Case study

Setting the roadmap for improved efficiency and effectiveness

An evolving local council wanted to better respond to community expectations and organisational needs. Following the appointment of a new Council and structural changes across the organisation, the CEO and executive team wanted to further improve the efficiency and effectiveness in providing the best value services to their community.

A cookie cutter approach that delivered a shelf-bound report? No siree.

Our approach was selected as we:

  • Offered a transparent, iterative process. We gathered and refined the diverse ideas of the leadership group (senior leaders and managers), so that by the conclusion, leaders had agreed the Council’s practical roadmap of organisation-wide improvements.

  • Would guide those who do the work to identify and enact improvements. Given people doing the work have significant insights on the strengths, challenges and opportunities of current practices, we designed improvements with leaders and team members (rather than generating a ‘secret report’ behind closed doors).

  • Could uncover ‘whole of enterprise’ opportunities that could not be solved in silos. The work also explored the role of the leadership group in creating the conditions for ongoing improvement – naming cultural and operational barriers to adapting existing protocols and practices.

So what did we do?

Perspectiva worked with the leadership group to identify and examine a set of initiatives to improve internal efficiency and effectiveness. Opportunities were assessed against a measure of public value, and the 15 priorities included digital information and data management; functional system and process design; and capacity and capability.

The approach featured four phases:

  • Gathered data through interviews and surveys, to uncover enterprise-wide opportunities for increased efficiency and effectiveness.

  • Tested and validated findings with the executive team, getting clear on each improvement initiative (scope of the activity and high-level value chain, current state, purpose or outcome of improvement, and indicative approach for resolution).

  • Conducted three deep dive sprints through facilitated, time-bound design sessions to map value chains or service delivery blueprints, making the work, assumptions and expectations visible. The authority for decisions on improvements was defined upfront, so changes could be implemented immediately.

  • Developed 4-year improvement road map. In addition to agreeing the sequencing of improvement initiatives, the Executive Team agreed on the approach for ongoing oversight and governance of whole of enterprise improvements. The final report featured ‘good practice’ examples and success stories from similar contexts.

The leadership group noted that their different ideas and perspectives were welcomed and considered. A clear well-structured plan, and active and disciplined project management enabled the project team to stay focused, purposeful, and address risks proactively.

So what?

Reflecting on the project, one senior stakeholder noted that:

“This project was both challenging and rewarding – Rachel helped to push our organisation and our people in new and practical ways … it felt really different [to standard consulting engagements] as it was an educational experience for me, as well as a consultancy and advisory service.”

The leadership group now have a clear and agreed program of work that they will work on collectively to further improve the delivery of public value over the coming 4 years. The CEO was confident that the leadership group now have “have a useful roadmap, so that when new pressures come, we've got a compass to use as a reference point”.