Forking Work Simplification – Let's Bring Back Eisenhower's Process Improvement
3 days ago
- #work-simplification
- #process-improvement
- #government-efficiency
- Kevin Hawickhorst’s article highlights Eisenhower-era process improvement tools that boosted federal efficiency in the 1940s-1960s.
- Proposal to recreate and update the Work Simplification program for modern use by governments, civic organizations, and businesses.
- Current progress includes converting manuals into a docs site named 'Standards' with plans to recreate materials like Process Chart forms.
- Process improvement is not intuitive; practical tools are needed for local groups to document and fix broken processes.
- Work Simplification focuses on effectiveness (citizen experience) rather than corporate-style short-term cost-cutting.
- Example given: Local YIMBY volunteers could use simplified process charting to spot overlooked issues in ADU permits.
- Historical government successes (e.g., WPA, Medicare) contrast with modern inefficiencies like the delayed rural broadband initiative.
- Ezra Klein critiques 'everything bagel liberalism' for overloading policies with excessive requirements, slowing implementation.
- Slow implementation erodes public trust; streamlined governance is needed to restore faith in government effectiveness.
- Successful initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act show efficient process design can yield positive results.