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What is Innovation?
Innovation is an interesting concept that can be defined in a variety of ways. At its basic level, innovation defines the human struggle between comfort and challenge. The Innovation Team sees the incredible opportunity to work together to stretch outside our believed boundaries, and follow the human desire to explore, learn, and grow. Our work is to look at inputs and outcomes with a fresh lens and purpose.
The Innovation Team
Times of change, shifting customer demands and new technologies make innovation to our existing process necessary. For these reasons, Planning & Development has committed a diverse group of staff members to evaluate our development review process. The team is actively working to identify the factors within the review process that most significantly challenge residential and commercial development. Once they identify pinch points, staff will implement a series of changes that allow the development plan review process to be more predictable, more efficient, and timely while maintaining the rigor of review by:
- Simplifying, combining, or eliminating unnecessary steps.
- Increasing coordination between divisions and other City departments.
- Redefining review benchmarks (due dates).
- Creating clear communication for staff and customers.
- Standardizing laws and codes when necessary.
Once improvements are complete, Planning & Development expects to see better outcomes for the organization and the development community for the following items:
- Permitting services.
- Inspection services.
- Development review services.
- Development services customer service.
Team’s Approach
The team focuses on innovating by using a three-step process:
| 1. Assessment | 2. Testing | 3. Implementation |
|---|---|---|
| The opportunity to learn about the user experience and define problems through empathy. The innovation team tackles assessment by carrying out journey mapping, peer city comparisons, and end-user surveys. |
The essential step of creating solutions and trying them out. Example testing includes brainstorming with focus groups and performing small-scale pilots. |
Begins when solutions have been tested and believed to provide the best possible outcome. Communication, training, and continued evaluation are key components to successful implementation. |
Although this process looks like a straight line from start to finish, it is more of a circle in practice. Implementation often generates opportunity to redefine problems and therefore loops back into previous steps. The goal is to generate the best possible outcome by having a deep understanding of problems that end-users experience.
Find Out What the Team is Doing
Check out the finalized Action Plan and see what the team has been working on:
Application Evaluation
The Innovation team has been busy updating the permit applications for homes and businesses, successfully updating the residential and non-residential permit applications. These applications have advanced through multiple phases and as of August 1st, the revised applications are available for use.
Change of Use Webpage
We created a new Change of Use webpage and virtual meetings to help customers with changing the use of their buildings. This pilot program lets people schedule a 20-minute meeting with a building and zoning expert for personalized help. These meetings started in mid-April and were successful, especially for small business owners checking out spaces before renting. We got good feedback and will keep offering this service. Stay tuned for a continuation of this service through our Review Touch Points initiative.
Portal Integration
We are currently engaged in a portal integration initiative aimed at enhancing the permit portal system to better serve our customers. This initiative involves an update to the permit and development software system and several strategic improvements to optimize the workflow and functionality of the permitting portal.
Express Review
To improve scheduling for Express Reviews, we've updated the requirements for New Construction and Additions to necessitate one standard review cycle before an Express Review can be scheduled, effectively reducing overbooking of slots. Additionally, the plan submission benchmark has been increased from 2 days to 5 days to ensure better intake quality. For Change of Use projects, we've removed the standard review requirement for first-time submittals. Building Pre-Submittal Conferences have been reinstated on Mondays. Additionally, to support the Innovation Team's goal in reducing plan review turnaround, efforts are underway to facilitate quicker review times by reducing Express Review benchmarks.
Reviewer Touch Points
We’re improving how we handle initial questions to help customers submit better projects. We’re looking at cities that use virtual meetings for quick scheduling. Soon, we'll meet with our internal staff for feedback. The goal is to have a virtual meeting service for customer inquiries before they submit projects and make sure reviewer contact information is available after reviews.
Review Turnaround Times
We are excited to announce a new project to improve transparency in processing and review times for development plan reviews and permitting. This project will make real-time data on average review turnaround times and our progress in meeting benchmarks publicly available. Our commitment to transparency means everyone can see up-to-date information, helping to build trust and accountability in the development process.
Work Type Audit
The Innovation Team will be doing audit to study the diverse range of tasks within the Planning and Development department. As part of this project, the team is developing a catalog designed to categorize all work within the department. This catalog will be like a guidebook for us. It will organize all the types of work we do and explain how each process works. By doing this, we aim to get a better understanding of our workflows, make our operations run more smoothly, and improve our department’s overall efficiency.
How-to Videos
We’re working with the Communications team to create videos with the purpose of addressing frequently asked questions and explain our processes. These videos will be for both staff and the public. If you have video ideas, please reach out to the innovation team’s contact listed on this page.
Site Review Processes
We heard from customers and staff that we need to improve our site review processes. In April, we hired Matrix Consulting to assess our processes and suggest improvements. They've completed focus groups, staff interviews, and a survey with a high response rate. The consultants are now working on a draft proposal, which we'll review with stakeholders for feedback.