Excellence now ISSUE 16 FEBRUARY 2016
Making excellence a national characteristic of Scotland
Deputy First Minister John Swinney addresses Quality Scotland’s 25th Anniversary Parliamentary Reception Page 4
The Wise Group, SABE 2015 winners, on their Excellence Journey Page 8
Cutting Budgets? How Lean Six Sigma can help in the Public Sector Page 20
Data Quackery – How to make metrics, data and reports more meaningful! Page 24
Inside this issue 4
12 Page 24 Data Quackery How to make metrics, data and reports more meaningful!
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Page 26 Quality Scotland’s 25th Anniversary Calendar Forthcoming events on Lean, European Leadership Conference and Awards.
Page 27 Learning, Training & Development Calendar Details of training courses from March to June 2016.
On the cover: Deputy First Minister John Swinney addresses Quality Scotland’s 25th Anniversary Parliamentary Reception.
Page 3 Welcome Claire Ford, Chief Executive Officer
Page 4 Parliamentary Reception John Swinney MSP advocates “perpetual innovation” as key driver to economic success.
Page 6 Case Study – Sense Scotland Read about the tangible benefits Sense Scotland have achieved through achieving Recognised for Excellence.
Page 8 Case Study – The Wise Group The Wise Group SABE 2015 winners on their Excellence Journey.
Page 11 Housing Association Network New Housing Association Network launches to share best practice.
Page 12 Scottish Awards for Business Excellence 2016 Highlights forthcoming awards ceremony, profiles sponsors and sponsorship opportunities still available.
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Page 15 Private Sector Network Update Thought provoking ideas on Practical Process Improvement at the Private Sector Network Meeting.
Page 16 Adding Value for Customers Learning Journey at RBS explored new Lean programme and some customer-centric approaches.
Page 17 Cornerstone’s Learning Journey
Editorial Excellence Now is the magazine of Quality Scotland, published three times a year to promote business excellence in Scotland. Quality Scotland is a membership-based charity that promotes Business Excellence across Scotland in the private, public and third sectors with the aim of making excellence a national characteristic of Scotland. Quality Scotland is the National Partner Organisation for EFQM (European Foundation of Quality Management) in Scotland. EFQM is the most widely used business improvement framework in Europe. Published by: Quality Scotland 28 Drumsheugh Gardens Edinburgh EH3 7RN
Cornerstone on their ongoing commitment to staff development and improvement on services.
t: 0131 225 5765 info@qualityscotland.co.uk, qualityscotland.co.uk
Page 18 Helpful Tips
Editorial Team:
Top Tips for Committed to Excellence Project Validation and Assessment.
Page 20 Cutting Budgets How Lean Six Sigma can help in the Public Sector, an article by John Morgan of Catalyst Consulting.
Page 23 Public Sector Network meeting update
Elaine Sneddon elaine.sneddon@qualityscotland.co.uk Joanna Kemp joanna.kemp@qualityscotland.co.uk Designed by: Two7 Design www.two7design.co.uk Excellence Now is the copyright of Quality Scotland. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part by any means without written permission of Quality Scotland is not permitted. The publisher accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions and the editor’s decision is final. ©2016 Quality Scotland Images ©Shutterstock
Welcome Claire Ford, CEO Quality Scotland
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t Quality Scotland we are very proud to have just entered our 25th Anniversary year. As with all milestones it gives us time to reflect on our history but also push ahead with our vision for the future for both our organisation and organisations across Scotland and truly strive to “Make Excellence a National Characteristic of Scotland.” Over the last 25 years we have trained over 12,000 people across Scotland, supported over 5,000 organisations and accredited 500 organisations at a European level. We may not have achieved everything we hoped for but as a small, independent organisation with less than 20 staff I feel proud to have been part of the last 10 years of Quality Scotland’s history and, most importantly, to evidence the impact that we have had upon our member organisations across Scotland. As always, leaders are key to driving forward organisational improvement. Leaders need to drive the improvement programme within their organisation and truly lead by example in their behaviour. Being in my post as CEO for less than a year I fully appreciate that the pace of change in 2016 is incredibly quick. We all feel pressured as leaders to make an immediate impact on our organisations but how often do we do this with all the right tools and information to hand? The EFQM Excellence Model is the perfect tool for new and experienced leaders alike. Using the Model as your business tool to give you the information and holistic
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years, 5 2 t s la e th r ted a lot ove meet the ever p a d a e v a h e W to adapt to e u n ti n o c l il w bers… and m e m r u o f o s d changing nee view that you need to shape the future direction of your organisation, ensuring that you aren’t just making short-term changes but are truly building a strategy that focuses on your organisation’s longterm sustainability. In this our anniversary year we want to engage with more leaders across Scotland and discuss how we can support your challenges as we all work to make Scottish organisations stronger. A wide range of leaders from all across Scotland joined us for our Parliamentary Reception on 26th January where Deputy First Minister, John Swinney MSP spoke about business excellence not as a destination but as a journey, advocating “perpetual innovation” as the key driver to prosperity and economic improvement. We very much believe that we can make an even bigger difference across Scotland and as we look ahead we want to ensure Quality Scotland has a central place in business improvement across all sectors. We want you to think of us as a first port of call to support your organisational improvement where we can provide you with one to one support, as well as many networking, mentoring, training and European recognition opportunities. For me a major achievement will be when we don’t consistently hear of new improvement frameworks being developed with all the time, resource and
