CQI Newsletter July 2024

DPSS CQI News

April - June 2024

Continuous quality Improvement What is CQI and why is the department heavily invested in staff learning about it?

Lean six sigma training What Lean Six Sigma Training is available to you and what is the department's long-term plan. Division CQI Highlights Learn about what your division and the other DPSS divisions are doing in the CQI world.

ISSUE 1 Q4 - FY 23/24

ISSUE IN THIS 01

Continuous Quali﬚ Improvement

02 03 04 05 06

Meet OSPM

Lean Implementation Team

DPSS LSS Training Plan

OSPM CQI Highlights

Division CQI Highlights

08 CQI Resources for DPSS Staff

SPAB - OSPM

July 2024

Continuous Quality Improvement To enhance our strategic agenda, the Office of Strategy & Project Management (OSPM) is the central hub for department-wide collaboration, data-driven

decision-making, and ongoing education. As Deputy Director of the Strategic Planning & Analytics Branch (SPAB), I work with our executive team and stakeholders to achieve Riverside County DPSS's strategic goals. SPAB's collaborative approach supports key initiatives across the Department. SPAB ensures a unified response to strategic and operational challenges, benefiting divisions and stakeholders. It supports DPSS through:

Department Director, Charity Douglas, and divisional leadership team members recently introduced the department’s 5-year strategic plan to an all-staff meeting held on April 8th. As Charity Douglas highlighted, “I am thrilled to share our Strategic Plan, which outlines our journey ahead as we unveil our five-year priorities … We believe in the power of our dedicated department to bring about meaningful change in areas of practice and service.” OSPM is tasked with operationalizing the department plan, using Lean tools and principles and will lead the charge in developing strategies, seamlessly integrating them into existing divisional processes and improvement activities, and testing and adapting our strategies to stay abreast of local and national trends. Lean emplys a "Plan-Do-Check-Act" (PDCA) problem-solving framework, lean facilitates ongoing enhancement efforts. Department Strategic Plan Update Decision-Making : Uses insights to drive the organization forward. This approach promotes continuous improvement, accountability, and responsiveness. • OSPM builds management capabilities by leading performance processes, overseeing consulting services, and promoting continuous process improvement. • OSPM advances continuous quality improvement by rolling out Lean principles and training. Project Management : Oversees and supports cross-functional projects. Strategic Planning : Sets goals, defines objectives, and establishes key performance indicators. Accountability Partnerships : Delivers strategic plan advising and communication strategies.

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SPAB - OSPM

July 2024

Meet OSPM

The Office of Strategy & Project Management (OSPM) is part of the Strategic Planning & Analytics Branch. To improve departmental operations, OSPM coordinates strategic initiatives, promotes process improvements, and facilitates Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and CQI initiatives. In addition to coordinating departmentwide collaboration, data-informed decision-making, and continuous learning, OSPM serves as the central hub for department-wide collaboration.

Throughout the five division CQI coalitions, OSPM plays a supportive role. SMART achievable goals are developed, objectives are defined, and key performance indicators are established. With the help of the CQI Coalitions within each division, OSPM ensures divisions are equipped with the training and guidance they need to succeed. OSPM also ensures that resources and tools are available to accomplish project objectives.

Newsletter

Team Members

Monica Hernandez Administrative Services Manager II

Rosa Guzman

Shannon Milliken Administrative Services Manager II

Lori Perry Administrative Services Manager II Leah Sams Government Affairs Officer

Jessica San Diego Administrative Services Analyst II Administrative Services Officer

