RNR Consulting was engaged to perform a Workflow Analysis of the public housing procedures in the Applications Office at the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA). Preparation of required “As-Is” process maps, detailing the application, transfer, and leasing functions, was accomplished through a research approach including both interviewing and shadowing key personnel involved in the application processes. The research also required RNR Consulting to review the forms utilized throughout the application process. The forms evaluation described the purpose of each form, the users of each form, and when and how each form was used during the process. The results of these activities were then utilized to evaluate the dynamics of the Applications Office. After the creation of the “As-Is” process maps, RNR Consulting pinpointed the bottlenecks and redundancies of the processes used by the Applications Office at CMHA. Furthermore, the process maps indicated an approximate timeline for completion of each phase in the process.

The creation and analysis of the “As-Is” process maps concluded that the applications, leasing, and transfer processes contained many redundancies and were very manual in nature. Inordinate amounts of time were being spent on documents flowing from one person to another, sending letters to applicants, filing, and verifications. Due to the abundance of paperwork and manual transactions, the margin for error was extremely high. Additionally, staff members were spending an excessive amount of time on unproductive and non-job related tasks. RNR Consulting recommended implementing an automated process that would reduce the amount of paperwork and manual transactions, thus decreasing the likelihood of errors, the amount of time it took applicants to secure needed housing and ultimately, decreased the length of the waiting-lists.