LINCOLN – On Oct 24th, Governor Pete Ricketts and State leaders highlighted the achievements of the State’s Center of Operational Excellence (COE). Governor Ricketts and his team launched the COE in 2016 to help create a more effective, more efficient, and customer-focused state government.  As a part of the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services (DAS), the COE leads the State’s process improvement initiatives. 

“The Center of Operational Excellence drives a culture of continuous improvement in state government,” said Gov. Ricketts.  By training State teammates in process improvement skills, the COE is helping to reduce waste, shorten wait times, and improve the overall quality of services delivered by State agencies. Thank you to the COE for leading the charge to provide a better customer experience for Nebraskans.”

Since 2016, the COE has facilitated over 900 process improvement projects, leading to over 900,000 hours of work saved for State teammates.  By the end of 2022, the COE will have provided $100 million in savings to Nebraska taxpayers.  In recognition of the COE’s accomplishments, Gov. Ricketts has proclaimed October as “Center of Operational Excellence” month in Nebraska.

“Through the trainings provided by the COE, our teammates are now equipped with the skills to identify and implement process improvement strategies in their day-to-day work to help provide better services to the people of Nebraska,” said COE Director Matthew Singh.    

At the news conference, State leaders elaborated on some of the impactful process improvement success stories in their agencies, including:

• The Nebraska Department of Economic Development’s One-Stop Business Licensing Portal
  • The portal provides a one-stop-shop where business operators can go to find all of their needed filings (onestop.nebraska.gov)
• The Nebraska Department of Transportation’s (NDOT) Right of Way process
  • By using process improvement methods, NDOT has significantly shortened the time needed to record deeds in order to expedite construction projects
• Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reimbursements
  • Teammates at DHHS have found efficient ways to expedite travel and lodging reimbursements for families who take their child to see a specialist as part of the Disabled Children’s Program or Medically Handicapped Children’s Program

Further examples of State of Nebraska process improvement projects supported by the COE are available at das.nebraska.gov/coe/projects.html.

On Oct 24th, Gov. Ricketts also announced the 2022 Nebraska Center of Operational Excellence Summit (Summit), which will take place on December 12^th in Lincoln.  Video announcing the 2022 Summit can be found here.

Full video of Oct 24th’s press event is available by clicking here.  The “Center of Operational Excellence” month proclamation is available by clicking here.