Posts

Case 2 - Reverse Automation: Unnecessary Forms and Procedures

This is part of an ongoing series about Los Angeles County gov't waste. Updated  9/23/2024. Often there are convoluted & wasteful forms, processes, and/or procedures that continue over the years because nobody bothers to simplify them. If somebody higher up is not complaining about something, it's usually left as-is, as change is Rocking The Boat, the Greatest County Sin. They often say, "It cost too much money to simplify". But the convoluted approach is often costing more money in the longer run by making employees take unnecessary time to do it the convoluted way: Penny-Wise-Pound-Foolish.  It's similar to a consumer deciding whether to rent or buy a house. A house requires more up-front expenditure but is usually less expensive in the longer run. The County "rents" too often. They rarely do a true cost-benefit analysis to see if waste claims are really true. They either guess out of their ass or don't guess at all out of laziness and/or fe
Post a Comment
Read more

Article Menu

If you don't see hyperlinks, please click the title or READ MORE to open in a larger window. Introduction to County Waste Observations. Disclaimer. Sample Anti-Waste Policy. Case 1 - Expensive Clerks Who Are Not Clerks (labor misallocation). Case 2 - Reverse Automation: Unnecessary Forms & Procedures. Case 3 - Ego Projects: "Paint the proverbial walls instead of fix plumbing leaks" [future article] Better understanding of IT titles and roles can reduce waste. [future article] IT governance suggestions - A guide for efficient and effective IT, including checks-and-balances. [future article]
Post a Comment
Read more

Anti-Waste Policy Example

Here's a draft sample of an anti-waste policy followed by issue logging & tracking suggestions. A comparable policy should be in every County Department's policy manual. As of writing, most Departments appear to lack one or have a weak one. "It is against the Department Policy to unnecessarily waste resources, including but not limited to supplies and employee labor. The County has an obligation to use tax money judiciously and wisely. Employees are required to report significant likely waste to their immediate supervisor. If the immediate supervisor cannot or does not address the issue in a reasonable timeframe, then the central Resource Efficiency Coordinator (REC) [hyperlink to person or group] shall be contacted by the employee and notified of the waste incident or practice. A status report or notice of the progress will be given to both the employee and their immediate supervisor every 6 months until the alleged inefficiency is resolved or deemed unresolvable. Cas
Post a Comment
Read more

Disclaimer

Complaints about some or all of the mentioned practices may have since been remedied. I make no guarantees that these accounts of events are up-to-date. And some criticisms may only apply to one or few departments, not necessarily all. I may also have made mistaken observations. These are my honest accounts, but I am not privy to many parts of the County's inner workings, and thus didn't necessarily have a complete viewpoint in order to make a perfect judgement. View these alleged behaviors as bad habits and practices to keep an eye on. Many of these behaviors are common in other bureaucracies, not just Los Angeles County.  
Post a Comment
Read more

Case 1 - Expensive Clerks Who Are Not Clerks

This is part of an ongoing series about LA County government's wasteful practices. A lot of County tasks involve rather routine and clerical work. Ideally a manager or specialist should not spend too much time on routine and clerical work. In some cases it can't be easily avoided, such as approving actions, also known as "signing off on requests". That's a manager's job. And illnesses and long vacations may also result in such. But misallocation is often chronic , not temporary.  Many on-going clerical and repetitive tasks can be given to just about ANY general clerk familiar with PC's with a bit of direct training and maybe written steps. They don't require any degree beyond high school graduation with decent grades. If the general clerk gets stuck, they can contact a specialist or their manager. Needing occasional help is not a reason to have expensive people do ALL of it, but this is sometimes given as an excuse. They invent lots of excuses for wast
Post a Comment
Read more

Observing Los Angeles County's Wasteful Practices

I worked in the private sector before I worked in the County Government, and was shocked to see the degree of waste when I joined the County more than a decade ago. Taxpayers should be made aware of this mistreatment of their tax dollars. I notified my superiors of issues, and they rarely seem concerned. In general, "rocking the boat" is considered a far bigger "sin" than waste, and thus waste continues in the name of office politics. NOTICE: Please see the disclaimer first. Most of the observed waste falls into one or more of four categories:  The first is being "penny-wise-pound-foolish". This is a British expression about over-focusing on little things such that you don't notice or don't get around to bigger things. A common excuse for doing this is "it takes too many resources to just look into an issue raised". In some cases it's true, but this excuse is way over-used. It's laziness. I'll visit ways to manage the expense
Post a Comment
Read more