energy that that takes. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel – we have a tried and tested framework which works and is applicable to all. Challenge us to demonstrate to you how you don’t need to create something new, but can use our knowledge and the flexibility of our approach to support your organisational challenges. The true impact isn’t in developing new frameworks but in implementing and embedding key fundamental principles of excellence within your organisation regardless of sector or size. We have adapted a lot over the last 25 years, and will continue to adapt to meet the ever changing needs of our members; building relationships to gain a true understanding of your challenges and deliver a wide range of support in a very cost-effective way. I would love to hear from you in 2016, come to one of our many events or network meetings this year and hear from organisations from all sectors about how they have truly committed to sustainable excellence and you will see how you, your staff, customers and stakeholders can all reap the benefits of an excellence focussed approach. Challenge us to see how we can support your organisation with its long term success. What’s stopping you?
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Parliamentary Reception Launches Quality Scotland’s 25th Anniversary Celebrations
Speakers at the event, pictured right: Sir Andrew Cubie, Chairman Quality Scotland; Deputy First Minister John Swinney, MSP; and Richard Lyle, MSP
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Parliamentary Reception
Deputy First Minister, John Swinney congratulated Quality Scotland on our 25th Anniversary at a reception kindly sponsored by Richard Lyle MSP, and held in our honour in the Garden Lobby of the Scottish Parliament, on Tuesday 26th January. “I’d like to pass on congratulations to Quality Scotland on reaching this quarter century milestone. Scottish Government shares the aim and purpose of Quality Scotland in promoting excellence and improvement across Scotland, and is a member and supporter of their work. Over the last 25 years Quality Scotland has helped many organisations on their journey to excellence and improvement, providing them with vital training, networks and resources. On this anniversary, I would encourage all businesses and organisations to consider how they build in excellence as standard and deliver our shared purpose of making a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish.” Addressing the 100 strong audience, John Swinney MSP described business excellence not as a destination but as a journey, advocating “perpetual innovation” as the key driver to prosperity and economic improvement. “Perpetual innovation” in terms of looking at new ways to improve the way that we work he stated was important across all sectors if Scotland is to thrive. He encouraged all organisations to innovate and improve but not to reinvent the wheel but use tried and tested frameworks and tools such as the EFQM Excellence Model when engaging in improvement activities. The reception was also addressed by Richard Lyle, MSP a firm supporter of Quality Scotland and the work we do who was delighted to act as sponsor for a second time and host our special 25th Anniversary reception in the magnificent surroundings of the Garden Lobby of the Scottish Parliament. Richard welcomed guests and in his opening words said, “I want to take this opportunity to recognise the efforts of Quality Scotland in promoting business excellence across Scotland in the private, public and third sectors and in helping organisations to benchmark across Europe. There can be no denying the contribution that Quality Scotland is making to business excellence and life in Scotland.” Richard went on to say “I hope that the Scottish Government will continue to support Quality
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Scotland and other organisations like them to ensure that Scotland remains a place where organisations feel they can invest in and meet their potential. Scotland’s people thrive, when Scotland’s business and communities thrive. I hope that together we can continue to make that happen.” Earlier in the month Richard had lodged a parliamentary motion congratulating Quality Scotland and its members on our achievements which to date has had over 20 MSPs supporting it from across all political parties in the Chamber. Sir Andrew Cubie, Chairman thanked both John Swinney and Richard Lyle for their kind words and continued support, and then introduced Quality Scotland’s newly released 25th Anniversary video featuring Claire Ford CEO with some member testimonials. He then proceeded to give an account of how far Quality Scotland had come even in the last 10 years since he became Chairman and thanked the audience made up of current and previous Chief Executives, members, partners, staff and alumni for their contribution to the evening and for their support over the last 25 years. Everyone in the room appeared to enjoy both the formal and informal parts of the evening taking the opportunity to network and share experiences on how EFQM has transformed their organisations and them as individuals for the better – “sharing what works” in true EFQM style.
