Running a department is fundamentally similar to growing a garden, says Brian Ziegler, Public Works director for Pierce County, Washington. It takes the right tools and groundwork to produce beneficial results.When Ziegler took his position in 2003 he decided that rather than be a graveyard, his department would become a garden. A professional engineer with 26 years’ experience in state government, he brought a strong emphasis on total quality management (TQM). The methodology would be new for the Pierce County DPW, which employs more than 650, with the largest group reporting under the Sewer Division.In his overall assessment, Ziegler saw
