Operational Tips for Sweeping Professionals

Tracking for Success: Learning to be Better

If you want better performance and empowerment in your public works department, take steps to get buy-in from your employees through developing meaningful and accountable performance measures.

by Daryl Grigsby, Public Work Director,
City of Kirkland, Kirkland, WA

Because they found their respective organizations were overloaded with meaningless performance data that didn't relate to their agency's priorities, Darryl Grigsby, Public Works Director for the City of Kirkland, WA, along with co-APWA Presenter, Michael Mucha, Public Works Director for the City of Olympia, WA, have developed an accountability and empowerment program for their two cities.

As a result, the cities of Olympia and Kirkland, Washington, have developed a "performance culture" through simple, clear, and meaningful performance measures. By attending the APWA 2007 session by Grigsby and Mucha, participants were better able to:

1. Create meaningful performance measures.
2. Encourage employee buy in and accountability for results.
3. Think differently about the role of public works departments and how they deliver value to communities.

In WorldSweeper.com's 12-minute (approx. 12mb) .mp3 audio interview with Grigsby, he discusses the recognition of the problem and the process used to achieve results. Grigsby also provided PDF links to the City of Kirkland results pages for recycling and for highways.

Darryl Grigsby, Public Works Director for the City of Kirkland, WA, may be reached by calling 425-587-3802. His email address dgrigsby@ci.kirkland.wa.us.

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