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  • Summer Issue 2011

      • SPOTLIGHT:
         Local Government Toolkit
        A New Way of Doing Business for Ohio.

      • The Ohio Performance Team:
        OPTimizing Performance in Ohio Government

        SIDEBAR:
        What is Six Sigma?

      • L.E.A.P Fund
        Making Performance Audits
        Affordable for Local Governments
        The First Six Recipients

      • Download pdf
        Best Practices Summer 2011

The Ohio Performance Team:
OPTimizing Performance in Ohio Government

Governor Kasich signed Senate Bill 4, the performance audit legislation championed by Auditor of State Dave Yost, into law on April 5th – effectively providing the Auditor of State’s Office with the extraordinary opportunity to fundamentally change the way Ohio government does business. The legislation requires that the office conduct performance audits of state agencies.

  • What is Six Sigma?

Lean Six Sigma is an initiative with a strong track record of success in both private and public sectors focused on providing increased value to customers through improved products, processes and services.

Six Sigma utilizes statistical information and analysis to measure and improve an agency or department’s operational performance. The resulting progress leads to vast improvement in efficiencies, employee morale and quality of service.

The Auditor of State’s office is incorporating Six Sigma techniques into its daily operations as it, too, works toward greater productivity and efficiency.


To meet this new legislative responsibility, Auditor Yost has created a new, innovative team to assist him with the task of ensuring the best use of limited tax dollars by identifying waste, inefficiencies and duplication of services throughout state government. The Ohio Performance Team (OPT) will conduct an in-depth review of a state agency to help “skinny down” operations and increase accountability.

This unique section will be composed of twelve staff members, two Six Sigma Master Black Belt executives and four interns. With a blend of government and industry backgrounds and in-depth experience in research, operations and management, the team will use a collaborative approach - but one that is objective and data driven. Six Sigma methodologies will be one of the many tools used to drive innovation and cultural change; within the team, the auditor’s office and the client agencies they engage

The scope of each performance audit is open and can encompass the whole agency or just one specific component. Every audit process, however, involves conducting the necessary research; analyzing the findings; and making actionable recommendations based on the data.

Unlike traditional audits which look backward on activity in the past, OPT functions more like a consulting group in its proactive, forward focus. OPT will seek to develop recommendations that provide detailed steps toward improving performance, steps that can generate real change within the organization and offer clear benefits for the ultimate customer – the taxpayer.

OPT will help create savings of state resources and promote efficiencies to make Ohio more attractive for employers to create jobs. In these difficult economic times, a culture-change in government is vital to Ohio’s long-term fiscal health.