Robert Allspaw

Adriana Villegas

Sr Administrative Services Analyst

Sr Administrative Services Analyst

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SPAB - OSPM

July 2024

Lean Implementation Team In pursuit of fostering a culture of Continuous Quality Improvement throughout the department, aimed at aligning with the department's strategic plan, Lean management is embraced as the chosen business approach. Lean management emphasizes iterative enhancements to processes, fostering a continuous improvement ethos. The objective of Lean management is to enhance value for both internal and external stakeholders by optimizing resource utilization and establishing a streamlined workflow based on customer needs. The Lean Implementation Team (LIT) is led by Deputy Director, Corey Taylor, and spearheaded by the CQI management team: Chad Burkitt, David Dai, Beth Cox, Brandi Ramos, and Ben Slagter. LIT adheres to five core principles: identifying value, mapping value streams, ensuring continuous workflow, implementing pull systems, and facilitating ongoing improvement. Led by dynamic leaders who champion collaboration and efficiency, Lean teams foster a culture of perpetual enhancement. Team members are encouraged to iterate and innovate through questioning and hypothesis testing. Trust and encouragement towards ambition and innovation are pivotal aspects of Lean leadership. Typically, Lean teams devise systems that bolster sustained improvement, redefining value and eliminating inefficiencies. By purging waste from operational processes, organizations witness heightened productivity, refined cost management, and elevated quality control standards.

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David Dai Adult Services

Chad Burkitt Admin Services

Corey Taylor Department Lead

Brandi Ramos Self-Sufficiency

Beth Cox Finance & Forecasting

Ben Slagter Children Services

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SPAB - OSPM

July 2024

DPSS LSS Training Plan

OSPM is leading the charge in the development and implementation of the DPSS Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Training Plan. Admin Svcs Officer, Rosa Guzman, has been at the forefront of the development and implementation of the plan by developing a timeline and coordinating class offerings. DPSS has launched the series with the LSS Champions and Sponsors Class (supervisors+) and the LSS Overview Class (non-supervisors). With the implementation of the DPSS Training Plan, we aim to:

Departmentwide Training Kick-off Through our contracted vendor, OSPM hosted the pilot training class of our multi-division Lean Six Sigma Champions and Sponsors (supervisors+) Training Class . All divisions were represented in the class by their Divisional CQI Leads and several of their Divisional Coalition Members (pictured below). The training was tailored for DPSS, was relatable, and folks provided great feedback, as their engagement was great. Toward the end, OSPM gathered feedback and used it to further enhance future Lean course offerings . Upcoming classes that are currently in development include LSS Belt Certifications; specifically, LSS White Belt Classes will launch July 2024 and Green Belt Classes will launch in Q2 2024. • Innovate services provided through a continuous quality improvement effort. • Standardize processes within and shared across the department • Develop short-term and long-term strategies to improve organizational goals that impact the 4800-employee workforce. • Lead improvement initiatives that add value to our service delivery, and • Ensure resources are allocated appropriately to provide better engagement with our clients and staff

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Click below to register for Lean Six Sigma Training LSS champions and sponsors or lss overview

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SPAB - OSPM

July 2024

OSPM CQI Highlights

Division Training Stats

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In April 2024, DPSS introduced the LSS Champions and Sponsors Class for supervisors and above and in May, the LSS Overview was launched for all non-supervisory staff. Thanks to the combined efforts of OSPM, the Lean Implementation Team, and Staff Development, there has been a significant turnout in staff registrations for these courses. The LSS Overview seats continue to fill up within hours of opening! By the end of Q4 (FY 2023-’24), just a few months after the launch of both classes, we had 21% of the department trained. This progress keeps us on track to achieve 50% training completion by the end of the calendar year! • CSD Resource Family Approval (RFA) Backlog Project (in-progress) • CSD Daily Huddle Pilot (Aug 2024) • Harmony Haven (in-progress) • Daily Huddles • Critical Incidents • Retention and Recruitment • Integrated Services Delivery (ISD) Pilot Evaluations (in-progress) Miscellaneous OSPM CQI Project Support

• IHSS ISD Pilot – Perris • SSD ISD Pilot – Blythe

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SPAB - OSPM

July 2024

Division CQI Highlights

ADULT SERVICES DIVISION—Fired up for CQI! Adult Services opened the year with a strategic project, aimed at significantly increasing their average phone answer rate to ≥ 95% within a specified timeframe. Project team leads, Vanessa Johnson and Eric Hernandez reached an average answer rate of 92% and IHSS Public Authority Executive Director David Dai confirms, as of April 2024, that they are projected to exceed the current rate to 95% by year’s end!

