The National Association for Court Management released a mini-guide for courts titled “Steps to Reengineering: Fundamental Rethinking for High-Performing Courts.” The guide presents five case studies from courts that developed a process for changing how they can perform their core functions more efficiently. The studies were conducted by the Superior Court of California, Orange County; the Scottsdale City Court, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Minnesota’s Eighth Judicial District; Lake County, Ill., General Jurisdiction Court; and the State of Vermont Commission on Judicial Operation.
The approaches each court took to improving efficiency and cost-effectiveness varied greatly and, in most cases, included a continued involvement from all staff, both in creating and providing ideas that would work and in producing results that impelled change. Each of the courts undertook the projects between 2009 and 2010. In all cases, the courts cited the downturn in economic conditions as one of the reasons for tackling such a complex process.
The guide includes references to additional materials for courts interested in considering such a change.
