DMV Performance Improvement Report
Introduction & Background The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) provides vehicle and licensing services used by four million owners and operators in each of the state’s seventeen counties (Dresang, 2012). The mission of the Dept. of Motor Vehicles reflects its purpose—to provide excellent driver and motor vehicle services and to create a safe environment for its citizens to live, work, and play. However, the current situation of the DMV reflects a frustrating system due to the complicated and time-consuming registration process—the main problem of the state agency. The widespread discontentment of the situation prompted the organization to analyze and evaluate the problem and create three strategies to ratify the issue. The three strategies consist of training workers in processing all documents and payments and issuing license plates, allowing patrons to register online or via mail, and outsourcing vehicle inspections. The goals of the agency are to reduce the volume of in-person renewals by 33% within two years and streamline the in-person renewal process to average a wait time of 15 minutes within two years. Therefore, the purpose of this performance improvement report is to
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evaluate and rank the three strategies to advance the DMV’s performance goals through assessing their feasibility and impact on the organization.
Analysis of the Problem Similar to most federal and state agencies, the Dept. of Motor Vehicles desires to improve its system, processes, and customer service (Gilbert, Nicholls, & Roslow, 1998). The DMV patrons should want to conduct business with the organization, thus, they are selecting the state agency for its quality and excellent services rather than as a mandatory action (Miller, 2010). In order to capture the opinions of the drivers, the DMV conducted a customer survey to address the central issue or complaint plaguing the organization. According to the survey results, the majority of the motorists categorized their grievances under the “process is too slow” option (refer to Appendix A for further details on customer complaints about the Dept. of Motor Vehicles). On average, it takes a driver 75 minutes to complete the registration process, from the vehicle inspection to the licensing center (Dresang, 2012). The processing time fluctuates during the week; however, the 15th and the 30th of the month holds the highest volume of patrons in the DMV establishment, which results in a longer wait time and a slow process (refer to Appendix B for the mean processing time experienced by drivers). As a result, the main performance problem of the organization is the time-consuming vehicle inspection and licensing process. In reviewing the main performance problem, there are numerous factors causing delays and bottlenecking of the registration process.
The decentralized layout of the service centers creates confusion for customers because they must navigate through multiple lines and remember to bring their registration documents. Additionally, the outdated systems and lack of online services require drivers to visit the state agency and have in-person interaction to complete the process. Furthermore, the DMV has inadequate staff levels to manage the different areas of the organization and scheduling conflicts, which results in staff shortages at crucial times. Overall, these factors cause the increased length of time that patrons experience in the vehicle inspection and licensing
divisions.
evaluate and rank the three strategies to advance the DMV’s performance goals through assessing their feasibility and impact on the organization.
Analysis of the Problem Similar to most federal and state agencies, the Dept. of Motor Vehicles desires to improve its system, processes, and customer service (Gilbert, Nicholls, & Roslow, 1998). The DMV patrons should want to conduct business with the organization, thus, they are selecting the state agency for its quality and excellent services rather than as a mandatory action (Miller, 2010). In order to capture the opinions of the drivers, the DMV conducted a customer survey to address the central issue or complaint plaguing the organization. According to the survey results, the majority of the motorists categorized their grievances under the “process is too slow” option (refer to Appendix A for further details on customer complaints about the Dept. of Motor Vehicles). On average, it takes a driver 75 minutes to complete the registration process, from the vehicle inspection to the licensing center (Dresang, 2012). The processing time fluctuates during the week; however, the 15th and the 30th of the month holds the highest volume of patrons in the DMV establishment, which results in a longer wait time and a slow process (refer to Appendix B for the mean processing time experienced by drivers). As a result, the main performance problem of the organization is the time-consuming vehicle inspection and licensing process. In reviewing the main performance problem, there are numerous factors causing delays and bottlenecking of the registration process.
The decentralized layout of the service centers creates confusion for customers because they must navigate through multiple lines and remember to bring their registration documents. Additionally, the outdated systems and lack of online services require drivers to visit the state agency and have in-person interaction to complete the process. Furthermore, the DMV has inadequate staff levels to manage the different areas of the organization and scheduling conflicts, which results in staff shortages at crucial times. Overall, these factors cause the increased length of time that patrons experience in the vehicle inspection and licensing
divisions.