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIVISION—Scores with their CQI Coalition Launch! DPSS Administration has demonstrated a strong commitment to Continuous Quality Improvement by forming a dedicated coalition, representing each of the admin units, like Facilities, RADS, Internal Services, and

EAS. This coalition focuses on enhancing administrative processes, and to date, the coalition has received and reviewed multiple improvement ideas. Each of these ideas has been carefully prioritized to ensure the most effective and impactful enhancements are implemented. This proactive approach highlights the administration’s dedication to fostering an environment of ongoing improvement and excellence. Great work Admin! CHILDREN SERVICES DIVISION—HARMONY HAVEN PARTICIPATES IN A COUPLE OF RAPID IMPROVEMENT EVENTS! Children Services Division (CSD) has kicked off its CQI and LSS efforts with great momentum by participating in two successful Rapid Improvement events: one focused on Critical Incidents on April 24th and another on Recruitment and Retention on May 15th. A Rapid Improvement event is an intensive, focused effort where cross-functional teams come together to identify inefficiencies and develop actionable solutions within a short timeframe, typically one to three days. These one-day events led to several action items and an implementation plan aimed at enhancing service delivery. Collaborating with key stakeholders (including DPSS Investigations, DESC, and Behavioral Health), CSD crafted a strategic plan to streamline processes at Harmony Haven, ultimately improving the quality of services provided to children.

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SPAB - OSPM

July 2024

Division CQI Highlights Cont'd

FINANCE AND FORECASTING DIVISION— Leading the way in LSS Training! As DPSS embarks on an exciting journey to provide Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) training to staff at all levels, the mighty yet small FFD is stirring up some friendly competition, challenging other divisions to keep up. CQI training is crucial for enhancing efficiency, fostering innovation, and ensuring that our services continually meet and exceed expectations. With over 50% of their staff already trained, FFD is on track to be the first division to achieve 100% staff training! Go FFD!

SELF-SUFFICIENCY DIVISION—Targets Employee Development & Satisfaction CQI The STAR ET IIIs Communication Training and Recognition event, held on June 11th, 2024, represents a pivotal part of Riverside County’s CQI efforts, aimed at enhancing the communication skills of STAR Eligibility Technicians (ET) IIIs. These professionals play a vital role in auditing and mentoring ETs during their probationary period, many of whom are new to County employment. The training, led by Staff Development Officer David Purcell, included discussions on communication styles, strategies for effective interaction, and analysis of real-world communication complaints. Participants were grouped based on pre-assessed communication styles to facilitate targeted discussions. Additionally, outstanding performance was recognized, with one ET III from each Deputy Director Region being honored. The event, attended by 117 ET IIIs and supervisors, received positive feedback. Suggestions for future topics included Time Management, Collaboration, Conflict Resolution, and Learning Styles. SSD plans to continue such events biannually, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

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SPAB - OSPM

July 2024

CQI Resources for DPSS Staff OSPM has developed and launched several CQI resources for department staff to begin assessing their processes and identifying improvement opportunities. CQI SharePoint Site on the DPSS Intranet

CQI Resource Library

Newsletter

CQI Tool Kit

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SPAB -OSPM

July 2024

CQI Idea Submission Launch OSPM has launched a link within the Strategic Planning & Analytics Branch SharePoint site and the division homepages for staff to submit ideas for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). This form allows employees to contribute insights and ideas to enhance our department's processes and procedures, ensuring top-notch service for our customers. Why Your Ideas Matter Your suggestions, whether minor tweaks or major overhauls, can improve efficiency, customer service, and our work environment. The best ideas often come from those involved in daily operations who understand the challenges and opportunities firsthand. How to Submit Your Ideas Submit your suggestions via the CQI Idea Submission Form link below. What Happens Next? Your idea will be reviewed by your divisional CQI Lead(s) for feasibility, impact, and implementation strategy. You may be contacted for further details. Our Commitment We are committed to an environment where every team member feels empowered to share ideas. CQI is a collaborative effort, and your input is invaluable. Together, we can create more effective processes and enhance service quality. Start Contributing Today Share your ideas, big or small. Your insights could unlock new success levels for our department and customers. We look forward to hearing from you and working together to drive continuous improvement. Thank you for your commitment to excellence and innovation. Let's make great things happen!

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