Virginia agencies recently submitted their final reports tracking their permit process improvements under Executive Order (EO) 39. They show some impressive results! And they further demonstrate that bringing transparency to a previously opaque process leads to extraordinary improvements.

 

Five agencies on Virginia Permit Transparency (VPT) dashboard cut their processing times by 20% or more.

As I’ve written elsewhere, making a process more transparent naturally results in improvements. In the case of permit processing, agencies that participate in the VPT dashboard now have access to the data they need to pinpoint bottlenecks, roll out improvement plans, reallocate work among offices, and implement other initiatives to reduce processing times.

The results have been striking. Since VPT was fully launched last year, five participating agencies have cut their processing times by 20% or more. The chart above shows these improvements.

Three non-VPT agencies have also substantially improved their processing times.

VPT provides an enormous benefit to the public and agencies alike by showing the status of permits that involve multiple steps. Single-step permits or licenses, which include most professional licenses and dozens of other state-issued forms for permission, do not lend themselves as well to an online system using Gantt charts to show application status.

But agencies still can improve processing times for those instruments. EO 39 tasked every agency, including those that did not list their permits or licenses on VPT, with collecting detailed data on processing times and setting improvement goals. The agencies above have risen to the occasion, achieving processing time reductions comparable to those of the VPT agencies.

In the months and years ahead, Virginia agencies should continue to focus on improving processing times. For businesses and working professionals, time is money. Ensuring that they receive their permits and licenses as quickly as possible will make their lives easier, enhance market competition, and promote economic growth.