A recent certification audit reaffirmed that Council’s quality management system is being maintained and continues to comply with the ISO 9001:2000 standard.
“It is my opinion, that for a number of years now, Mackay City Council has been at the cutting edge with the development, implementation and continual improvement of management systems,” said Colin Williams, Advisor Integrated Systems, who carried out the audit. “With this continuing commitment Mackay City will retain its position within the top five Local Authorities in Queensland.”
Council’s Technical Officer Quality, John Pearce, believes that simplicity is the key to ensuring staff are committed to taking the quality journey.
“Large, detailed manuals will not be read,” he said. “They end up on the shelf gathering dust.” Drastically reducing the number of pages and using a more convenient pocket sized document means quality manuals are much more accepted by staff.
“Simple flow charts, pictures wherever possible and a more user friendly point format has helped staff make quality and continuous improvement second nature,” John Pearce said.
Customer feedback is also a vital element of Mackay’s pursuit of continuous improvement. Whenever a resident requests a service or maintenance work, a customer survey form is sent to them. When a project is to be undertaken by Parks and Recreation, Mackay Water or the Works Department, residents are also surveyed. A star rating is then given to every project.
“This has been well accepted by residents, with as high as 85 per cent and on average 50 per cent responding to our surveys,” John Pearce said. “People have thanked us for letting them have their say and, at the same time, constructive criticism has helped us improve our processes. Started in 1997, this feedback has improved communication and has been a very effective internal tool as far as morale goes. Staff want to know they have done a good job and are appreciated.”
All quality procedures include an integrated risk assessment, as well as an environmental impact component. Safety signs at road works that say “My daddy works here!” encourage drivers to slow down and workers to take care.
When a road construction project is to be undertaken all nearby properties are letter boxed with A Guide to Motorists flyer.
“It is all about communication and having the community on side,” John Pearse said. “Once people understand what we are doing and why, projects run much more smoothly. We also produce Minor Works Answer Sheets covering the common questions people ask before they undertake a particular building project. These sheets are posted or given to people with their application. This has saved time for our Customer Service staff with over 90 per cent of questions resolved in this manner.”
