Lean Six Sigma Project - Body Shop Repairs Miami-Dade ...€¦ · Lean Six Sigma Project - Body Shop Repairs Miami-Dade County Internal Services Department Page 3 of 22 The Results/Success

Lean Six Sigma Project - Body Shop Repairs Miami-Dade County

Internal Services Department

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Abstract of the Program

The Miami-Dade County Internal Services Department (ISD) Fleet Management Division, in conjunction

with the Miami-Dade County Office of Management and Budget, successfully launched and implemented

a Lean Six Sigma project in 2016 to reduce the turnaround time for County vehicle body repairs. ISD is

responsible for maintaining over 10,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment and manages the repair and

maintenance of light fleet vehicles for most County departments. At the beginning of the project, the

average County vehicle repair time was 39 days, which resulted in a substantial negative impact to County

operations. The impact was particularly critical for the Miami-Dade Police Department since most County

body repairs resulted from police vehicle incidents. The administrative process required police officers to

spend approximately one (1) hour per shift completing paperwork for a loaner vehicle and unloading and

loading equipment. This administrative process created a significant burden for police officers and

prevented them from being able to perform public safety-related job duties.

At the start of the project in May 2016, only 49% of the vehicles were being returned to service within 30

days. Using the Lean Six Sigma methodology, the project team identified causes of the delays and

developed creative improvements to the County’s body repair process including changes to authority

delegation, changes to the facility layout, and revisions to internal procedures. By December 2016,

approximately 75% of vehicles were being returned within 30 days. Furthermore, body repairs are now

completed within an average of 18 days. Process improvements implemented by the project team

resulted in projected savings of approximately $150,000 annually in police officer time, in addition to

savings associated with rental charges and overall reserve fleet size.

The Problem or Need for the Program

Vehicles from various user departments in Miami-Dade County are sent to ISD Fleet Management’s

Body Shop for collision repairs, with approximately 80% of the vehicles belonging to the Miami-Dade

Police Department. Lengthier repair times led to longer periods of time where the user department was

without a vehicle, which put a significant burden on department operations and ISD’s pool of loaner

vehicles. In May 2016, ISD determined that the complete turnaround time for repairs of County vehicles

was excessive and required a process review to identify the principal causes of delay. After collecting

and analyzing data, ISD determined that vehicles took an average of 39 days to repair and only 49% of

vehicle repairs were completed within 30 days. Delays in the repair process kept police officers from

maximizing their patrol time due to the administrative requirements associated with using a County

loaner vehicle.

Description of the Program

ISD partnered with the Miami-Dade County Office of Management and Budget to undertake a Lean Six

Sigma project with the goal of increasing the efficiency of the vehicle body repair services that are

provided to various County departments. After analyzing relevant repair data, the project team

identified the following issues related to ISD’s ability to repair vehicles in a timely manner: 1) ISD

maintained a policy that repairs would not proceed without documentation detailing body damage to a



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vehicle, 2) user departments frequently failed to submit the appropriate paperwork or submitted

incomplete paperwork upon delivery of the vehicle to the ISD Body Shop, 3) each vehicle repair required

a scope of work to be completed by a ISD Facility Supervisor prior to work beginning, which caused

significant delays due to a limited number of employees capable of completing the task, 4) the

Transportation Coordinator for each user department was required to approve the cost of the repairs

prior work being completed on the vehicle, 5) approval was also required from the ISD Service Manager

to ensure that repairing the vehicle was cost effective. In addition, police officers spent approximately

one (1) hour per shift filling out paperwork and loading equipment for loaner vehicles, which cost the

County through lost staff time.

After an extensive analysis of the key issues and through collaboration with staff, the project team

determined that the following measures would be implemented in order to reduce inefficiencies in the

ISD vehicle body repair process: 1) ISD conducted outreach to user departments on existing

documentation that is required at the time a vehicle is delivered; 2) ISD implemented a policy that all

required documentation must be submitted at the time the vehicle is delivered to the ISD Fleet Body

Shop; 3) training was provided to all ISD Fleet employees on writing scopes of work so additional

employees could complete this step of the process; 4) lead worker status was assigned along with the

delegation of authority to review and approve repair work in the absence of a supervisor; 5) Shop

Supervisor spending authority would be increased to $5,000 or 50% of the estimated value of the

vehicle, whichever is higher; 6) the Service Manager was eliminated from the approval process. Service

Managers are now only required to approve repairs when there is a disagreement with the user

department’s Transportation Coordinator.

The above changes included the dissemination of information on the policies and procedures to user

departments, an increase in delegated authority to allow for greater flexibility in approving body work,

and the removal of unnecessary approvals in the vehicle body repair process. As a result of the project,

police officers are able to spend less time completing administrative procedures associated with

checking in and out loaner vehicles and the County is projected to save in excess of $150,000 in staff

resources.

Us of Technology

Repair data for this project was collected utilizing ISD’s fleet management software, FleetFocus M-5.

The Cost of the Program

The estimated annual cost of the project is $500 due to the project’s designation of lead worker status

to an existing County employee, which carries a 5% increase in pay during the time of designation. The

lead worker status is only designated in the absence of a Bodyshop Facility Supervisor and the fiscal

impact was calculated based on an estimated six (6) weeks of absences per year.



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The Results/Success of the Program

By December 2016, approximately 75% of vehicles were repaired within 30 days, which represents an

improvement of 26% from the previous measurement in May 2016. The average length of body repair is

currently 18 days compared to 39 days at project inception. In addition, the project has realized annual

cost savings of police officer time of approximately $150,000. The project team anticipates the

percentage of vehicles repaired within 30 days to continue rising as additional efficiency measures are

identified and implemented. The overall cost savings of the Body Shop operating efficiently and

repairing vehicles within 30 days will decrease the amount of time user departments are without a

vehicle, which will equate to additional savings for all user departments.

Worthiness of Award

ISD’s Lean Six Sigma Project for Body Shop Repairs represents a significant improvement of the

administration and management of an existing County service provided for County departments, which

ultimately benefits the residents of Miami-Dade County. This project allowed the County to realize a

substantial return on investment and provided County residents with additional public safety resources

though the elimination of inefficiencies in the vehicle body repair process. At a time in which public

safety resources continue to be stretched nationwide, the project represents a creative way to allow

police officers to patrol the streets more through increased efficiency in government operations.

Supplemental Materials

1. Project PowerPoint Presentation



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Attachment 1



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