Realigning a County Permitting and Enforcement Agency Around Service
Leadership Case Study
A county permitting, inspections and enforcement agency needed a clearer structure and a customer service culture to match its regulatory mission. The engagement combined an organizational assessment, a redesigned structure, and a customer service strategy with training and coaching.
Leadership experience. This engagement was delivered by a Washington, DC-based management consulting firm where Altus's founder previously served in executive leadership. We share it to show the experience our leadership brings. It is not presented as Altus Workforce Solutions contract performance. Client details are anonymized.
The challenge
The agency's structure, processes and policies had not kept pace with its regulatory and enforcement responsibilities. Role clarity, cross-functional coordination and the customer experience for residents and businesses all needed attention, and published reform recommendations were waiting to be prioritized.
The approach
- Assessment. Reviewed the full organizational structure, interviewed stakeholders, surveyed employees, and analyzed governance, internal controls and decision-making. A SWOT analysis and a gap analysis benchmarked the agency against peers.
- Structure. Designed a new organizational chart through leadership workshops, refining roles, reporting lines and functional groupings over several iterations.
- Direction. Facilitated vision and values workshops, and developed mission and vision statements aligned with the county's broader goals.
- Service strategy. Defined customer service standards and a cultural framework for service delivery, a digital communication strategy, and an implementation plan and annual operating roadmap with named roles.
- Training and coaching. Built and delivered training for new customer service staff, followed by coaching for the team and agency leadership.
The outcomes
- Clearer roles and accountability across the workforce
- Stronger leadership coordination and a more direct path to decisions
- A prioritized plan for acting on reform recommendations
- A trained customer service team with coaching support
Why it matters for Altus clients
Structure and service culture have to change together. A new organizational chart without service standards, or service training without clear roles, rarely holds. Altus brings this combined approach to agencies facing the same pressure.