It has been a crazy week around here, with the snow and ice and sub-zero wind chills. But while the white stuff was falling and the winds were howling, we were working to finalize our most recent Quarterly Performance Report which is now available online. You can also view reports from previous quarters and a graph illustrating how many permits have been issued by month and year.
When developing the performance reports, we use benchmarks to measure how well we are doing. The benchmarks were established several years ago, but for those not familiar, here is a little background.
The City’s Development Management Team (DMT) partnered with an external stakeholder group called the Development Services Advisory Committee (DSAC) to establish target benchmarks and review administrative policies and procedures to ensure consistent compliance with the City's development standards. DSAC members represent different fields within the land development industry. Their mission is to ensure that development reviews are done in measurable, predictable, transparent, cost-effective, seamless and efficient ways that provide the level of service that customers define.
As agreed upon by the City and DSAC, our target benchmark for a successful turnaround time between review cycles is 90 percent. In other words, we strive to meet the established turnaround time one hundred percent of the time, but if we achieve it 90% of the time, then we have met our benchmark.
The report for the second quarter, which began October 1, 2014 and ended December 31, 2014, revealed that 75 percent of our review types either met or exceeded the targeted benchmark. Some review types did fall short by an average of 1-5 days, primarily due to outside agency approval or an attempt by staff to resolve an issue to avoid additional review cycles.
Every quarter, DMT Managers meet to review and discuss the report. Monitoring the reports over time helps to paint a picture of what is working and what is not. The DMT meets with the DSAC (typically twice a year) to discuss the benchmark data and ideas for improving processes.
The DSAC is a valuable partner in identifying broad strategies for improving Raleigh's development review process. If you share their vision and would like to join, consider contacting a member of the DSAC Executive Leadership Group. Their contact information is listed on the DSAC web page, linked above. The City also has another stakeholder group made up of regular users of the development-review process whose goal is similar to that of DSAC. For more information about that group, contact Bradley Kimbrell, Development Services Customer Service Center Manager, at 919-996-2233.
Have a wonderful week and enjoy the snow!