SNOW & ICE MANAGEMENT Looking Back to See a Vision Forward by Phill Sexton • WIT Companies , LLC
How many times do we say to ourselves , “ I need to write down all the things we need to improve on for the next snow season ”?
Then ‘ SPRING HAPPENS .’ Then we get to the Fourth of July and we deserve a vacation . Then ‘ FALL HAPPENS .’
Before you know it , we are back to the same insanity cycle of last-minute planning for snow , just like we did for the last few years . Perhaps it ’ s always felt that way .
Keep it Simple Silly ( KISS ) Use a white board in the shop and invite key stakeholders of the operation including crewmembers , field supervisors , operations managers , and office managers / administrators to write down their thoughts .
Focus on 4 Key Categories TEAM , CLIENTS , ASSETS , and YOU . Like a SWOT analysis template , draw four quadrants ( one for each category ) where you identify : A . The Problem , and B . The Solutions or Actions due out
Continuous improvements are more likely to become reality when they are process led .
Implement a pre-storm , post storm , post season review process that is consistently followed . I know from personal experience that our WIT Collaborative companies are experiencing positive results when they practice the following Sustainable Winter Management ( SWiM ®) guided process .
Make a List of Clear Actions Include only one person responsible for carrying out an action and a deadline for completion . Make sure only one person owns the action so they are held accountable . ❖
Phill Sexton is a 30 + year veteran of the landscape and winter management industries . You can contact Phill at psexton @ witadvisers . com . His website is witadvisors . com .
Example of Post Snow Season Review Process ( from whiteboard to actions due out ).
MLP Newsline | Summer 2021 17