2018 Innovation and Technology Annual Report

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CITY OF SOUTH BEND INNOVATION &TECHNOLOGY • 250 employees provided feedback on their training needs, which informed the offerings • About 150 employees participated in at least one course in 2018, which was our pilot year a In 2018 we provided courses on Microsoft Excel, process improvement, and human- centered design • Based on our success, in 2019 we are scaling up to offer courses on a greater number of topics and with more frequency. Process Improvements In addition to completing two three-day, inter-departmental process innovation trainings, we also worked with individual departments to improve specific processes that they identified. • VPA Facilities and Grounds implemented changes from our process improvement session which resulted in crews spending 50% less time getting to the field each morning • We supported the Clerk's Office in making the process to stream and record Common Council meetings more efficient • We assisted the Human Rights Commission in identifying changes to their process that would allow them to complete intake and assignment of cases more quickly • VPA Experience worked with us to identify opportunities to streamline the special events application process • Working with 311, we mapped our own process for departments to write and publish knowledge (service) articles for 311 and the website.These improvements informed an upgrade to the software which is now available to all City departments. Community Survey We worked with an external partner to develop and administer a citywide survey and gather feedback from residents on their satisfaction with city services and what we should prioritize over the next two years. We plan to administer this survey regularly in order to measure our progress on resident priorities • 721 residents completed the survey, exceeding our target and providing a statistically valid sample at the Council District level • Based on both priority and satisfaction, survey feedback recommended that the City prioritizes-Overall maintenance of City streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure, Overall quality of local police protection, and how well the City is planning growth 311 Dashboard With 311's transition to an upgraded record system in Summer of 2018 and full implementation of the Knowledge Management process established in 2017, we had access to improved data for reporting on the topics and requests that residents contact us about. These dashboards have several benefits, including- • Help process owners and department leadership understand resident concerns, service requests, and patterns in incidents • Provide those who write content for 311 and the website with guidance on topics that residents are asking about • Support 311 in continuous improvement efforts • Increase transparency by sharing data about 311 calls with residents Digitization EXCELLENCE ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 1200 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson Bvld.I South Bend.Indiana 466011 www.southbendin.gov