Collinson Grant

Economy and efficiency

What we do

Public services are under pressure to cut bureaucracy, boost efficiency, and direct more resources to the front line. But, before they can make the case for change, there are a lot of things they need to know. What is the enterprise doing now? How do people spend their time? Are tasks done efficiently? And do they help to fulfil the organisation’s main purpose?

How we do it

We engage the managers and staff in helping us to understand how the organisation works. This ensures that the data are robust and have the confidence of the people who will have to base important decisions on them.

Then we apply the analytical principles of 'Economy, efficiency and effectiveness'. We have been doing this in the private sector for thirty years. It has saved millions of pounds in operating costs and overheads. Now we are using it to help organisations in the public sector to cut costs, to streamline managerial structures, to axe redundant activities, and to refocus resources on productive tasks. The result is a fit and lean organisation, with more people on the front line. The tools we use include:

Process Activity Analysis - is a systematic survey of the effort spent on processes, activities and tasks. It pinpoints duplication, redundant tasks, and opportunities to cut costs
Appraisal of work content – evaluates accurately the work to be done in a set period
Work is broken down into discrete tasks and measured by the number of transactions and their duration
Comparative Analysis – reveals different productivities and working practices in units doing similar tasks. External benchmarking can also provide a guideline.

Our experience

Collinson Grant has worked in some of the largest government departments – helping to improve the efficiency of processes underpinning the delivery of essential public services. We have helped managers to improve decision-making, get a better understanding of costs and apply stretched resources more effectively. In smaller public bodies and local authorities, we have helped managers to restructure their organisations and implement radical change.