Optimized Scheduling Delivers Huge Efficiencies To Ohio Department Of Commerce (ODC)

Ohio’s Division of Industrial Compliance faced several challenges. The first was to provide a timely review of construction project plans for engineers, contractors and architects working on commercial or multiple-unit residential projects. In 2001 alone, approximately 8,000 plans were submitted.

The second challenge was to make efficient, on-site inspection services available for projects once they were approved. Because the pace of most construction projects is unpredictable, this work is typically on-demand. It is also highly time-sensitive – if a plumbing, electrical, mechanical or structural inspection doesn’t take place when the contractor needs it, construction will be slowed or halted, and money will be lost.

DIC’s existing phone and paper based scheduling process was extremely inefficient. Contractors would call individual inspectors or a central scheduling office to set up appointments. There was no visibility into the activities of individual inspectors, which made it difficult to determine whether they were able to stay on schedule and meet the day’s commitments. “This has been our biggest area of shortcoming,” explained Dave Williamson, Superintendent of the ODC’s Office of Industrial Compliance. “We were unable to determine how well we were meeting demand, or how efficiently we were handling the process.”

The third challenge was to meet the requirement to inspect up to 3,500 elevators, escalators and boilers per month. A limited number of inspectors were responsible for covering the entire state, and scheduling was inefficient. As a result, there was a growing backlog.

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