2020 Peak Academy Year in Review
2020 was a year unlike any other with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the new challenges that we faced along the way. As we continue into 2021, let’s […]
How Denver EXL 6S’d Over 300,000 Files in One Rapid Improvement Event
When the Covid-19 pandemic began, agencies all throughout the City and County of Denver were hard at work identifying what they needed to innovate to adapt to the current circumstances. […]
Planning in the Midst of Chaos: CPD’s Work Prioritization Project
It’s no secret that last year was a difficult one. Safety precautions that were necessary to help contain the spread of COVID-19 had a negative impact on the economy, and […]
Denver Forensic Autopsy Technician Lindsey McNaughton Puts Service Ahead of Self
In my time as a process improvement specialist at the City of Denver, I have only come across a few individuals who truly possess the essence of public service, and […]
Smart, Capable Leaders + Book Club = Professional Development on a Budget
Professional development doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. It takes creative, caring and committed leaders willing to try something new.
Plumbing New Depths: DOTI Fellow Masters Virtual Tools
Find out what happens when you take a plumbing inspector out of the field and put him into a completely virtual DOTI Black Belt Fellowship. Spoiler alert: record-breaking levels of innovation.
DenPeakAcademy Bright Spot: How the DSD Improved Their Policies to Increase Staff Efficiencies
To start, Carissa Mah is one of the most collaborative and dedicated Black Belts in the City & County of Denver (CCD) by way of the Denver Sheriff’s Department (DSD). […]
Diverting Debris and Saving Water: Innovation for the Environment
Joey Hernandez spent his DOTI Black Belt Fellowship with the street sweeping team, saving almost 26 million gallons of water and 668 staff hours in the process.
Walk the Walk to Talk the Talk
Introductory Note: In process improvement, we teach the importance of “going to the gemba”. Wade Blamer is a stand-out innovator in the City, and in particular, his innovation superpower is […]
Prompt Pay Initiative: Parks and Recreation’s Improvements
This is part two in our Prompt Payment blog series. You can read the overview post here, and learn more about the city-wide improvements that came out of that. In […]
Denver Transportation and Infrastructure Builds a New Standard for Innovation and Employee Development
What happens to black belts after they go through the week long Peak Academy black belt training? This question was posed by the Denver Public Works Executive Director Eulois Cleckley, […]
City of Denver Contractor Invoice Payments are Getting Faster, Here’s How it Started
The City of Denver occasionally receives complaints from contractors that their invoices aren’t being paid timely. Unfortunately, those complaints increased around the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020 and […]
Teamwork Makes The Dream Work: Denver’s Tax Compliance & Collection Process Project Highlights
Continuous Improvement requires continuous effort over time, patience, & empathy – teamwork.
Our First Public Service Superhero!
In July, Peak Academy launched our new Public Service Superhero training (PSSH). We ran two cohorts with a Black-Belt inspired curriculum that was modified for the online format and the […]
Front-Line Solutions: How One Employee’s Perspective Changed COVID Problem Solving
If you’ve been through process improvement training, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “go to the gemba”. Gemba comes from the Japanese term meaning “the actual place”. The idea behind this […]
Denver Parks and Recreation High Volume Recruiting
Every year, Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) hires approximately 1,500 staff to support, run, and maintain the City of Denver’s over 200 City parks, 30 recreation centers, 30 swimming pools, […]
