Transforming Planning Operations for a Top-20 Fastest Growing City in the U.S.

The Challenge

A rapidly growing municipality was experiencing significant strain on its Planning Department as development activity accelerated. Population growth, increased permitting demand, and heightened expectations from developers and stakeholders were outpacing the department’s existing capacity and operating model. Despite efforts to modernize, internal structures, workflows, and systems had not evolved at the same pace as external demand. The result was longer approval timelines, inconsistent processes, and growing pressure on staff.

The department operated with limited staffing relative to peer cities, lacked clearly defined service-level expectations, and relied on fragmented workflows with multiple handoffs and redundancies. At the same time, leadership was introducing new technology platforms but lacked clarity on how to align people, processes, and systems for success. Without a clear path forward, the organization risked declining service quality, continued inefficiencies, and challenges sustaining growth. Leadership sought a comprehensive assessment to identify root causes, prioritize improvements, and position the department for long-term success.

Our Approach

Thrivence conducted a 10-week, mixed-methods operational and organizational assessment, designed to provide a holistic and data-driven view of the department.

• 10 leadership interviews and 6 focus groups
• Internal and external surveys with a 92% response rate
• Reviewed 100+ documents including workflows, org structures, and performance data
• Established a fact-based baseline across operations and staffing
• Facilitated a full-day workshop to map end-to-end workflows
• Identified redundancies, bottlenecks, and unclear handoffs
• Compared against 9 high-growth municipalities
• Established staffing benchmarks, service standards, and structural best practices

Value Delivered

Comprehensive Operational Visibility

• Identified fragmented workflows, redundant review steps, and lack of service-level agreements

Organizational Clarity & Staffing Insights

• Benchmarked staffing levels against peer cities, revealing capacity gaps
• Recommended structural changes, including new roles and improved spans of control

Leadership Alignment & Culture Insights

• Identified drivers of low morale and turnover, with actionable recommendations

Actionable Transformation Roadmap

• Delivered a phased 24-month implementation plan aligned to City priorities
• Included quick wins, mid-term improvements, and long-term structural changes

Quantified Impact Opportunities

• Projected 30–40% reduction in approval timelines through workflow improvements
• Identified process changes already capable of saving ~60 days per project in certain cases

Foundation for Sustainable Growth

• Equipped leadership with clear diagnostics, benchmarks, and prioritized actions
• Positioned the department to scale operations, improve service delivery, and support continued city growth