Client Success Story

Delivering Performance Improvement

Background

Our client, a major UK Insurer, had recently implemented new systems and reorganised their operations. However, neither of these changes had yielded the expected benefits leading to deterioration in service and higher costs. Our client had made good progress in operations management and wished to build on their achievements creating and embedding a culture of continuous improvement.

The Challenge

Critical to the success of the project was the need for both management and staff to be fully engaged and empowered to identify and action changes to make a difference from day one. Furthermore, our client required a return on any investment within three months.

The Solution

The Huntswood approach was based around week long improvement sessions. The sessions kicked off with a two day interactive simulation followed up by a three day coaching in the workplace improvement programme.

The interactive simulation was tailored specifically for the client and included both the performance improvement tools and the change management skills necessary to deliver a step change in performance whilst embedding continuous improvement.

Following on from each simulation the strongest delegates spent three days with a Huntswood performance improvement coach solving a real business problem in the workplace, using the lean and six sigma techniques acquired during the simulation.

The Result

Over the course of the week, the delegates identified business process improvement opportunities leading to annualised efficiency savings of over 3,500 hours and an increase in production capacity of 15%.

In addition our client’s staff found it highly motivating to take control and improve the workplace, adding intangible benefits to the quantifiable improvements outlined above.

Huntswood’s View

Too often companies believe that to improve efficiency they must invest heavily in IT. Our experience demonstrates that if staff are given the tools, techniques and the authority to identify and resolve issues the speed of improvement and payback are counted in days and weeks rather than months and years.

Empowering the process users to identify and implement step changes in performance using robust, yet simple tools leads to significant business benefits fast.