Denver Peak Academy
Innovate. Elevate. Repeat.
During the first quarter of 2021, Rachel Lindgren, a Denver Human Services (DHS) Child Welfare Learning and Development (L&D) Team member, went through the Peak Green Belt (GB) Training and […]
During the first quarter of 2021, Rachel Lindgren, a Denver Human Services (DHS) Child Welfare Learning and Development (L&D) Team member, went through the Peak Green Belt (GB) Training and caught the innovation bug.
Thus, after the GB Training, she identified an area of improvement with her team & partners. As a result, in collaboration with her team & their DHS partners/departments for guidance & strategies, they improved the overall quality of the “Intern Trails Onboarding Process” by 25 to 30 percent.
According to Rachel, they decided to improve the process because “non-employee interns are getting their computers and gaining access to TRAILS well into their internship (2-3 months). This delay in access to essential resources impacts their ability to engage in their learning process. It is also frustrating for interns, intern supervisors, the L&D team, and support groups.
It created more work for the L&D team, as well as the Staff Info-Tech, who helps get “Trails” access for workers.
Unfortunately, it also negatively impacts the relationship between L&D and supporting teams due to miscommunications.”
Moreover, before Rachel & her team/partners improved the process, “all forms were provided at orientation in late August/early September once they hired an intern. Plus, L&D instructed interns to sign and return as soon as possible. Once the intern document returned, L&D sent the SOC and Security forms to the Business Office- Staff Info Tech. The intern documents were sent in batches or individually when received from the intern. The Staff Info-Tech then contacted TS (Technology Services) for desk an assignment and submitted a ticket for “Trails” access. If “Trails” access didn’t activate within 30 days of the SOC form signature, Rachel’s team contacted the intern to sign a new form, and the process started over.”
After Rachel & her cohorts at DHS analyzed the current state process, they created a future state process & implemented Standard of Work (SOW). This SOW helped Rachel & her team/DHS partners better identify intern start dates before the interns’ actual start dates. This change now supports the team as they “send all intern information to the IT-Tech, who will assign a laptop” in a more efficient timeframe.
“Now that the intern receives the laptop on their start date, the IT Tech can send the appropriate forms to be filled out by the intern through a direct CCD email to the intern. Instead of a full-time L&D team member, interns are ready to access a computer as soon as they start. Once the intern signs and returns those documents, the IT Tech will initiate Trails access,” which decreased lag time for the intern and increased the overall value of the process by 25 to 30 percent.
Congratulations to Rachel, her team, & DHS partners for identifying a need and rallying around it to make a valuable improvement for their interns & the constituents of the CCD. Innovate. Elevate. Repeat.
Jerraud Coleman is a creative, data-driven, focused, and positive Deputy Director for the City and County of Denver's Peak Academy.
For the past seven years, alongside an exceptional team of continuous improvement professionals, he helps direct, generate, and facilitate process improvement events throughout Denver, Colorado, and the nation.
He trains employees of government, non-profits, and other enterprises (nationally, abroad and at all levels) in the principles and methods of continuous improvement, performance, and change management tools like Lean, the Four Disciplines of Execution (Covey), & PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act/Adjust).
He also works at promoting and sharing the methods mentioned above via blogs, social media, workshops/improvement events, and conferences.
Jerraud believes that "sharing and talking about continuous improvement tools can help enterprises identify and sustain the elimination of any waste or pain point found within any process or system." Thus, resulting in happier customers, employees, and organizations.
Moreover, regarding his work with the City & County of Denver, Jerraud believes in "creating a world-class place where everybody matters matter," primarily through systems-thinking, more productive, valuable, and efficient processes.
Jerraud holds a BFA (in Integrated Arts) from the University of Colorado, Boulder, a Lean Black Belt certificate from Regis University, and a handful of certifications from Coursera in Data Science tools and methods.
Denver Peak Academy
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