Both councils were interested in using a Rapid Improvement Workshop (RIW) approach for this project. The objective of a RIW is to conduct the diagnostic, the new process design and the implementation in an intensive period (with many changes delivered within a 1-week workshop) – thereby delivering improvements and benefits much more quickly. For those improvements that cannot be immediately delivered during the RIW, the team are left with a detailed 1-week, 1-month or 3-month action plan.
Ad Esse developed a bespoke RIW to address the Councils’ joint situation; it contained a mix of Lean Systems Thinking, Strategy and Transformation. The new process design part involved the application of creative thinking and Lean innovation to ensure a transformational improvement was made (and not simply an exercise in removing wastes). Based on the ‘current state’ analysis, the team developed several unbounded ‘ideal state’ designs for the new shared service regeneration process.