Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 39, September 25, 2024
WHEREAS, in the public sector, taxpayer demand for
cost-effective services and responsive government requires New York State
government to improve continuously the quality of the services it delivers and
the products it produces;
WHEREAS, there is substantial evidence that the principles
and techniques for organizational excellence (known internationally as total
quality management) improve organizational performance, productivity, employee
relations, and competitiveness not only in the private sector, but in
government as well;
WHEREAS, many of the present examples of excellence in
management and responsiveness to customer needs and expectation are to be found
in the private sector;
WHEREAS, a number of New York State's leading corporations
are willing, in partnership with New York government, to share their experience
in developing, implementing, and expanding total quality management
programs;
WHEREAS, the effectiveness of State government in meeting
the needs of New Yorkers is further enhanced by a coherent, coordinated
approach among our many agencies;
WHEREAS, State employees constitute a diverse and vastly
skilled work force with the creativity, knowledge, ability, and commitment to
reshape operations for better results;
WHEREAS, improving government cannot be achieved without
cooperation among many parties, especially government managers and employees,
unions, the Legislature, and our customers - the public;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, MARIO M. CUOMO, Governor of the State of
New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Laws
of the State of New York, do hereby order as follows:
I. Quality through Participation (QtP)
Initiative
There is hereby created a statewide Quality through
Participation (QtP) initiative. Quality through Participation will seek to
achieve the following long-term vision for State government:
New York State government will lead the nation in pleasing
its citizens with the quality of its public programs and services. Consistent
with the State's motto, "Excelsior," confidence in governmental effectiveness
will grow each year. Four cornerstones of our quality vision shall be:
Customer-Oriented Public Service - A public service system
that seeks and sustains a high level of constituent and client satisfaction.
All State employees and work groups will understand, meet, and track the
changing requirements of their customers, both outside and inside government.
Full involvement of citizens in helping to plan and choose services will ensure
a system that the public values and supports.
Best process - A state workplace where the job gets done
right the first time, by eliminating unnecessary steps, delays, and errors in
the work process. Every State program represents an opportunity to redesign the
way we work and to meet defined goals, through diligent use of quality
improvement techniques. Products and processes are well-coordinated across
agencies, ensuring the most timely and effective application of resources and
services to our customers' needs.
Empowered Employees - A work environment where employees at
all levels can make the most of their expertise and creativity and make
decisions that support improved service. Employees will have the information,
skills, technology, and authority they need to work together effectively and
grow professionally. Strong labor-management partnerships will support this
work environment.
Continuous Improvement - A government where consistent
evaluation and improvement, using key quality criteria, are built into all
operations. Individuals and work groups will routinely assess and refine
programs, procedures, and policies in the interest of better meeting the
public's changing requirements and standards of excellence.
II. Overall Coordination and Support
The Director of the Governor's Office of Employee Relations
shall be responsible for working with all relevant parties to plan, coordinate,
and support the QtP initiative. The Governor's Office of Employee Relations
shall:
1. Assist state agencies in
planning and implementing QtP by providing consultative and training
resources.
2. Coordinate and
support the activities of the QtP Steering Committee and the Interagency QtP
Coordinating Group toward the development and implementation of a statewide
quality strategy and interpretation of that strategy into the State's operating
plans.
3. Foster labor involvement
in, and support of, the QtP initiative.
4. Ensure that statewide training programs
developed in partnership with labor, as well as statewide management
development programs, support the quality management and the provision of
quality services.
5. Research
issues and establish benchmarks related to quality management in the public
sector such as experiences of other states and governmental entities, employee
reward and incentive systems, and reforms in personnel and budgeting
practices.
6. Work with the
agencies and labor representatives to identify and recommend changes in
statewide administrative systems that would enhance the capacity of state
agencies to implement QtP.
7.
Disseminate information about QtP principles and practices, training programs,
and successful quality improvements on the part of prototype agencies as well
as other agencies.
8. Assist
agencies in developing ways to measure the quality outcomes of this
initiative.
9. Prepare periodic
reports to the Governor on progress of the QtP initiative.
III. Establishment of Prototype Agencies
A. Selected State agencies shall be
designated as "Quality through participation prototypes" and will be the focal
sites for the implementation of quality management practices in State
government. Initial prototypes shall include: State Education Department;
Office of General Services; Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental
Disabilities; Department of Motor Vehicles; Office of Parks, Recreation and
Historic Preservation; and Department of Transportation.
B. The responsibilities of the prototype
agencies shall be to:
1. Work together, and
with the private sector, to create and refine implementation processes and
training that can be replicated in additional State government work sites over
time.
2. Define a quality vision
for the agency, conduct appropriate assessments, provide training opportunities
for staff, develop and deploy a quality strategy, and practice continuous and
breakthrough process improvement.
3. Disseminate information about their
quality management efforts to other State agencies to enable other agencies to
benefit from their experiences.
4.
Identify the need for changes in existing rules, regulations, and systems
internal to government that would facilitate quality management.
C. The Executive Chamber, the
Governor's Office of Employee Relations, the Division of the Budget, the
Department of Civil Service, the Office of Management and Productivity, and
other administrative agencies shall work with the prototype agencies to design
innovative budgetary, personnel, and other administrative practices that will
enable the agencies to install quality management.
IV. Statewide Quality through Participation
Steering Committee
A. There shall be a
statewide Quality through Participation Steering Committee. Initial members of
the Steering Committee shall be the commissioners of the prototype agencies as
well as the Commissioner of Civil Service, the Director of the Division of the
Budget, and the Director of the Office of Management and Productivity. The
Director of the Governor's Office of Employee Relations shall serve as
Chairperson. Additional members may be added at the discretion of the Steering
Committee.
B. The purpose of the
Committee shall be to:
1. Create a
partnership between state government and the private sector that fosters the
sharing of information, experience, and resources in developing a coherent and
workable approach for implementing QtP in State agencies.
2. Provide policy direction for a statewide
effort.
3. Assess existing
government systems and practices in light of the QtP vision. The Steering
Committee shall forward recommendations for changes in fiscal and personnel
systems to the Governor by December, 1993.
V. Interagency Quality through Participation
Coordinating Group
A. There shall be an
Interagency Quality through Participation Coordinating Group. Initial members
shall be representatives of the prototype agencies, as designated by their
commissioners, as well as representatives from the Division of the Budget, the
Department of Civil Service, the Office of Management and Productivity, and the
Governor's Office of Employee Relations.
B. The purpose of the Interagency QtP
Coordinating Group shall be to:
1. Develop a
statewide Interagency QtP implementation model.
2. Design a generic training curriculum for
teaching quality principles and methods in State agencies.
3. Support prototype agencies' planning and
implementation efforts by sharing information and learnings.
4. Recommend changes in statewide systems,
and such as personnel and budgeting practices, for consideration and
advancement by the Steering Committee.
5. Benchmark public and private organizations
in New York State and elsewhere that have been most effective in improving
quality in order to adapt their approaches for New York State government
use.
VI.
Duties and Responsibilities of All State Agencies
The heads of all departments, divisions, boards, offices,
and public corporations of the State shall:
1. Provide assistance, services, and data as
may be necessary to administer and implement the Quality through Participation
initiative.
2. Apprise the
Governor's Office of Employee Relations of any quality efforts undertaken so
that their agencies may draw on available implementation strategies, training
programs, and quality tools.
3.
Work with the Governor's Office of Employee Relations and other State
government organizations to facilitate exchange of successful applications.
Signed: Mario M. CuomoDated: December 31, 1992
[FN[DAGGER]] [Revoked by Executive Order No. 31 (George E.
Pataki), infra.]
