arrangements for delivery
4.
Service Area contacts salvage for disposal of old furniture
5.
Salvage picks up old furniture for storage
Total:
Major Activities Associated with the Future State
Activity
Where it is possible, provide a brief description of major activities
Reference
and associated sub-activities
Number
1.
2.
3.
Total:
Total Cost to
Perform Activity
Currently ($)
Estimated Total
Cost to Perform
Activity ($)
Recommendation
Proceed with more Detailed
Business Case
Opportunity Requires Further
Study and Development
Significant Savings/Revenue
Offered by Opportunity
YES
YES
NO
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