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Recognised for Excellence, 3 star, June 2014
Sustaining outstanding results by adding value for customers Sense Scotland supports over 1,000 children, young people and adults who have communication support needs across Scotland.
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e believe people should have a choice in how they live their lives and provide support throughout Scotland for people to be active and independent. We offer a range of services from support with regular daily activities to advice, information and short breaks. We have developed many added value services such as our Parent Enabler Project and One Giant Leap which supports young people making the transition from school to adult life, and we work in partnerships with other organisations across Scotland, Europe and worldwide supporting and promoting communication development, Outdoor Activities and Arts. Why R4E? Sense Scotland believes in EFQM as a sound framework to guide our business model. Having achieved Committed to Excellence in 2011, we felt ready to meet the challenging criteria required by the R4E award. Our Journey Sense Scotland has always been committed to offering quality services to the people we support, their families and carers and our other partners. As a social care provider, we are already assessed against models
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which measure the quality of the care and support we provide, while the EFQM model offers a framework to assure the quality of our business model. We promoted the EFQM model throughout the organisation, ensuring that everyone knew what was going on and felt that they were a part of the process. This really helped people to see how their efforts worked towards the goals of the organisation. The award has meant that people can see clear evidence of our commitment to continuous improvement and quality. It also recognises the staff team who work tirelessly to provide an exceptional service to the people we support and their families and carers. Future plans We are already preparing our second R4E submission. We have used our feedback from assessors to create an action plan to improve and hone our business model. We have prioritised some areas and will continue to assess and develop the way we do things to ensure that we give the people we support sustainable, added value services, delivered where, when and how they want them.
Sense Scotland Case Study
The Benefits
Customer satisfaction with leadership and management 95% in 2014-15 Satisfaction with staffing 97% Satisfaction with service 99% Quality Assurance Programme increases scores from regulator by 3%.
“We have been working with the support of Quality Scotland to develop and improve the performance and quality of our services for five years. When Sense Scotland started the EFQM Excellence Model we hoped that the framework would provide a useful measure for exploring how we could develop as a provider of quality services for children, young people and adults who have communication support needs. So when we received our Recognised for Excellence Award in 2014 we were not only delighted to share this success with our fantastic staff and the people we support, we were already able to evidence a real improvement in the quality of our services across Scotland.� Andy Kerr, Chief Executive
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Scottish Award for Business Excellence Winner and Recognised for Excellence, 5 star, June 2015
Excellence through leadership, people and culture The Wise Group has been transforming lives through social enterprise in Scotland and the north east of England since 1983.
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e make a positive difference to people, communities and society by helping customers gain new skills and employment, reducing re-offending, regenerating communities and tackling fuel poverty. We have a clear understanding of the type of support our customers need and have a proven track record of providing both innovative and high quality services. The Wise Group delivers results by working closely with stakeholders which include Government, local authorities, other Social Enterprises and private businesses. Why R4E? We choose the tools and standards we work with based on their added value. EFQM was selected as our primary framework because it is holistic, flexible and focused on improvement. It provides us with a practical set of principles and concepts which we have used to plan and deliver improved results over a number of years. Recognised for Excellence is a way for us to measure and celebrate our progress and success. The breadth and depth of the assessment process means we can be confident that assessors’ findings are an accurate reflection of our business which we use to drive future success.
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Our Journey We used EFQM in conjunction with other tools to achieve cultural change and deliver better results for people and communities. Our culture change began informally in 2006 with the introduction of our Chief Executive Laurie Russell. It was formalised in 2009 with a baseline measurement of our culture and the introduction of EFQM as our overarching framework. EFQM has informed the way we work, embedding quality and excellence in our daily routine and making everyone accountable for it. In conjunction with our cultural alignment agenda we invested in personal and leadership development as the key drivers of a constructive culture and increased performance. We did this in a number of formal and informal ways: • We invested in development programmes for our people as well as existing and emerging leaders. • We created opportunities to empower people by involving them in decision making and continuous improvement activities. • We focused on ‘how we do things’ as well as ‘what we do’ by role modelling behaviours at every level of the organisation and then linking these to personal objectives. • Developed a common language and a ‘one Wise Group’ philosophy.
