Transformation Gap Analysis

The starting point in the CDW process is a simple diagnostic workshop involving elected members and staff from all levels and parts of the organisation. The material that we use as input for the workshop is based on the nationally accepted Promoting Excellent Government descriptors. These identify the twenty core elements of a successful transformation programme.

By considering the organisation in this context, all participants have the opportunity of discussing how well the organisation is addressing the fundamental issues of customer focus and what the level of ambition for improvement should be.

Community mapping: The authority maps all its communities and can identify and analyse data from any specific geographical community, interest group or community of need on demand.
Single Access strategy: The authority is developing a single access strategy for service delivery dealing with the whole customer in a joined-up way and taking full regard of user needs, current demand and new service access opportunities.
Access Channels: The authority uses an appropriate range of access channels to deliver its services underpinned by consistent service and customer care standards that are developed through continuous consultation with staff and customer feedback.
Partnership Approach: The authority uses a partnership approach, both internally and externally, to address the service needs of customers where all partnerships share the results of community analysis so they can shape joint service delivery most effectively.
Working Right First Time: The authority provides the appropriate support to ensure that any service enquiry, whether routed through staff, elected members or via a self-service channel, can be resolved 'right first time'.
Information Policy: The authority has implemented and actively operates a corporate information policy which requires that information will be 'processed once, used many times' in a joined-up way.
Access to Information: The authority ensures that all service partnership staff have accurate on-demand access to the information they need to meet customer needs.
Organisational Development: The authority is implementing a programme of organisational development that is geared to the authority’s agreed level of ambition for delivering modernised, single access service delivery.
Resolution at first point of contact: The authority operates its customer access front-line with the intention of resolving routine queries at the first point of contact and ensuring that when specialists are required handover is carried out in an integrated and timely way.
Consistent Procedures: The authority operates consistent process and information-mapping procedures throughout the organisation and all departments use these to describe work flow and information flows to and from the front desk to meet their service objectives.
Single Access: The authority is developing a single access approach backed by systems that manage all dealings with the customer and take full regard of user needs, current demand and new service access opportunities.
Corporate ICT: The authority is developing its ICT infrastructure as a corporate asset that is underpinned by consistent service and customer care standards.
Integrated Performance Monitoring: The authority analyses its information usage and its internal systems traffic together with its service performance data to provide a continuous integrated review of its overall service performance.
Investment in Infrastructure: The authority is investing in its ICT infrastructure and tools in order to support joined-up working between its service-delivery providers and its customer-facing front-line access channels.
Business Planning Methodology: A single business planning methodology is used within the council to underpin all development decisions which impact on service delivery and to provide a baseline for the evaluation of change.
Customer Focussed Planning: Plans for service improvement are developed with input from customers, staff, members and managers and are presented in a consistent format which allows feedback on the options and the proposed outcomes.
Learning Organisation: The authority is becoming a 'learning organisation' through implementation of HR policies which focus on performance management, good communications, training, evaluation and strong consultation processes.
Managing Partnerships: Each partnership, internal or external, has a management structure that provides clear leadership, allocates individual responsibilities and defines where accountability lies.
Workforce Development: The authority regularly reviews the competency needs of the staff delivering its access to service strategy and ensures that recruitment, training and career development practices build a suitably skilled and well motivated workforce.
Focus on Outcomes: The council uses service outcome measures to set performance targets and to evaluate the performance of staff, service teams and their managers at all levels.

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Contact Angus Doulton of CDW by phone on 01869 350559 or email to angus@cdwassociates.co.uk