There’s always much to be desired in bureaucracies. Imagine performing 10 steps when something can be done in three steps. Bureaucracies are famous for creating multiple steps or procedures to accomplish something. It’s tiring, expensive, and time-consuming. Often, it’s such a waste of time!
An article on TMCNet discusses a clumsy rental procedure. This is the scenario:
By the government’s own estimate, it can take two and a half weeks to secure a rental permit. Telephone messages are left, calls exchanged, questions answered, a check mailed and, finally, a permit will either be mailed or the renter can come downtown to pick it up.
To which, Erie County‘s Six Sigma guru calls as insane. As one of the officials that will help Chris Collins succeed as county executive, Alfred Hammonds Jr. will embark on a Lean Six Sigma deployment to improve the situation.
Hammonds has nine Six Sigma-driven improvements afoot. The solution to a 10th project, to issue a park rental permit in two days rather than 12.5, will be tested starting Monday by letting users reserve a picnic shelter on erie.gov, the county’s Web site.
It reminds me of the show, Name that Tune. A contestant would say, “I can name that tune in 5 notes.” Another contestant would then counter, “I can name that tune in 1 note.”
This should be our goal. If a customer comes to us for a service or product, we’d go, “I can do that for you in 1 minute.” 
