Introduction to the Vanguard Method in People Centred

Introduction to the Vanguard Method in People Centred Services Joanne Gibson Brendan O’Donovan www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

The Vanguard Method Intervention Theory Systems Theory www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

from this…. Purpose is to move the organisation to this…. Changing management thinking Command Control Thinking Top-down, hierarchy Functional specialisation Separated from work Targets, standards, service levels; Relate to budget The Vanguard Method Perspective Design Decision-making Measures Outside-in, system Demand, value and flow Integrated with work Designed against purpose; demonstrate variation Contractual Attitude to customers Contractual Attitude to suppliers Co-operation, mutuality Make #s + manage people Role of management Act on the system Extrinsic (carrot & stick) Reactive, projects, by plan Control Motivation Approach to change Ethos What matters…. . ? Intrinsic Adaptive, integral, emergent Learning www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

Measures must be derived from purpose Otherwise you’ll have a de facto purpose…. “Pay the right people the right money” Purpose “Manage the queues, meet the targets + keep the Leader happy” E 2 E time to right decision Number right decisions Measures “Max. wait 15 minutes” Method “Give out forms, take in documents, golden tickets” Find & act on causes of variation www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

How do we change our thinking? • Coercive • Rational • Normative Explanation –v. Exploration Tell me and I will forget Show me and I may remember Involve me and I will understand Attributed to Xun Kuang, Chinese Confucian philosopher 312– 230 BC www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

SYSTEMS THEORY Thinking Governs Performance Thinking Underlying Assumptions? System “See patient in 8 minutes” “Everybody seen in 4 hours” “ 13 weeks to see a consultant” Performance Consequences? www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

Change must be based on knowledge, not opinion Get knowledge: Check Make normal: How do our current assumptions affect performance? Experiment: How do we make this normal and sustainable? Do different assumptions lead to improved performance? Do Plan Without Valid Data (Check) we have assumptions about the problems. Without Experimentation (Plan) we have assumptions about the solutions. www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

The Vanguard model for ‘check’ 6 Thinking 1 What is the purpose (in customer terms)? C U S T O M E R S 5 System Conditions 4 Flow : Value work + Waste 3 Capability of response 2 Demand : T + F, V + F What matters? www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

Digging up… www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

Case Study: Housing benefits (From Seddon J and O’Donovan B, 2013, ‘The Achilles’ heel of scale service design in social security administration‘ International Social Security Review, Vol. 66, 1/2013) www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

What you learn from Check What do customers want? “Can I make a claim? ” “My circumstances have changed” www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

What’s the purpose? Pay me the right money What Matters. . ? • “I get an answer quickly so that I know whether or not I’m going to get help” • “Make it easy for me” • “Deliver payments quickly so that I don’t get hassle from my landlord or the CTax department” www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

Learning to see HB as a System “I want to claim” 34%V 66%F 64% passed back Manage queues Hand out forms Take in documents 22%V 78%F Multiple Sorts & Checks Cases fragmented Scanning/Indexing errors 44%V 56%F Handoff Sort Scan Index HO Workers’ activity ‘managed’ 1 -10 cycles to clean (ave. 4) 95% cases over-specified 20% docs. duplicated Letters unclear 87% Allocate 99% claims ‘dirty’ No case ownership CTax fragmentation HO Decide Pay 0 -152 days to pay 3% visit once HO Notify HO Inspect HO 60% errors Rework www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

Current operating principles: • • It’s ok to handover information unclean We work in functions and specialise the task It’s ok to do waste work We keep the people with expertise removed from the customer We measure activity and control our staff We check quality We decide what’s important to the customer It’s ok to ask for more information than we need www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

Questioning assumptions Exercise: Why doourmanagers What are assumptions? Thinking like targets? System Performance How do they affect the system? What are the consequences? www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd

The Vanguard Method in People Centred Services Course starting at Kingston University in May 2017 Contact office@vanguardconsult. co. uk www. vanguard-method. net © Vanguard Consulting Ltd