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Milwaukee County AE&ES reports staffing recovery, emphasizes project management and Kaizen steps
Summary
Department of Administrative Services’ architecture, engineering and environmental services team told the Committee on Personnel it has stabilized after 2022 turnover, is implementing project-management reforms and Lean Six Sigma practices, and will follow up with supervisors on airport parking and surveyor staffing.
Sean Hayes, interim director of facility management and head of Architecture, Engineering and Environmental Services (AE&ES), told the Milwaukee County Committee on Personnel on Jan. 14 that the office has moved from a period of heavy turnover in 2022 into a more stable and productive phase in 2024–25. Hayes said AE&ES now manages a portfolio of more than 200 projects and has focused on three priorities: project-management excellence, customer service tied to departments such as the airport and parks, and continuous improvement.
Hayes said the office used a reorganization and a project management team to resume projects that had been on hold and to lead the county’s ARPA-funded work. He described work to “optimize” operations through quarterly “Rocks” (90-day priorities) and by using Lean Six Sigma training for staff. As an example, Hayes said a roughly half-day Kaizen event targeted contract processing and produced a checklist and processing-time expectations intended to shave weeks from contract turnaround time.
The committee raised follow-ups. Supervisor Johnson Jr. asked about Kaizen events and whether a half-day was sufficient; Hayes said staff learned from the session and that a full day would likely be more effective for deeper problems, but that the short event produced a checklist and timeliness standards that have been implemented. Supervisor Martin and others praised including frontline staff in improvement work.
Hayes confirmed the department had added another surveyor and new surveying equipment after supervisors authorized positions and funding; he said the extra surveyor has allowed field work to be split and supported, and that the survey team supervisor could provide additional details on request. Supervisors also asked Hayes to follow up about two airport infrastructure concerns they have received from constituents: several parking-structure floors that are closed (including handicapped-access floors) and an out-of-service pedestrian escalator. Hayes said he would investigate and follow up with the committee; he noted there may be a capital project in the current year’s budget related to the escalator.
Supervisor Johnson Jr. moved to receive and place the AE&ES progress report on file; the committee voted 4–0 to approve that motion. Hayes said AE&ES will continue focusing on reducing change orders, closing long-lingering projects and incorporating sustainability guidelines the county’s sustainability office is developing.
The presentation and supervisors’ questions were informational; the committee did not direct additional formal action beyond receiving the report, but requested follow-up on airport parking floors and escalator status and additional detail from the survey team on staffing impacts.
