We needed to be able to objectively assess public services staffing needs at 21 locations based on the time required to complete the actual work.

The development of a method to assess public services staffing needs based on actual work data. A tool/formula was developed for assessing total public service staffing needs at all locations based on non-management circulation and information work.

A team of CML staff identified all public services tasks, developed a work load analysis tool and with the input from all locations, collected data on time required to accomplish each task. A complex and comprehensive spreadsheet was generated that tallied all the work for each location, calculated how much time was required to complete that work and then how many FTE was needed to complete all the work combined. This provided the ability to analyze each location to see if it were “right sized” in terms of FTE. It also highlighted the percentage of total staff time needed for specific tasks, providing the ability to target specific tasks for improved efficiency. This tool was central to decision making in deleting positions through attrition, transferring staff from one location to another based on staffing needs and developing targeted and more efficient youth services programming. The tool itself is in continuous development and refinement.