IN THE ABSTRACT, SIX SIGMA WORKS, BUT CAN IT WORK IN PITTSFIELD’s LETHALLY SATURATED POLITICS? … PETITION ALSO GUTS ITSELF WITH PERSONNEL EXEMPTION
By DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JAN. 14, 2015) — The Pittsfield city council passed Kathy Amuso‘s petition to hire a Six Sigma quality consultant by a 7-4 vote. Voting against the measure were Tony Simonelli, Chris Connell, Barry Clairmont, and Kevin Morandi.
Pittsfield city clerk Linda Tyer sent us this digest from the minutes she took at the relevant meeting:
A petition from Councilor Amuso requesting that Mayor Bianchi hire a Six Sigma/Lean consultant to work with city employees (on both the city and school side) to review processes and reduce expenses was read. Councilor Amuso stated that there is [sic] only six months until the next budget; the worst council meeting was setting the tax rate; she would like to look at ways to reduce costs through purchasing and processes but not personnel. Councilor Amuso moved to refer the petition to the Mayor. Councilor Krol stated that this is a great idea to have a consultant to find greater efficiencies such as with Department of Public Works. Councilor Simonelli stated he is not going to support hiring a consultant; the department heads need to get together and ask questions. Councilor Clairmont stated that a lot of money is spent on consultants and there are ideas out there such as two purchasing departments and two accounting departments; could get volunteers who are Six Sigma certified to train internally first and if not successful then hire a consultant. Councilor Morandi stated a consultant is not the way to go; department heads could put their heads together; there are duplications taking place on the city and school side. Councilor Connell stated that this should be attempted internally first including the privatization of the water plant; the problem is getting the people involved from the school side and the city side together. Councilor Caccamo stated that the department heads are level funding; the purpose is to bring a fresh set of eyes to the process. Councilor Cotton stated that he’s not sure a consultant is necessary but maybe a trainer to teach the methodology behind the Six Sigma process will benefit over the long run. Councilor Amuso stated that the training should be included but in the short run it would provide someone to bring the city and the school side together; this consultant would pay for itself. Councilor Tully stated that this is an important time to learn how to cut back. The motion to refer to the mayor was passed 7 to 4; Councilors Simonelli, Connell, Clairmont, and Morandi opposed.
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Uh, Actual Life Sometimes Gets in the Way
In the abstract, it’s a decent petition THE PLANET would recommend adopting. However, city government both in Pittsfield and elsewhere is not conducted in the abstract but in that middle ground “between shadow and substance, between things and ideas” known as actual life. In Pittsfield, that often invites a toxic level of politics. Also notice the worst part of the petition: It exempts personnel. This includes the school department, including its top-heavy administration and layers of assistants, associates, and other lucrative though unnecessary posts.
To take personnel off the table is to gut the petition before it even has a chance to see daylight.
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A Data-Driven Method to Cut Waste and Boost Quality
Six Sigma is not just one of them du jour management topics insecure managers use to provide career cover. Six Sigma applies statistical, data-driven analyses of systems and processes to improve quality. According to businessballs.com, it is now “the most popular management methodology in history,” used in an “all-encompassing” way worldwide in innumerable work places and organizations, including “local government, prisons, hospitals, the armed forces, banks, and multi-national corporations” [PLANET‘s emphasis].”
In business the Greek letter Sigma refers to “a scale of goodness” measures how far a process deviates from perfection. Six Sigma reduces mistakes to “3.4 defects per one million opportunities.” That’s pretty close to perfect, the elusive condition that escapes us mere mortals. The goal is unattainable perfection. The outcome is a dramatic reduction of defects, errors, mistakes, and anything short of the ideal.
Six Sigma uses data analysis as measurement, methodology, and a management tool. It is a four-step process:
(1) Manage customer needs
(2) Apply resources to meet those needs
(3) Use “rigorous data analysis to minimize variation”
(4) Drive “rapid and sustainable improvement to business processes” (source: businessballs.com)
Six Sigma gurus use an acronym: DMAIC:
* Define Opportunity
* Measure performance
* Analyze opportunity
* Improve performance
* Control performance
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Here area few case studies to show how Six Sigma works (asq.government.com):
— A Naval ship repair facility used Six Sima to shorten its service lead time by 68 percent.
— A housing and development board reduced service center prep time by 75 percent, saving 45 worker-months per year.
— The Corpus Christi, Texas, Army Depot used Six Sigma to slash turnaround times on maintenance, repair, and overhaul support on the Air Force H-60 Pave Hawk.
— The Colorado Department of Trasportation used Six Sigma to greatly reduce infrastructure repair time following flood damage in September 2013.
Back to Reality
Forward thinking local governments across the country use Six Sigma to lower costs, manage cash-flow, eliminate waste, and deliver excellence to taxpayers and citizens. But this is Pittsfield. Think of the present mayor, city council, school committee, school department, and school building needs committee? Would Six Sigma have a chance in Pittsfield, or would it be a waste of time and money?
One of THE PLANET’s commentators mentioned the long-forgotten Kresap Report, an efficiency study commissioned by Pittsfield in the early 1980s. The report recommended many specific changes that could be made to city services to eliminate duplication and waste. The municipal unions howled like Lawrence Talbot under a full moon, scaring the life out of politicians. The pols have been dead since that time, infecting the city with a generation of bloated spending, higher taxes, and declining services.
