A key component of the implementation of CHRIS is to improve efficiencies and effectiveness through the reengineering of our business processes.  Hackett is a company that focuses on researching best practices and conducting workshops with organizations to help them achieve best practices.

Hackett has conducted extensive research to determine best practices in the following key areas.  According to Hackett, best practices are consistent across all industries.  The fact that we are a municipality does not diminish their relevance to us.

Representatives from Hackett conducted workshops during the weeks of March 17 through May 12^th of 2008.  Numerous employees from Central Payroll, Civil Service Commission, Human Resources Department, and others, participated.  Objectives of the workshops were to:

   -Examine current process efficiency, effectiveness, and structure
   -Understand current gaps between best practices, and service
    delivery model considerations through examination of Hackett
    Best Practices
   -Begin to develop a best practices scorecard

Best Practices as defined by Hackett:
-Aligns with strategy
-Reduces costs
-Improves productivity
-Enables better decision making
-Leverages existing and exploits emerging technologies
-Ensures acceptable levels of control and risk management
-Optimizes skills/capabilities of the organization

The work that the City has done with Hackett provides direction as the CHRIS Project Team begins to reengineer our current business processes.  The goal of this phase is to make sure that we work toward best practices while taking into consideration the unique requirements of the City of Columbus.  A significant challenge will be to distinguish between what are truly unique requirements and what are the result of "we've always done it that way," processes.

The following are links to the key areas where we compared our current practice against the identified best practice, and then identified where we could improve.  There was no time limit set on attaining the improvements, so in some cases they extend beyond the CHRIS Project.  Also, you will see some areas that can be ignored because they are unique to the private sector (i.e., stock options).

Click on the links to view the Best Practices results presentations.