Executive Order No. 3-79 (No. 04-17) [Program to Improve Vermont Outcomes Together (PIVOT)]
WHEREAS, Vermonters deserve a modern government that provides efficient and effective
services and programs that produce results now and into the future; and
WHEREAS, continuous improvement is both a culture to be adopted, as well as a toolbox
that includes proven results and process improvement tools such as Lean and Results-Based
Accountability; and
WHEREAS, continuous improvement should be driven by strategic outcomes (goals) contained
in a living Strategic Plan; and
WHEREAS, said strategic outcomes should be monitored by using results-based indicators
and programmatic performance measures to inform the level of success in achieving
the strategic outcomes; and
WHEREAS, tools such as Lean should be used for process improvement by focusing on
customer value-added activities, elimination of unnecessary steps and bottlenecks,
and build capacity in programs and activities; and
WHEREAS, the Governor has created, by separate Executive Order, the Government Modernization
and Efficiency Team, a dedicated team of State operational professionals and business
and technology leaders to enable the Governor to benefit from both public and private
sector experience in successfully implementing modernization changes.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Philip B. Scott, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor
of the State of Vermont, do hereby order and direct the following:
(a) Attend executive branch appointing authority Boot-Camp developed and directed by the
Chief Performance Officer;
(b) No later than July 1, 2017, develop a multi-year State Strategic Plan, in consultation
with the Governmental Modernization and Efficiency Team (GMET), with consideration
for the existing outcomes in 3 V.S.A. § 2311;
(c) Assign Agency and Department staff to participate in an internal Continuous Improvement
(“CI”) team;
(d) Assign a team lead for consideration as a participant in a statewide Continuous Improvement
Steering Committee to be chaired by the Chief Performance Officer;
(e) Select and instruct CI team members to attend Lean White and Yellow Belt training,
and Green belt training where deemed necessary;
(f) Instruct business managers and staff to attend Programmatic Budget training, and thereafter:
(1) All Agency Secretaries, Department Commissioners, and their deputies shall:
i) No later than July 1, 2017, in consultation with the Commissioner of Finance and Management, develop a list of programs, program areas and program groups, including associated FTEs, funding, and coding;
ii) Prioritize the program list in line with the Governor’s Strategic Goals of affordability, economic growth, and protecting vulnerable Vermonters;
iii) Prioritize, in consultation with the Commissioner of Finance and Management, programs to be designated for results-based improvement and/or process improvement;
iv) Assign the CI team lead to work with the Chief Performance Officer, or designee to develop an improvement events schedule;
v) Use results-based methods and tools, such as Lean tools to develop viable changes, improvements, and action plans to achieve results and efficiency improvement;
vi) Integrate identified efficiencies and changes into programs and operations, utilizing and redeploying adding capacity, and new efficiencies attained to avoid future costs;
vii) Develop a list of future improvements requiring statutory and/or rule changes, or additional costs, for consideration;
viii) Incorporate known efficiencies and capacity building into future programmatic budgets, aligning programmatic results with the programmatic investment, and strategic outcomes;
ix) Secretaries, Commissioners, and Deputies shall report to the Governor and the GMET on a quarterly basis on the programmatic results and process improvements;
x) Secretaries, Commissioners, and Deputies shall report to the Governor annually as directed by the GMET.
(a) Make improvements to programs and processes;
(b) Suggest innovative solutions; achieve better outcomes; and
(c) Provide support training, resources and tools necessary for a broad array of employees
at all levels.
(2) A Continuous Improvement Steering Committee is established to provide guidance and
technical assistance for the PIVOT; the Committee shall be chaired by the Chief Performance
Officer and comprised of a representative number of agency and department CI team
leads.
(3) All Agency Secretaries, Department Commissioners, and their deputies shall ensure
classified State employees, middle management, and upper management have the requisite
training and knowledge and are empowered to:
(4) All Agency Secretaries, Department Commissioners, and their deputies shall encourage
participation of internal and external stakeholders to ensure that the State government
is more responsive to Vermonters.
This Executive Order shall take effect upon execution.
Dated January 5, 2017