Pittsfield is stuck with what playwright Terrence Rattigan in The Browning Version called “the muscular twitching of a corpse.” Perhaps this year’s election will provide a change in culture.
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“You will get what you deserve. No less and certainly no more.” — Andrew Crocker-Harris to his student, Taplow, in Rattinger’s The Browning Version.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
Why in the name of Zeus would the mayor invite the scrutiny of this process into his shadowy operation?
Did someone say, “Dead on Arrival?”
Dead on Arrival for sure Dusty. Forward thinking and proven methodology doesn’t work in Pittsfield. Big heads get in the way.
Are the residents of Pittsfield going to be able to vote on the new school, or is the city council doing that for us? I would vote NO.
It doesn’t look like we will get a vote… I would vote no too and that’s why we won’t get a vote.. It sucks. I will remember at election time..every coucnilor who votes for this I will vote against.
If we all do this, we can put a little pressure on..
I’m also a no vote,if the residents of Pittsfield make enough noise they would have to put it on the ballot. I doubt that will ever happen though…the citizens are asleep.
Susan: It appears the city council will be voting in your place as your duly elected representative. Contact councilor Clairmont and have him explain why the city council is better equipped to decide on major capital expenditures than an average voter. He has made his reasoning clear on Planet Valenti Television and elsewhere. In short you aren’t considered astute enough to vote.
They can’t do it officially because that would reveal that the city government is run as a resource extraction operation, the “customer” being the union and the contracting firms, and the “business process” being the maximization of the tax burden.
The question of a new high school for Pittsfield needs to be put on the ballot before the citizens of Pittsfield, “We the People”. but what is the process. Maybe Dan Valenti can answer that letting us know how to go about the process for it to be a question on the ballot in this years upcoming election in November. Or maybe Councilman Emeritus Vincelette can explain the process. Like in South County, this is a question for a public vote and not up to appointed members of a hand picked commission. I too will be voting NO.
They could just use the much less expensive common sense system that also delivers results… without pricey consultants with made up letters after their names.
Dan Valenti’s headline is incredibly precise. It is here but allow me to repeat it.
‘In the abstract, Six Sigma works, but can it work in Pittsfield’s lethally saturated politics … Petition also guts itself with personnel exemption”.
As Dan states Pittsfield is a problem.
Here’s my point. In the abstract, Six Sigma works, but can it work in Pittsfield’s lethally saturated politics? Also, the petition guts itself with personnel exemptions. It cannot work with personnel exemptions.
Here is my point: Six Sigma could work in a municipal environment. Not easy because it would take full support from government’s leader and consistent discipline to enforce it. If the leader does not see this as a priority it will not work.
I would say prospects for it working in Pittsfield are bleak.
New high school needs, more square footage and less flat roof. That won’t happen, feed the PIG, no need to rock the boat. Why have one high school when you can pay for 2.
The Sigma Six process is an advanced sophisticated form of the eighth grade skills utilizing the questions of who, what, when,where, why (and how much)? I took a similar program (Kepner Tregoe) when I was working for GE. They are good programs. One set of paired questions I employ, in the Problem Analysis section: What should be happening? What is actually happening?
The tuition cost for each of the twenty- two people in the training session I attended was about $5,700 per (mid 80s’ dollars) not including food and lodging. The course was for one week (5 days and it took about 55 hours of work, solving real problems for the company).
It is interesting that Mrs. Amuso put this petition in in an election year. While I was on the School Committee, she never (except once) voted to support any proposals put forward to look for increased operational efficiencies and cost cutting in the school department. She voted for every contract without question.
God hopefully this idealology continues. I like what I heard from Cuomo today. “We can’t just keep raising taxes, putting the burden on tax payers and using them as piggy banks we need to make cuts and spend within our means.” (I may be a little off but that was the jist of it.)
Scott, won’t happen the pig must be feed. Hurry up knock down Taconic before anyone knows that they have 6 bay garage’s and numerous class rooms that could be used for the egg heads. Why move them from there tax sucking pre- historic buildings
Mercer and Hibbard should Be back on tax rolls not band aided. New roofs and VB pi as int
The other part to that I left out was this part of his speech or what have you was in defense of a bill to reduce the taxes of strained tax payers by forgiving a portion of their tax debt. They are already doing something so let’s hope it continues. Of course people like Bianchi need to go because you can tell by his comments he has no problem bleeding tax payers dry. I also think Lathtrop and other councilors do as well. Just because they don’t agree with the mayor on a couple topics means nothing. They’re tax and spenders as well. It’s just thier greed isn’t in line with the current admins.
Nuff
Said
Thank you for all of your comments about the new school. I will contact councilor Clairmont + councilor Caccamo. I lived in Lanesboro when we voted on a new elementary school. The first time it did not go thru. They made changes then we voted again, + it went thru. By the time they were thru, some of the federal funding had falling thru, + the taxpapers were left with LARGE increases to our taxes.
Susan forgive me but your post seems a little bit like fear mongering.
“between shadow and substance, between things and ideas”
According to Plato, there is no connection of ideas to things. Shadows and substance are equivalent.
Thank the blogs for the Planet!