SLG_Bondurant

Strategic Continuous Operational Redesign and Evaluation (SCORE)

Bondurant, Iowa

Marketa Oliver, ICMA-CM, City Administrator

Bondurant, Iowa, grew almost 300 percent in 20 years, and that growth brought challenges in terms of capital, service, and organizational needs. In 2017, the city had little organizational structure, antiquated legacy software, and no e-government or collaborative capabilities. The organization could not effectively launch, measure, and revise programs, services, and staffing.

Throughout 2017 and 2018, new management team members were hired—first, a new administrator, and then public works, finance, and planning directors. The new team brought a philosophy that evolved into a systematic program: Strategic Continuous Operational Redesign and Evaluation (SCORE). Employing SCORE, the management 
team took the following actions:

  1. Examined department mission statements to ensure alignment with the city’s mission.
  2. Reviewed departmental goals. 
  3. Developed performance measures.
  4. Audited roles, resources, and responsibilities, as well as department policies, processes, and procedures, to evaluate ability to achieve the goals.
  5. Analyzed resulting data.
  6. Recommended improvements and efficiencies.

SCORE is implemented on a continuous cycle (see Figure 1) in which the management team (including the new hires, as well as the two tenured members of the team):

  • Reevaluates positions to ensure that duties align with organizational and department needs and vision and reorients positions as needs change.
  • Evaluates systems design, changing or modifying technology.
  • Holds strategic mini-retreats.
  • Engages external subject-matter experts for strategic planning and system review.
  • Pursues ongoing staff training.
  • Promotes public engagement and communications, soliciting feedback on service delivery priorities.
  • Coordinates biennial strategic planning retreats and regular workshops for the city council.

The management team guides the SCORE process and departments implement it. Key individuals in each department serve as champions. With the city council’s support, the city has been able to:

  • Completely overhaul financial systems and create e-commerce capabilities. 
  • Embrace e-government, automating multiple functions and reducing the need for additional staff (an achievement positioning the city to offer services virtually during COVID-19). 
  • Enhance transparency.
  • Research, create, and implement best practices in training, safety, financial management, and other areas.
  • Eliminate work silos, foster a team-oriented atmosphere, and refocus on strategic goals.
  • Create an internal controls policy that received a Pro-gram Excellence Award from the Government Finance Officers Association.
  • Realize significant cost savings.

Organizational functionality has improved significantly, increasing the number of projects staff have been able to complete. By implementing SCORE, staff have:

  1. Saved $48,300 by partnering with the county for road resurfacing.
  2. Researched and proposed a flex spending program, saving the city money while improving employee satisfaction.
  3. Collaborated with design professionals on value engineering, saving $144,000.
  4. Deployed new safety protocols, reducing workers compensation premiums by more than $60,000.

In implementing SCORE, the management team appreciated that changing an organizational culture can be a minefield, but overcoming resistance to change was fundamental. Getting input from key stakeholders and staff early in the process was critical to building the relationships necessary to gain trust.

Another pain point was implementing technological infra-structure. Staff built the business case for technology and connected the council’s goals for the city with the need to upgrade technology. The efficiencies achieved through automation were impressive and essential, as our local government is continually tasked to do more with fewer resources, and city council had a goal of lower tax rates.

Staff include information about SCORE in budget documents and highlight the savings or efficiencies that it produces. The program further enhanced the city council’s trust and confidence in staff’s leadership. Often the image of city managers or government is that they are outdated or bureaucratic. Employing SCORE, residents instinctively feel the difference. They can access government more easily and enjoy improved services, expanded programming, and finalized projects—all with a lowered tax rate.