DNR Secretary Stepp Sends Staffers New Agency Action Plan

Along with an agency-wide email came information about the agency's new vision statement - - "We excel at protecting and managing natural resources while supporting the economy and the well-being of our citizenry" - - and the agency's new action plan.

Apologies for any coding/capitalization errors after loading it.

Here is the plan put together by the DNR's Department Leadership Team, or DLT. DNR staffers will have a Town Hall meeting Tuesday to discuss it. I believe the town hall format is electronic.

Wisconsin DNR Vision & 2-Year Action Plan Q&A 

What is the 2013-2014 Action Plan? 

The 2013-2014 Action Plan establishes specific agency-wide actions that we will strive to complete over the next two years to help us reach our vision. The Action Plan is intended to work in concert with each of the Division’s goals and strategic plans. The Action Plan establishes actions and performance measures in four target areas:

1. 1)  Staff (FTE & LTE) Work Environment
   
2. 2)  Customer Satisfaction
   
3. 3)  Fiscal Resources
   
4. 4)  Operations, Products & Services (the efficiency and quality of what we do).
   

Has our mission or vision changed? 

No and Yes. The DNR’s mission has not changed however the new vision statement is: 

We excel at protecting and managing natural resources while supporting the economy and the well-being of our citizenry. 

Why did we develop a new vision and a two-year Action Plan for the agency? 

The Department’s mission, vision, values, and strategic plan were last updated in 1998. While some things have stayed the same, many things have changed requiring us to create a new foundation for our agency.

Updating the mission, vision, values, and strategic plan are very important, sensitive, and challenging tasks. To get started, the Department Leadership Team (DLT) decided to update the vision and to create a two year Action Plan that would steer us toward that vision. In two years, DLT will look at options for updating the mission, values, and strategic plan. 

The 2013-2014 Action Plan will:

• help us move forward as an agency in the same direction;
  
• increase our capacity to meet our individual program goals and objectives;
  
• prioritize actions that help us improve our staff working environment;
  
• enable us to create meaningful performance measures that help us track and report
  the great things we are doing; and
  
• help meet the requirements of the Governor’s Lean Government Executive Order.
  Who created the Action Plan?
  The Action Plan was created by the DLT based on ideas received from Bureau Directors and Regional/District Program Leaders in December. The DLT includes the Secretary’s Office, Regional Directors, and Division Administrators.
  

How will the Action Plan be implemented? 

Each of the action items is sponsored by a member of the DLT. The DLT sponsor is responsible for bringing together the necessary people and information to complete the action item. In addition, each Division will be making sure that their strategic plans and Division goals support the Action Plan. 

As a DNR employee, what is my role in the Action Plan? 

We appreciate and value the work of every employee in this agency. The work you do not only meets the principles set forth in the DNR’s mission and vision, but relates in some way to the four focus areas of the Action Plan. To that end, we cannot succeed in making this Action Plan achievable without your help. Some of the action items are broad that you will impact by your daily work. 

Many of the action items are specific improvements that we want to make that will require a team effort. You may be asked to participate in the completion of a specific action item or you may already be working on these items within your Division or program.

How can I provide input? 

We want to hear from you. Please feel free to contact any of the DLT project sponsors if you are interested in a specific action. 

If you have comments on the Action Plan as a whole, please contact Kristy Rogers at Kristy.Rogers@wisconsin.gov. As always, you can also email DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp and Deputy Secretary Matt Moroney with your input. 

What are the next steps? 

DLT sponsors will start working on their assigned action items. The DLT will report out periodically on the progress and status of the Action Plan.

2013-2014 DNR Action Plan
Goal Area 1 – Staff (FTE & LTE) Work Environment

Adopted by DLT February 25, 2013

1. Measure employee engagement and establish goals, objectives, and measures for improving. Performance Measure: Complete objective by May 31, 2013 with a follow-up survey in 2014.
   Goal: 75% of staff completes the survey.
   DLT Sponsor: Paul DeLong
   
2. Develop potential solutions for gaining more authority to provide compensation to DNR staff.
   Performance Measure: Develop at least three potential solutions by July 1, 2013.
   Goal: Secretary’s Office to actively work on gaining authority with goal of implementing the solution(s) by January 1, 2014.
   DLT Sponsor: Eric Nitschke & Al Shea
   
3. Continue building a culture of safety.
   Performance Measure: Annual Compensable Workplace Injuries and Illnesses per 100 workers
   

