As a city leader, Tommy Gonzalez started using the Baldrige Excellence Framework in 2008 to achieve operational excellence within a municipal government. In his role as manager of Irving, Texas, at that time, Gonzalez introduced the framework to improve the city’s performance in all areas. The ultimate goal, of course, was to improve the quality of life for residents.

During the next four years, propelled by the systems perspective and other core attributes of the Baldrige framework, Irving leaders examined and changed the city’s approaches to its work to build systematic processes and continuously improve them. Like those in other organizations who use the Baldrige framework in earnest, employees became more focused on customers and more capable of delivering their desired results. The city’s performance soon demonstrated how it earned national recognition with a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2012.

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