Strategic Planning

Reviewing a Local Authority’s Strategy and Performance Teams to Create Efficiencies and Drive Improvement

‘Isos Partnership helped us address and explore some tricky issues analytically and consensually. They worked with Council staff and managers collaboratively to ensure ownership of recommendations.’

What did we do?

Isos Partnership was asked to analyse the capacity devoted to working on strategy, policy and performance functions across a local authority and make recommendations for how these functions could be delivered more efficiently. An important question for the review team, and the council, was how to achieve the right balance between a strong strategic centre, and devolved decision-making and performance management in individual directorates.

To complete this project, we carried out a mapping exercise, based on interactive workshops and meetings, of all teams working on strategy, policy and performance functions and developed a high level analysis of time spent across the main areas of responsibility. We also analysed the key processes which underpinned these functions and considered how they could be made more streamlined and efficient. We worked with a group of officers from across the authority to build consensus around likely recommendations, and led members of the group in a series of study visits to other local authorities to investigate comparable models and costs. Finally, we reviewed costs in each directorate of the local authority and analysed the opportunities for efficiencies by removing duplication and promoting more integrated working.

What difference did we make?

We presented a series of recommendations to the Chief Executive and his senior team which were designed to develop a strategy and performance function within the council capable of generating a stronger dialogue and intelligence around value for money, while at the same time saving between 10% and 15% of the costs of the service. These recommendations are now being taken forward as part of the council's wider programme of restructuring.

What did the client say about our work?

‘Isos Partnership helped us address and explore some tricky issues analytically and consensually.  They worked with Council staff and managers collaboratively to ensure ownership of recommendations, many of which have now been implemented with consequent savings and benefits to the Council.’