Navigator Award Finalist: Tim Krall, Deputy Director, Ohio Department of Administrative Services
Making government services leaner in the Buckeye State
This is the 16th in a series of profiles on the 50 finalists for Route Fifty’s Navigator Awards program. The first 10 finalists were from the Government Allies and Cross-Sector Partners category. Finalists 11-20 were from the Agency and Department Leadership category. Finalists 21-30 were from the Executive Leadership category. Finalists 31-40 were from the Next Generation category. Finalists 41-50 were from the Data and IT Innovators category. Explore our complete list of 50 finalists.
LeanOhio launched in January 2011, on the heels of Gov. John Kasich assuming office, with the goal of strengthening state agencies’ core business processes.
Helmed by Tim Krall, deputy director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, the program quickly set about reducing costs and speeding up processes while improving customer satisfaction.
LeanOhio has ramped up 172 projects at 35 state agencies, completing more than 80 major improvement efforts and saving taxpayers $156 million. That’s about $40 in savings for every $1 invested by the program.
"I love seeing a team when the light goes on, when they start seeing the inefficiencies of the current way and start applying Lean thinking," Krall’s bio reads. "I’m very proud to be part of the LeanOhio team as we help the citizens of Ohio by making government services simpler, faster, better and less costly."
The methodology is all about eliminating waste to boost efficiency, and Krall has earned master black belt certification through the Lean Six Sigma training program.
Hundreds of state workers have been involved in LeanOhio’s efforts, and employee unions have played a part in teaching Lean tools and strategies.
Some early LeanOhio successes include Ohio Veterans Homes reducing admission times to one to three months, down from three to six months, and the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction saving $115,804 in overtime costs by streamlining the inmate reception process, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
In June, the National Association of State Chief Administrators recognized LeanOhio for reducing government’s burden on taxpayers. Director Shawn Vaughn told the Dispatch the Buckeye State is a leader “in lean management as a means to reduce costs, eliminate waste and improve processes to better serve state agencies and their citizens.”
Dave Nyczepir is news editor at Government Executive’s Route Fifty and is based in Washington, D.C.
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