BC Timber Sales pursued a Lean initiative to find efficiencies and address workload issues. The vision and objectives were developed with the Geographic Information System (GIS) Community of Practice, senior management, executive and HR staff, who all collaborated across business areas to develop an efficient organizational structure that delivers GIS services and meets operational demands while improving business results.
The pilot project involved four business areas and resulted in GIS staff forming a centralized support team. The creation of this team allowed more flexibility for staff work schedules and improved use of existing staff resources. This shift quickly allowed the organization to exceed its goals in a time of constraint while encouraging staff to enjoy work arrangements more conducive to their work-life balance.
Through the Lean initiative, best practices between business areas were identified and standardized, fluctuating workloads were better accommodated and communications were improved throughout the GIS community. Plus, staff and client satisfaction has risen.
