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Client: The Bulgarian National Judiciary (under contract to USAID and the East-West Management Institute)

The Challenge: The courts in Bulgaria sought a systematic review of their procedures so that they could operate as efficiently as possible, delegate clerical duties from judges to staff, and provide maximum service to the public. The judiciary also wanted to create an environment in which staff felt empowered and had the tools to make ongoing operational changes.

Our Approach: We provided training to court staff and judges in the principles and procedures of process reengineering. We also developed a reengineering template that can be used by any court to examine and improve its processes. The training and the template:

• detail the benefits of reengineering
• discuss common court workflow issues
• focus on tools necessary to evaluate court processes and implement recommended changes,
• provide techniques for evaluating the impact of changes, and
• emphasize that reengineering is most effective as an ongoing process leading to continual improvement.

The Results: The primary result of the project was the creation of the reengineering template. The template includes these essential reengineering steps:

• Step 1: Brainstorm workflow processes and summarize the problems they cause (e.g., missed deadlines, public complaints; undue management intervention to fix problems).
• Step 2: Identify priorities for changes in procedures. Criteria to consider include delays that impact other processes, or processes that needlessly consume significant resources.
• Step 3: Document and graphically depict each process, showing all steps, the order in which they occur, and the links between processes.
• Step 4: Develop alternative processes. Endeavor to eliminate, streamline or combine tasks; delegate tasks to appropriate staff; reduce delay; and increase use of automation.
• Step 5: Test proposed solutions. Consider how proposed changes will impact the organization's structure, staffing or facilities and who is likely to resist the change. Identify any necessary statutory or policy changes.
• Step 6: Plan for implementation. Assign employees to reengineering tasks; define training needs; establish a problem resolution process; and identify a system of reporting progress to staff.
• Step 7: Prepare for continuous monitoring. Set workload and time standards and collect data through management reports, employee time sheets and desktop audits. If processes fall below standards, consider whether the processes should be redesigned or the standards revised.

Consultants: Kate Harrison

If you'd like to know how you can achieve these types of results in your agency, please visit our website at www.kateharrisonconsulting.com or call Kate at (510) 524-2154. For more information about this project, please click here to request the Reengineering Template

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