Innovation, Improvement, and Empowerment at CDOT

Larger Innovation and Improvement Efforts

Larger improvements using cross-functional efforts to make
Colorado the #1 DOT!

Lean Everyday Ideas

Want to make CDOT better? Submit your ideas here!

Idea Cards

See the current innovations from CDOTers
saving time and money, improving safety, and improving customer satisfaction.

Innovation and Beyond

Featuring the innovative improvements made within the
Office of Process Improvement.

Change Management

Stories of CDOTers using change management
successfully in their team!

External Outreach

Blogs, articles, and more...
including writings from Michelle Malloy.

Public Sector Change Practitioners (CoP)

Want to know more about the people side of change?

Transportation Lean Forum (TLF)

An international forum about process improvement and lean practices.

Every Day Counts (EDC)

Sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration,
this model uses innovations to shorten the
project delivery process, enhance safety, and improve transportation.

Tools, Readings, and Submittal

All the tools, books, and articles recommended by the Office of Process Improvement
regarding process improvements, change management, and lean.

Internship Program

Information about current and former Office of Process Improvement Interns.

Recognition, Awards, and Testimonials

Testimonials

Improvement of the Week

Click here to see some of the improvements people have implemented at CDOT.

Contacts

Contact the Office of Process Improvements

Glossary

Need definitions?

Partner Sites and Resources

Information and resources from other public sector organizations.

Everyone, Every Day,
Improving Every Process and Every Product,
To Benefit Every Customer

Strategy

Performance Plan

performance plan

Lean Everyday Ideas

lean everyday ideas

Change Management

At CDOT, we are improving our operations so we can deliver excellent services and products to all our customers. We are working to engage everyone, every day at CDOT to make government services more effective, efficient and elegant. This is crucial for fulfilling CDOT's Mission:
"To provide the best multi-modal transportation system for Colorado that most effectively and safely moves people, goods, and information"
One of CDOT's top six multi-year priorities is to "improve business processes for better customer service and efficiency." However, that improvement does not happen magically; it requires focusing on key issues and working systematically to resolve those issues. To do that, CDOT applies continuous improvement tools and techniques, many of which were pioneered in the private sector. This includes the principles and practices of Lean innovation and improvement.
How We Improve Processes, Products, and Services
The Office of Process Improvement (OPI) exists to help everyone within CDOT improve their work and build a culture of continuous improvement where every new idea is valued, tested, implemented, and shared across CDOT. There are several different avenues CDOT employees use to improve processes, products, and services, including:

Cross-Functional Improvements.

Some of our improvement efforts focus on larger, cross-functional processes that improve larger processes and may involve several groups within CDOT. Such improvements aim to improve CDOT’s business practices, for better customer service and efficiency. Larger cross-functional improvements involve people from across CDOT to collaboratively analyze and problem-solve new solutions that reduce waste and add value.
Many improvements incorporate information technology (IT) to enhance how we work. IT is a powerful tool for improving our business, enhancing customer service, and reducing the cost of government. CDOT frequently partners with the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) to make CDOT's processes more effective, efficient and elegant.

Lean Everyday Ideas.

Everyone at CDOT is encouraged to identify opportunities to make improvements to their workplaces and work processes, every day. These Lean Everyday Ideas (LEI) are innovations and improvements where one person (or a small group of people) will: identify a problem or opportunity; develop an innovative way of doing something better to solve that problem or seize upon that opportunity; implement the improvement, and let others know about it so that they can "borrow" the innovation, too! These innovations and ideas are the embodiment of "everyone, every day, improving every process and every product, to benefit every customer."

In 2018, the LEI Program was named a Top 25 program for the Innovation in American Government Award by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University!

Change Management

CDOT’s ability to save lives, make people’s lives better and positively impact Colorado’s economy relies heavily on its employees responding quickly to change as it relates to their work. By addressing the people side of change, CDOT equips and empowers our internal customers so that everyone is successful with change.