CLG

The Challenge

• The Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) was seeking to transform the way that it works as an organisation, which involves changing its image, culture and the way that it does business
  
• It is seeking to be more customer focused, to be "good to do business with", to lead its agenda and to improve the skills mix of its staff in terms of PSG competencies

The Solution

• Working alongside the Director General of Transformation, WCL have implemented a portfolio trajectory approach to managing change. This ensures that the client is aware of what is leading to change, what is having an effect and when
  
• This means that not only can the client measure "are we doing things right" (meeting milestones, delivering projects etc.) but also "are we doing the right things?" Given the particular challenges of implementing change in the public sector, this approach is valuable in ensuring that change actually happens, rather than simply the change programme
  
• WCL have helped to plan and organise this change within CLG, but we firmly believe that leadership must come from within an organisation that wishes to change
  
• We have provided coaching and expertise to the client to ensure that they have the vision and confidence to deliver the organisation that they want

The Results

• The transformation programme in CLG, which commenced in October, is still in its infancy, however there are already encouraging results
  
• CLG are using a WCL survey to baseline awareness of the change programme (with an impressive 98% of senior civil servants aware)
  

"The approach they took was both pragmatic and simple and ensured that we remained focused on the programme aims at all times"

DCSF - The Bridge

The Challenge

WCL worked with Ralph Tabberer, Director of the DCSF's Schools Directorate, and the School Performance Unit to develop a unique IT-enabled operations space and outcome based performance management framework called 'The Bridge. The Bridge is now a highly acclaimed innovation space providing an invaluable resource for Department colleagues and delivery partners to collabprate in the development of key policy initiatives, while providing the directorate's management team with performance monitoring data and allowing individual policy teams access to a creative and innovative problem solving environment. 

The Solution

WCL worked with Ralph Tabberer, Director of the DCSF's Schools Directorate, and the School Performance Unit to develop a unique IT-enabled operations space and outcome based performance management framework called 'The Bridge. The Bridge is now a highly acclaimed innovation space providing an invaluable resource for Department colleagues and delivery partners to collabprate in the development of key policy initiatives, while providing the directorate's management team with performance monitoring data and allowing individual policy teams access to a creative and innovative problem solving environment.

The Results

The Bridge is now a corporate resource, used across the whole Department and beyond. It has sharpened the department's focus on performance and delivery. It has caused a noise across Whitehall and wider. Departments including the Department of Communities and Local Government, the Home Office and the Cabinet Office have visited the site, and a number of Local Authorities also showing interest in setting up similar operational facilities to The Bridge. After visiting The Bridge, a Cabinet Office colleague said "It's the best use of knowledge and information I've seen across Whitehall". For the work they have done on The Bridge, the School Performance Unit won the Strategic Use and Analysis of Data award at the 2007 Civil Service Awards. 

 "The WCL people are excellent and are some of the best people I’ve worked with. From high level engagement to the detailed stuff these guys are fantastic”

Home Office - Strategy and Policy Team (SPT)

The Challenge

The main role of the Strategic Policy Team (SPT) is to support Ministers and the Board in setting overall strategy, and make the Department work more strategically. SPT have a Strategic Policy Network, which brings together key Directors from across the Home Office.
SPT were looking for an organisation to supply the necessary skills, capabilities and expertise to support them in the development of the new Home Office corporate strategy and review key areas of policy.

The Solution

• WCL were selected and provided support via two consultants over a 4 month period.
  
• The areas where WCL provided input, support and advice including the following:
  
• Development of the Home Office Strategy
  
• Business planning and driving strategic change
  
• Testing and refining of strategic messages
  
• Facilitation of new business strategies and strategic risk evaluations
  
• Design of facilitation processes for Board and Ministerial strategic meetings
  
• Design and facilitation of Home Office Strategy Room content and processes
  
• Transferring knowledge to SPT staff
  

The Results

The new Home Office Strategy was successfully launched
A number of skills transfer sessions took place in the areas of Strategic Risk, Financial Appraisal, Customer Engagement, Stakeholder Management and Cultural Assessment.

