The state Department of Transportation has become only the third South Dakota based entity to be recognized by the Performance Excellence Network for efforts to continually improve service.
PEN president and CEO Brian Lassiter says DOT was awarded the 2017 Performance Excellence Award.
Secretary of the SDDOT Darin Berquist says his department has been working with PEN since 2011 to improve the quality of services the Department offers.
Lassiter says the state Department of Transportation filled out an extensive application to earn the Performance Excellence Award.
Berquist most changes made because of what they learned during the evaluation likely won’t be noticed by the public.
The SDDOT receives the “Advancement Level” of recognition, which is the second of four levels given by PEN. There have been 138 organizations recognized since 1991 by the PEN program. The other two South Dakota based entities that have earned the Performance Excellence Award are Avera Sacred Heart in Yankton in 2011 and the SD National Guard in 2014 and 2016.
Baldrige is a 30-year-old federal agency managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce and exists to facilitate continuous improvement and performance excellence throughout the country; PEN is the regional Baldrige-based program serving organizations in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota. All types of organizations – businesses, hospitals, schools, nonprofits, and governmental agencies – use the Baldrige Framework to identify and prioritize improvement opportunities, focus energy, optimize resources, and improve outcomes.