Goal: Reduce to 7.0 in 2013 and 6.5 in 2014. DLT Sponsor: Kurt Thiede

4. Increase agency-wide training focused on six core competencies (decision-making, effective communication, interpersonal relationships, leadership, service excellence, safety/risk management).
   Performance Measure: Number of agency-wide training opportunities.
   Goal: Increase by 100% each year. DLT Sponsor: John Gozdzialski
   
5. Hire Staff.
   Performance Measure: Percent of vacant positions. Goal: 8% vacancy by 2014.
   DLT Sponsor: Julie Sauer
   

Goal Area 2 – Customer Satisfaction 

Performance Measure: Customer satisfaction post transaction. Goal: To be determined based on initial survey data.
DLT Sponsor: Ken Johnson & Pat Stevens

How to get there –

•   Define, “brand and market” the elements of customer service for DNR. (In process, Lead by Ken Johnson, Pat Stevens, Kristy Rogers)
  
•   Create an agency-wide system to track, respond to (if required) and share customer feedback (includes letters, phone calls, in-person contacts, emails, etc.) (In process, Lead by Diane Brookbank, Kristy Rogers)
  
•   Create an agency-wide system to measure customer satisfaction post transaction based on DNR’s elements of customer service. System needs to include options for customers to contact DNR on their own and for DNR to directly reach out to customers.
  
•   Improve transparency by creating a new process for notifying and obtaining public comment on proposed guidance that impacts customers. (In process, Lead by Kristy Rogers). 
  
  Goal Area 3 – Fiscal Resources
  

1. Manage budget effectively.
   Performance Measure: Percent of Divisions spending < their budget. Goal: 100%
   DLT Sponsor: Tim Lawhern
   
2. Reduce Fleet costs through the Enterprise Agency agreement. Performance Measure: Annual Capital Fleet Expenditures
   Goal: Not to exceed $3.5 Million
   Performance Measure: Average Cost per mile of DNR Licensed Vehicles Goal: Less than $0.38 per mile.
   Performance Measure: Reduce personal mileage reimbursement. Goal: Annual Cost savings of $35,000
   DLT Sponsor: Al Shea
   
3. Reduce staff time spent on processes and reinvest in high priority tasks. Performance Measure: Quantity of time re-invested.
   Goal: A minimum of 15% for every future Lean project.
   DLT Sponsor: Kristy Rogers
   
4. Demonstrate that applicable programs are “Lean” prior to requesting increased funding or staff. (Performance measure development in progress)
   DLT Sponsor: Mark Aquino
   
5. Develop incentives for frugality. (Performance measure development in progress) DLT Sponsor: Al Shea
   

Goal Area 4 – Operations, Products and Services.

1. Establish performance measures for core business functions. (Goal for 2013)
   Performance Measure: Percent of core business processes with an established performance measure.
   Goal: 100% by January 1, 2014
   DLT Sponsor: Kristy Rogers
   
2. Improve processes.(Goalfor2014)
   Performance Measure: Percent of core business functions meeting performance measures. Goal: 85% of core business functions by December 31, 2014
   DLT Sponsor: Kristy Rogers
   
3. Establish quality and consistency goals for core business functions.
   Performance Measure: Percentage of core business functions with a quality/consistency goal. Goal: 50% of core business functions completed by December 31, 2013 with the second 50% completed by December 31, 2014
   DLT Sponsor: Kristy Rogers
   
4. Focus Lean efforts in support programs.
   Performance Measure: Bureau of Human Resources (BHR) and Bureau of Technology Services (BTS) to conduct formal Lean projects as identified by the OMT. (In 2013, BHR is improving the “new hire pay-setting” and “onboarding new staff” processes and BTS is improving the “regional phone service fulfillment” and “SDF” process.)
   Goal: 1 Formal project each year by BHR and BTS
   DLT Sponsor: Assigned to OMT
   
5. Evaluate the hiring process to determine if we are hiring staff that have the skills and competencies to excel in their positions.
   Performance Measure: Completion of the evaluation and implementation of the recommended improvements.
   Goal: Complete the evaluation by September 30, 2013 and implement recommended improvements by January 1, 2014.
   DLT Sponsor: Jean Romback-Bartels
   
6. Promote Integration
   Performance Measure: Complete recommendations in the Integration Report dated February 14, 2013 and recommendations from the break-out sessions at the December Integration Day Meeting.
   Goal: Complete the recommendations following the timelines in the plan.
   DLT Sponsor: Paul DeLong
   
7. Evaluate the Office of Business Sustainability and Support (Performance measure under construction) DLT Sponsor: Al Shea