Department of Health and DfES - Bichard Vetting & Barring Scheme

The Challenge

• WCL consultants were engaged to write the business case, the procurement strategy, advise on contract management, and to help officials ensure that all commercial activity met government standards and delivered value for money. This included deliverables such as cost / benefit analysis, financial modelling and financial analysis. Due to the specialist nature of the solutions being considered, WCL recruited Project Managers with relevant skills, such as qualified Chartered Accountants, to ensure recommendations were financially sound
  
• WCL also procured on behalf of the customer a specialist Technical Design Architect to advise on specific IT procurement, IT design and policy feasibility
  
• Significant benefits to the customer come from the fact that WCL are also providing change and project management services to the project. This means that the commercial decisions of the project also take into consideration the impact on existing systems, staff and location of operations
  
• As well as linking commercial management to the strategic requirements of the project, it ensures the right links are made to policy and implementation workstrands, the wider departmental issues and cross government context of the project
  

The Results

• Demonstration of these benefits to the customer can be shown in the recent OGC Gateway 1 Review on the BVBS
  
• WCL consultants have developed such an in-depth understanding of the project and the wider cross-department and cross-government issues that they were involved in briefing of key players, including the Senior Responsible Owner, the Permanent Secretary and the Minister prior to their interviews with the OGC Review Team
  
• The Review Team were impressed with the efficient way the review was planned and managed, they commended the project team on the quality of the project documentation
  

"WCL have done an excellent job in helping shape then drive delivery of this complex and challenging cross government change programme".

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority - Complex Programme Health-check and Restructure

The Challenge

• The client is in the process of delivering a major programme, based on multiple sector reforms, predicated on and defined by white paper recommendations. The organization had commenced structuring the programme based on 19 major work strands with significant overlaps, critical interdependencies and pressing timelines
  
• Programme strands were progressing rapidly to completion of respective deliverables, with incomplete plans in a number of cases and limited visibility of progress across the programme
  

The Solution

Key areas of assessment included:

• Reviewed the respective programme strands, documentation and interviewed key personnel as the basis for a programme health-check
• Questioning and areas of coverage were undertaken on a structured basis, in a similar fashion and alignment to OGC gateway reviews
• Developed recommendations regarding programme health and structure focused primarily on the development of an overall programme plan and respective sub-programme plans

Rather than ‘black-box advisory', the entire engagement was carried out in a consultative fashion, with client stakeholders being engaged throughout the process, as a foundation to process improvement for the programme overall.

The Results

• The client has adopted the recommendations and now has a more efficient and priority-aligned structure, which is currently being implemented
  
• Two major benefits have resulted for the client, the first being a more manageable structure that provides coherence, focus and control through a stronger level of governance and programme management rigor; the second, a much greater visibility of strand activity and progress through simplified governance arrangements
  

"WCL are dedicated to helping us make the programme happen. They are not only knowledgeable about the ways of government, but were able to bring world
class best practices from the private sector which could readily be applied in Government."

Essex County Council

The Challenge

• The Chief Executive of Essex County Council wanted to build a strong cohesive unit aligned behind a shared agenda and strategy and to make sure that the organisation delivered on its stated commitments and outcomes
  
• This was to be supported and managed under a corporate wide governance and performance framework which would allow the Senior Management Board to track and measure progress
  

The Solution

• Working with the leadership team WCL helped to develop a shared leadership agenda which encompassed service strategies and the over arching strategic objectives of the Council
  
• WCL helped to build the individual solutions, offering advice, facilitation and counsel on driving the best value.
  
• WCL also carried out a twenty day assessment of Essex County Council's capability to deliver customer service and benchmarked that on forty one dimensions against eight hundred other clients using the PS-CMAT tool.
  

The Results

• The support ensured the organisation was on board with the changes and importantly that local managers were engaged with the change and the key role they will play in achieving it.
  
