Kellie Lindenmoyer

4.24.2019
How Tracking Creates Results

After analyzing and exploring the survey data provided by the ETC institute to the City

of Tyler, I found it to be most important to really focus in on the areas that respondents are

continually dissatisfied with (ETC Institute, 2018, p. 4). By limiting the City’s scope to a few

areas, I believe that a very large impact can be made upon the overall satisfaction of respondents.

I believe that to provide the best solution(s), the City needs to look at respondent data at a more

granular level (i.e. where they are located in the city vs. how they responded) in order to take

more meaningful action. Taking action and then measuring results by setting up a real-time

response tracker would be the best, and most efficient, way to utilize the granular analysis that

comes to mind. By having all of the City’s departments/functions performance in one central

location, the organization as a whole could align their strategies to work toward achieving and

exceeding their six major goals (City of Tyler, 2017).

From 2006 to 2018, there were five main service areas that were continually low

regarding satisfaction (ETC Institute, 2018, p. 4). Those areas are: effectiveness of traffic and

congestion management, quality of public transportation, effectiveness of land use and

development, maintenance of city streets/facilities, and enforcement of city codes/ordinances

(ETC Institute, 2018, p. 4). These areas were all among the lowest satisfaction rates in any given

year, but it is important to note that their satisfaction percentages varied in ranking from one year

to the next. Also important to note is the fact that these five areas seem to be slowly losing

satisfaction, or close to stalling, each time the survey is taken. It is clear that the City has

previously taken action to improve certain areas, for example traffic and congestion
management, but it is equally important to look toward the future and to focus on the potential

areas/methods of improvement going forward.

Since these five areas are continually ‘red’ (low performers) when it comes to survey

satisfaction ranking, it would be monumentally beneficial for the City to focus their efforts on

making gradual, continual improvements in these areas. By making small improvements within

each area at the same time, the City could potentially see a higher overall satisfaction rate more

quickly than if they were to make large improvements in one area while losing focus on others.

Along with taking manageable actions, making sure to stay on-target and coming up with plans

that look years down the road is instrumental to lasting success. One way the city could initially

get a more granular view to help create these strategies is by looking at raw respondent data from

the ETC institute.

By looking at respondent data such as geographical location and demographic profile, the

City may be better able to section ‘problem areas’ of the city and create plans for less-satisfied

areas first. This type of data analysis and segmentation would make large impacts on the city’s

ability to improve problem areas, regardless of their severity. For example, if one particular area

of Tyler seems to be the most dissatisfied with code enforcement, action could be taken specific

to that area of the city to rapidly improve results. These rapid action plans could influence survey

responses in a manner that improves overall perceptions by showing communities that the City

cares about their particular concerns. Additionally, by segmenting action plans into smaller and

more focused projects the City would be better able to completely utilize the resources that they

have. These actions could place the City one step closer to winning a Malcom Baldrige Award

by generating a positive response among citizens while reducing waste within the organization.
 After determining what areas of the city need what actions through analysis and

segmentation, there comes the question/concern of tracking and measuring actual improvement

after action(s) have been taken. For this concern, a ‘response tracker’ could be created and

implemented to track real-time citizen survey responses after an action has been taken. I see the

tracker, and the process leading up to it, being executed like this:

1. Area(s) that need improvement are identified

2. Action plan(s) are created and agreed upon

3. Residents are notified that their voices were heard and changes are coming (detail

the changes that are planned and when residents should expect them)

4. Implement action plan(s)

5. Ask residents for their feedback on the action(s)

6. Monitor any complaints/compliments

Since this is a lengthy process, it is incredibly important to clearly identify areas that truly need

improvement based on continual poor performance or other measurement factors. Taking any

complaint as a signal to start this process could be very dangerous in regard to the City’s

strategic and lean processes. This tracker could also be beneficial when it comes to maintaining

areas that had highly positive responses – as it is important not to lose sight of their performance.

This type of strategy and tracking system could save the City money and time in the long-

term. By making small changes and tracking them, it is easier to see which actions are worth the

effort and which ones aren’t – allowing the City to quickly scrap ideas that don’t seem to be

providing expected return on investment and going full-force on others that are doing well.

Additionally, trackers could be set to view different functional areas of the city so that each

group could take responsibility in tracking and maintaining their action plans and strategies.
These action plans and continual tracking efforts could do more than just assisting with the

development of strategies and action plans. The tracking system would allow the City to take

preemptive actions when they see areas beginning to lose satisfaction or plateauing. Preventative

efforts are a great way to keep a handle on projects and potential problem areas, and they provide

a great opportunity for the City to save even more money by taking care of problems before they

become too large to handle.

All of these processes and continual improvement efforts would help move the City of

Tyler toward winning a Malcom Baldrige award. The processes of listening to customers,

strategizing, implementing, and communicating are all components of the pillars of the Baldrige

framework (Baldrige Excellence Builder, 2017, p. 2). By effectively setting up a standardized

system, the City of Tyler would easily be a prime example of the ways that the Baldrige

framework can improve an organization’s operations. Not only would these suggestions change

the way that the City is seen in the eyes of Baldrige judges, it would alter the community’s

perceptions – making for a better City in the end.

 Work Cited:

Baldrige Excellence Builder. (2017). Baldrige Excellence Builder: Key Questions for Improving

Your Organization’s Performance. Retrieved from:

https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/02/09/2017-2018-baldrige-

excellence-builder.pdf

City of Tyler. (2017). City of Tyler Strategic Plan [image].

ETC Institute. (2018). City of Tyler Community Survey Findings Report [PowerPoint Slides].