BC Municipality

Continuous Improvement: Streamlining Development Services for a Growing Community

To support new provincial housing targets and address internal inefficiencies, a municipal government engaged Berlineaton in late 2023 to lead a two-phase Continuous Improvement initiative focused on streamlining the approval process for development applications and building permits. Through process mapping, collaborative redesign workshops, and targeted change management planning, the initiative clarified roles, reduced workflow complexity, and equipped staff with tools to sustain long-term improvements. The result: faster, more transparent, and more collaborative permit approvals that better serve both staff and the public.

Key Team Members

Ri
Richard Eaton
Cathryn Chase

A Profound Experience

Municipalities across the province are under pressure to meet housing targets while navigating increasingly complex development processes. One municipality took a proactive step towards streamlining development services by launching a Continuous Improvement initiative focused on key service areas, building inspections, engineering, planning, and parks. Fragmented workflows, paper-based processes, unclear accountabilities, and communication gaps were slowing approvals and frustrating both staff and applicants. Berlineaton was brought in to help streamline these processes, align internal teams, and deliver a more efficient development experience.

Practical Solutions

Working closely with an executive steering committee and frontline, cross-functional Design Team, Berlineaton applied its Continuous Improvement methodology to facilitate broad and inclusive engagement and collaboration. Key components of the initiative included:

  • A comprehensive review of current development and permit approval processes
  • Four two-day redesign workshops with a cross-departmental design team
  • Development of change management, implementation, and communication plans
  • Creation of practical tools—such as route cards—to support collaboration and accountability

Process mapping uncovered over 100 steps in the original workflows. Through the redesign process used for streamlining development services, they were narrowed down to 26 clearly defined steps, each with assigned roles and quality standards. Since our engagement, the process has moved from being fully paper-based to fully digital over the course of a year.

Bolder Futures:

The impact of the initiative has been significant. Internal teams now have a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities, more efficient workflows, and better communication practices. The newly formed staff-led project team will steward ongoing improvements, ensuring sustainability beyond the initial engagement. With strong change management plans in place and tools to guide day-to-day collaboration, the municipality is well-positioned to meet its housing targets, and serve its growing community with greater clarity and efficiency.

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Collaborative
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    Richard Eaton

    CD, BA, MA (Leadership) FCMC, ACC
    Adventurer, Process Whisperer, Force of Nature.

    Richard Eaton is a founding partner of Berlineaton with over 30 years’ management consulting experience, and has engaged with more than 10,000 individuals across hundreds of assignments in a wide variety of sectors. Richard holds a Master’s in Leadership and Training, is a Six Sigma Black Belt, a Fellow Certified Management Consultant, and an Associate Certified Coach. He is also certified as a Boss Whisperer, specializing in coaching abrasive leaders.

    A skilled leader, Richard has successfully mentored and developed a highly effective team of Berlineaton consulting professionals who expertly reflect the Berlineaton brand. He has also supported clients with both provincial and national level projects recognized for realizing measurable impact, innovation, and service excellence. Richard is a firm believer that truly transformative results arise when visionary leaders empower front-line teams to take ownership, innovate, and drive inspiring, strategic outcomes that resonate across organizations, sectors and time.

    Richard served for over 40 years in the British and Canadian armies as an Infantry Officer, with training from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Canada’s Combat Training Centre. He’s qualified as a Paratrooper with 200+ jumps, is an All Arms Commando and a Military Ski Instructor, and is a veteran of counter-insurgency operations in Northern Ireland. His honours include the Canadian Forces Decoration, with two bars, and the General Service Medal – Northern Ireland.

    An avid outdoorsman, Richard particularly enjoys sea kayaking and mountaineering. Having summited peaks like Mt Kilimanjaro (19,000+ft) and Mt Rainier, his future goals include breaking the 20,000 ft mark. He is a proud father of two adolescent children and is deeply devoted to his long-time partner Shelly Berlin, as well as two spoiled Burmese housecats.

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    Cathryn Chase

    BA, MMgmt, CMC
    Interpreter, Pathfinder, Wordsmith.

    Cathryn is a Senior Consultant with Berlineaton. She approaches all her work with curiosity, dedication and an analytical eye.

    As a Senior Consultant, Cathryn leads and supports projects across all of Berlineaton’s practice areas with a particular focus on public sector work. She is skilled at deriving insights from data, and helping clients translate complex information into usable and effective solutions. She loves applying her skills, experience, and penchant for problem solving to help empower her clients and create sustainable business solutions.

    Cathryn holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from UBC, as well as a Master’s of Management from UBC’s Sauder School of Business. She also has a Lean Six-Sigma Yellow Belt, and is working towards becoming a Certified Management Consultant.

    Outside the office, you can find her spending time with her partner, Sander and retired sled dog, Clyde, swimming with the Victoria Masters Swim Club, and enjoying the outdoors with friends and family.