• The use of PS-CMAT also left the client with an invaluable benchmark and plan of what they needed to do to develop a customer centered culture.
  

Medium Sized Financial Services Organisation

The Challenge

• The client is a medium sized financial services organisation. Faced with an increasingly competitive market place, an uninspiring product set, and a channel operation which was seriously underperforming the client leadership recognised the need to fundamentally overhaul the business
  
• A full business review revealed the need to fundamentally change the operating model, the product set and core elements of the workforce
  

The Solution

• WCL consultants were engaged to work with the clients as their preferred change partner. Other high calibre consultancies had also been selected to work through other complexities such as pricing, product set and channel distribution
  
• As change partner WCL's role was to maintain the overall direction of the plan and programme with the client team, ensuring target dates were met. Additionally WCL worked with the client leadership team to review and intervene to improve the culture and operational approach
  
• This included work with managers, team members, leadership and processes to create a shift in the style of the organisation
  
• Lastly, WCL consultants played a pivotal role in radically overhauling the approach to performance and performance management, setting new standards and a change in the performance style
  

The Result

• The client has undertaken a major transformation of services, channels and business operations
  
• A new operating model is driving down cost and the product range is more competitive and better placed in the market place
  
• WCL's work has helped to ensure the client reached launch on time and within budget, and the client is in a better place for improving the approach to delivery and creating a higher performance organisation

Haringey Sixth Form Centre Development

The Challenge

WCL were engaged to project manage the first phase of a prestigious development of a new build sixth form centre in Tottenham, North London, on behalf of Learning and Skills Council (LSC) London North, Haringey Council Local Education Authority (LEA) in collaboration with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) London Challenge Unit.

The Solution

The work, which commenced early in 2004, started with a project initiation phase where project plans, structures and processes were put in place.

The main focus for the first phase centred around producing a convincing proposal to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills that it would be beneficial for students in the borough of Haringey to have a new centre replacing sixth forms in four of Haringey’s secondary schools which were not big enough to provide the breadth of learning necessary at post-16 level. The proposal, put together on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council London North, involved working with local schools, boards of governors, the College of North East London, the LSC, LEA, cost consultants and architects as well as other sixth form centres throughout the country.

The proposal focused on new governance arrangements, a mixed academic and vocational curriculum from Entry Level to Level 3+ (bridging courses to Foundation Degree Level), a radical and environmentally sound building design driven through the proposed curriculum, school 14-16 curriculum transitional arrangements and a revenue viability study.

The governance proposal used the Government’s new Power to Innovate arrangements to step outside the current restrictions on the numbers and types of governors allowed under school regulations. This meant the proposed new board of governors could be made up of more employer and business representatives as well as an increased emphasis on the views of the students themselves.

The Results

The first phase took the LSC and the LEA up to feasibility design phase. The Secretary of State for Education and Skills and the LSC National Council gave the go ahead for the STL 35 million joint-funded scheme (DfES, LSC and Haringey Council) late in 2004.

The scheme is now in the detailed design and planning stage and is on target to open to the first cohort of students in September 2007. WCL is proud to have been associated with such an important project and looks forward to Haringey having a much needed centre of excellence for both academic and vocational post-16 qualifications.

Training and Development Agency (TDA)

The Challenge

The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) is the national agency and recognised sector body responsible for the training and development of the school workforce. They face a number of challenges as they seek to modernise in preparation for their proposed relocation to Manchester in 2010.

The Solution

To date WCL’s support has included a review of the operations and staffing within their Corporate Services Directorate (CSD) including the identification of performance improvement opportunities, the design and implementation of internal SLAs, a review of contractual processes, development of a five year HR strategy and programme management support for the TDA’s proposed move to Manchester in 2010.

The Results

Through WCL support the Corporate Services Directorate of the TDA has seen a number of marked improvements in standards of customer service, consistency of delivery and improved team working across. In addition our support for the Relocation Programme has helped embed the principles of programme planning and change management as well as implement comprehensive transition planning across the TDA.