Editor’s Note: Today we continue a series of video stories about City of Edmonton employees. In their own words. But, first, just a few more of ours. Together, the 14,000 people who work for the City help to imagine, construct, maintain and operate, and animate this place called Edmonton —where we have all decided to build, together, the value of our lives. This is our story.
Every single day, Edmontonians interact in some way with our Infrastructure Maintenance and Infrastructure Operations (IM/IO) team. They are the dedicated staff responsible for clearing snow, mowing grass, maintaining trees, repairing potholes, grinding sidewalks, maintaining bridges and playgrounds. Come rain or shine, snowstorm or heat wave, the team is out and about operating, maintaining and repairing City infrastructure.
Just over a year ago, the team implemented a process to put an even greater focus on customer service. They introduced weekly key performance indicators and dashboard reporting to measure, monitor and improve the delivery of Spring Sweep, Turf and Pothole programs. This information has helped the team make better decisions, and as a result, all three programs have improved their operational efficiency.
Last spring, the IM/IO team completed the Spring Sweep on time and 4 per cent ($625,000) under budget using these new tools. They reduced costs and the total process time for the Turf Program. And they achieved a 20 per cent increase in pothole productivity. This achievement has been possible because of the passion and dedication of the team members to be accountable and meet daily targets in safe, efficient ways.
“Accountability is participating in an open discussion and sharing responsibility. We need to work together to improve the way we do business and maximize our service delivery to citizens,” said Olivier Le Tynevez-Dobel, Supervisor of Sports Fields and Turf Strategy for Open Space Operations.
The new process has not only raised the level of service to Edmontonians, it has saved time and money, which benefits the whole city.