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Harvard Business School alumni deliver pro bono operational-efficiency report; report recommends IT consolidation and phased document digitization
Summary
A pro bono Harvard Business School Community Partners study recommended Mill Valley consolidate redundant software licenses, standardize core administrative systems, create a central IT spending lead and begin phased digitization of records; consultants estimated over $300,000 in hard-cost savings over five years and meaningful personnel-time savings from digitizing public-records processes.
A team from Harvard Business School Community Partners presented a pro bono operational-efficiency study to the City Council on June 2, outlining opportunities to reduce both hard and soft costs by consolidating software licenses, standardizing core administrative systems and digitizing high-effort manual processes.
Hannah Pollitzer, the city's management analyst who led the engagement, said the consultants conducted interviews across 10 departments, audited software spending and benchmarked with peer cities. The report identified four categories of hard-cost reduction—consolidating redundant licenses, downgrading paid plans where appropriate, exploring cheaper or free alternatives and choosing one platform where features overlap. The consultants estimated potential hard-cost savings of more than $300,000 over five years.
On soft costs, the team highlighted the labor burden of public-records responses and recommended phased digitization. In a case study presented to the council, consultants estimated that by digitizing high-priority documents and adopting an electronic records management system, the city could free up significant staff time and realize net personnel-cost benefits over time. "If you were to adopt this type of digitization process ... you could institute some of these cost savings going forward," a consultant said.
Why it matters: Council members and staff said the findings align with the city's recent internal reorganization and that many of the human resources needed already exist in-house; the report emphasized governance changes (a single IT spending lead and regular strategic planning) and realistic phasing to manage upfront costs such as training and scanning.
Implementation and follow-up: Staff and consultants discussed immediate next steps: pilot a Phase 1 digitization effort (quotes cited around $30k–$35k for scanning and set-up), conduct usage audits before renewals, standardize templates and bring technology priorities into the annual strategic planning and budget process. Consultants offered follow-up check-ins at six or 12 months to assess progress.
