PWX 2021

Breaking the Ice: Approaching Innovation Within Your Snow Operations (Room 232)

30 Aug 21
3:00 PM - 3:50 PM

Tracks: Transp: (Winter Maint, Snow and Ice Control)

Broomfield, Colorado, has an extensive snow and ice control program, covering more than 260 centerline miles. Public works partnered with an internal group, the Innovation Ecosystem (IE), to improve their snow and ice management program. The IE Innovators and Change Makers are specially trained in the practice of Lean Process and Change Management. A cross-divisional team of snowfighters was selected. Fighting snow was viewed by staff as a Streets Division operation, even though several operators from Utilities and Parks Divisions were needed. Representation from each division was critical for inclusion of all challenges and perspectives. The operators selected were not supervisors in the snow program to limit the filtering of communication between the drivers and the leaders of the project. Next, the team learned about each other and managing change. They were introduced to concepts such as constructive dissonance and creative abrasion. These concepts, combined with a greater understanding of their fellow operators, allowed them to clearly identify the challenges they had been experiencing. The team developed solutions to implement before the next snow season began. New snowshift schedules to provide desired certainty and reliability to the snowfighters and division managers, formalized training schedules shared with all drivers, and formalized and expanded communication paths were identified. Since implementing the changes, the morale of the snow fighting team has increased. The operators feel less fatigue throughout the season. Fleet Services has seen a reduction in repairs as a result of the training. The increased communication has allowed other improvements to occur based on driver discussions and feedback. The ecosystem of innovation allowed staff to collaborate and implement changes to the snow and ice program that improve the experience for the snowfighters and the community. The entire process took less than six months with available resources.