Saint-Augustin:
the first ISO city in the world !

by Denis St-Gelais

 
Accredited ISO-9001 in 1995, Saint-Augustin de Desmaures, a town of the Québec Urban Community, was until the Fall of 1996 the only city in the world to be a member of the International Standards Organization's (ISO) program. Manningham, Australia became the second. This very strict quality and service control system has compelled city authorities to adopt a new way of managing public funds. What is left of this world premiere after two years of implementation?

The members of this quality management system, whose head office is in Geneva, are bound to apply the norms prescribed in the program to which they adhere, ISO 9001 being the most demanding program. Any member of such an organization must follow the prescribed norms, document operating procedures, establish the proper implementation structures and accept the frequent controls performed by the organization's registrar. "This means that you have to say what you do, do what you say and prove it", summarizes Robert Doré, Service Quality Coordinator, City of Saint-Augustin.

For Saint-Augustin, the implementation of ISO 9001 required a review of the working system in order to put the city services in tune with the needs of the citizens. "With the advent of the ISO 9001 program, the needs of the public servants are no longer the city's top priority. We have now centered our preoccupations around the needs of our citizens, industries, businesses and school institutions", adds Robert Doré. Saint-Augustin now thoroughly manages the quality of the services offered to the population since this is prescribed in the ISO norms. This particular form of management is reflected in the working methods which are submitted to a process of continued improvement. For instance, at the office for the issuing of urban service permits, the emphasis was put on issuance swiftness since, after having been consulted, Saint-Augustin's citizens said they wanted this problem to be given top priority. Thus, in the past, a permit was released after 12 days. The delay has now been cut to 7 days!

Implementing ISO-9001 also had a significant impact on the employer/working union relationship. "Restructuring working methods drew both parties closer and compelled them to continuously invest time and effort to preserve this system. Moreover, two collective bargaining agreements were negotiated since the program has been in force. Negotiations went well, for the two parties downplayed their own interests to favour the public good", says Robert Doré who adds: "The program applies to labour relations as much as to interpersonal relations".

 In 1996, the city won a prize of excellence for public administration. "Saint-Augustin's mayor, Denis Côte, comes from and still works in the private sector. In his mind, a city must be run like a business. After having declared that the city would adhere to a quality management system, he became the laughing stock of the region's mayors. Nevertheless, the average rate of approval for most of the city's services stands at a proud 85%. Our goal for the future is to increase this rate by a minimum of 5%", admits Robert Côté.

Oddly enough, the other towns which are part of Region 03 do not seem in a hurry to join the program although they have voiced their interest. "Most of the towns in Québec still practice a form of management that does not serve the citizens' best interests. City authorities gather information but they are not yet ready to make the big move", Doré confirms.

Interest for the ISO program is mostly felt across the border. "Cities like Seattle and Washington sent officials to Saint-Augustin to see how they could apply this program at home. The Los Angeles Police Department even paid us a visit. In June 1996, the city of Calgary sent observers to see if the program could become part of its current structure.

A city, which employs no less than 10 000 public servants, was not afraid of taking advice from a city that employs less than 100 people ! Europe has also shown interest. A certain number of European firms get in touch with city authorities when they contemplate the possibility of establishing a branch in Québec. Such an interest obviously has an important impact on the well-being of the city's industrial park. These enterprises are not solely benevolent towards us because of the ISO system but no one will deny that it is an incentive", says Robert Doré.

In Doré's opinion, the ISO 9001 program is a concrete system. "The old philosophy of total quality was artificial. For its part, the ISO system is real, durable and its relevance is confirmed yearly. In the future, it will become increasingly essential to join in the program. Just think about the firm Louis Garneau who was compelled to become a member of ISO to be able to sell bicycle helmets in Italy!"

"ISO is a flexible and simple system that is written in an 8 page booklet. In Saint-Augustin, ISO has proved its effectiveness: guaranteed services to citizens, reduced tax levels and improved quality of living for which the approval rate went from 93% in 1994 to 96% in 1996. We rest our case!", Robert Doré concludes.