Editorial: State gets 'Lean' ideas from business

Updated: April 6, 2009 - 8:38 PM

Putting employees in the lead produces positive results.

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For any Minnesotan who has waited, and waited, for a state agency to respond to a grant application, or duplicate a birth certificate, or pay a bill, here's welcome news: Your wait is getting shorter.

That's the word from a one-year progress report on a state government efficiency program borrowed from private industry. Called "Enterprise Lean," the results are demonstrating that, while government is not business, it can learn a few things from the private sector about delivering services.

"Lean" represents the latest effort by Gov. Tim Pawlenty's administration to create within government some of the same pressure to save money and improve service that competition provides within the business sector. Wisely, this effort relies on employees themselves to identify and implement improvements. It trains employees to analyze their operations and take control of a process of change.

Some of the results claimed by the Department of Administration are striking:

•Birth certificate requests are now processed within 7.5 hours on average, compared with a former average of six days.

•State Soldiers' Assistance applications are approved in 3.7 days, half the former time.

•Processing time for newborn screenings has been cut 56 percent.

Many similar improvements are detailed at www.lean.state.mn.us. It's notable that they aren't accompanied by an estimate of tax dollars saved -- though in some cases, that savings could be considerable. Department of Administration spokesman Jim Schwartz says that's because Lean's top priority is better performance, with cost savings a secondary, salutary benefit. At a time when state government seems consumed with dwindling revenues and reduced expectations, Lean's focus on serving Minnesotans well is a refreshing change.

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