Public Works Operations staff are often asked a basic question: How much work can be accomplished with your equipment and people? Santa Clara County in the San Francisco Bay area (population 1.7 million) is a strong example of how Public Works Operations staff developed a process to address this question.
Santa Clara was challenged as a result of revenue and employee reductions due to a reduced economy tax base. The Roads and Airports Department (the County's Public Works group) needed to figure out how to accomplish the work they had planned with fewer employees. Their economy had taken a downturn, and leadership had imposed a hiring freeze in 2015.
The Author
Harry Lorick, PE, PWLF, PTOE, Principal/President, LA Consulting, Inc., Manhattan Beach, California, APWA Member, APWA Leadership and Management Committee
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