Mid-Year Mini-Conference - "You can't streamline 30%"

Ramada Park Hall Hotel, Wolverhampton April 21st 2010

With massively reduced budgets, 'streamlining' processes cannot deliver major efficiencies - radical transformation is needed, aimed at the virtuous circle of improved services, enhanced work-life and lower operational costs.

The problems encountered by centralised initiatives such as the Integrated Children’s System is a vivid example of the failure of command-and-control (targets, inspection, micro-management).  Far from improving children’s safety, risks have been increased, staff are stressed and frustrated and have less time to devote to the professional task.  Many organisations have undertaken streamlining activity in a highly effective way over the last few years - but in doing so have failed to challenge the fundamental issues.  In this respect they may well have made the achievement of further substantial savings almost impossible.  On BBC television's Question Time on Thursday 4th March - an estimate of between 14% and 24% budget cut was unchallenged by the Government representative on stage, Lord Adonis.  Levels of efficiency of upto 24% cannot be squeezed from existing budgets - dramatic and radical re-engineering may well be the only solution.

Website Maintenance

The SPRINT site will be unavailable on Tuesday 9th March at 15:00 for approx 1 hour whilst routine maintenance is caried out. Apologies in advance for this disruption to se rvice.

Barrie

Ewen Locke Retires

Ewen has announced his (early) retirement from Salford City Council - with effect from the end of February 2010.  Ewen will be well known to many of you via SPRINT training, where he has supported nearly 75% of all courses or through direct contact as the BPR Manager in Salford.  Ewen was a pioneer of BPR in Salford and was instrumental in the creation and adoption of SPRINT within the council from 1999. "Escaping" at the same time will be Merlyn Reid and Ray Vet from the BPR team in Salford.  Merlyn and Ray have been massive supporters of SPRINT training over the last five years and their pragmatic wit will be missed by all.  Merlyn's ability to make sense of the most complex statistical scenario is legendary and her skills will not be replaced easily - neither will be her gift for making cakes and marmalade!  Ray's mastery of the Role Activity Diagram and his devotion to the true art of Systems' Thinking have been a great inspiration over the years! Merl, Ray and Ewen are irreplaceable and  will be massively missed in the council and in the SPRINT community - but I'm sure we will probably entice them to attend conferences to come.