Case Study
Process Analysis at the Somerset Waste Partnership 2006
Quantifying the actual current and potential future ‘client’ operational resources, and identifying operational issues and best practices.
Client: Somerset Waste Partnership
Industry: Local Government
Summary
This forward waste partnership is integrating the current waste collection responsibilities of 5 District Councils and the waste disposal responsibilities of the County Council into a single organisation together with the re-tendering of multiple waste contracts into a single long term contract.
WCG were retained to analyse the existing waste management processes within the 6 partner councils. The objectives were to quantify the actual current and potential future ‘client’ operational resources, and to identify operational issues and best practices.
Activities
The project used the initial stages of the WCG’s
Business Process Methodology:
1. Creating an Inventory of Processes
2. Creating a One Box Process Diagram to scope each process
3. Creating a Six Box Process Diagram with volumes and approximately 6 high level activities with staff resources required to undertake each activity
4. Capturing current Issues and Best Practices
5. Analysing the data using a computer model
6. Scenario Analysis to predict likely future resourcing requirements with an integrated organisation
7. Reporting on the findings and conclusions
8. Additional Strategic Options Analysis.
Benefits Realised
The Partnership were able to quickly identify and compare key information that was input into the partnership business case and in the formulation of the tender document:
- the level of resources used by functional area across the participating local authorities
- the level of resources used for the same process across the participating local authorities, both in total and at a unit level
- where best practices led to the most efficient methods and good customer service
- which processes should be undertaken by the new partnership and the likely volumes
- the likely level of resources required for those processes
- the total level of resources required, including the manpower cost, and the best organisational structure
- the exploration of different scenarios.
Additionally the analysis highlighted strategic issues surrounding how customer services could be managed across the participating local authorities, and the extent to which business rules needed to be harmonised. Thus the partnership was able to address at a political level key fundamental business issues at an early stage.