Wise Group Case Study
“I have seen how EFQM has benefitted the Wise Group, our staff and customers. It has also been of huge benefit to my own personal and leadership development”. Kerry Antoniak, Governance Manager and EFQM Lead
The approach we used when preparing our most recent Recognised for Excellence submission took account of the fact that continuous improvement is ongoing and embedded in daily practice. We therefore did not conduct a self-assessment exercise but instead took a snapshot of what and how we did things and the results we achieved. By using that approach we were confident of getting the most accurate assessment of strengths and areas for improvement. On our continuing journey to excellence we have achieved recognition at three levels: • Committed to Excellence (2009) • Recognised for Excellence 3 star (2012) • Recognised for Excellence 5 star (2015) We understood that to reach our goal of achieving a constructive culture we needed long term investment in time and resource to change attitudes, behaviours and ways of working. We first achieved Committed to Excellence in 2009 based on three improvement projects: pay and grading review; implementation of our IT strategy and creation of a business development process. Our first Recognised for Excellence achievement came in 2012, securing the 3 star award based on achievements up to 2011. Despite experiencing massive growth in 2009 and 2010 our culture and ways of
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working were still developing but we were pleased our progress was recognised. Between 2011 and 2014 we experienced our most challenging time as an organisation because of a fundamental change in one of our operating markets. However we continued to invest in the development of culture through people and leadership. We believe this approach, under the umbrella of EFQM enabled us to manage change effectively and deliver excellent results. At the end of 2014 we prepared our submission for Recognised for Excellence and formally reassessed culture. We were delighted that our investments paid off – we exceeded our cultural goals and our achievements were recognised by the Recognised for Excellence 5 star award and the Scottish Award for Business Excellence. Light bulb moment Even though we have been using EFQM since 2009 we continue to learn from it. During the submission process we realised the enabler map is a valuable management tool in its own right. Future plans Assessor feedback has already been valuable for us. We have integrated it with all other forms of external feedback and our own internal findings to generate a
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prioritised action plan and inform plans for 2016-2018. We will continue to monitor progress internally and we will reapply for Recognised for Excellence in 2016/17. We haven’t set a recognition target, our aim is to demonstrate improvement in our focus areas and deliver better results for people and communities. The value of entering business awards As a future-focused organisation it was a great opportunity to take a step back and appreciate the long-term results we have achieved and how well we managed change during a very challenging period Confidence that our internal assessment of strengths and areas for improvement were accurate. Impact of the assessment for staff – we wanted an absolute true reflection of our organisational excellence so we didn’t have any form of preparation with staff prior to the site visit. Because of our open and constructive culture we were confident that we had a good understanding of our strengths and areas for improvement and we trusted that staff would be honest in their assessments. Staff were overwhelmingly positive about the experience and taking time to reflect on all the good things we do. Staff said they had a different appreciation for what we all work together to achieve, the good things we do for people and that they were more motivated in their role. Assessors described us as ‘unknowingly excellent’ which has led us to consider how we recognise organisational success better and communicate that internally and externally. This is now a theme that runs across our future plans. The Benefits • Achievement of a constructive culture • Demonstrable impact of leadership development on organisational effectiveness (verified by staff perception results) • Improved financial results • Improved customer satisfaction
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Hints & Tips • Use EFQM in a way that suits your organisation and culture. There are many different examples of what has worked in various organisations. Speak to them and to Quality Scotland to plan and implement an approach that works for your organisation. Our approach varied quite drastically between our 2011 and 2014 submissions because of the progression of our culture. • Make use of the support from Quality Scotland – we received excellent advice from our Account Director Fiona Liddle and some of the practical hints and tips in Excellence Now. The submission writer’s workshop is also an excellent opportunity for those preparing for R4E. • Think like an assessor when it comes to preparing for your R4E submission – what would make it easier for them to understand your organisation? We included a glossary of terms so the assessors could speak our language and engage more easily with people. We referred to people by name rather than job title because we are a people-focused organisation. We also tried to use consistent chart formats with clear labelling and any relevant cross-referencing to other criteria so it was easier and quicker to interpret results. • Choose how to do your self-assessment in a style that fits with the culture of your organisation. • Don’t underestimate the importance of the Key Information section of the submission document. Although it’s not scored it’s the first impression you will make. Think about what you want your assessors to think and feel about your organisation before they even get to the Enabler and Results sections. • Take every opportunity to engage with your assessment team – the more they know about you the better. We had a pre-assessment meeting with our team and it really helped relax everyone before the site visit. • Get your assessors to speak to as many people as possible – we asked our assessors to speak with staff at all levels as well as Board members, partners and suppliers. • Relax – it’s not an audit! The assessment team are second to none. They really made the assessment a positive experience for all out staff.
New Housing Association Network Launched
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epresentatives from 15 Housing Associations attended the launch event of Quality Scotland’s Housing Association Network on 29th October 2015. The Network has been created in response to feedback from our housing association members; they expressed an interest in meeting with other associations which are also working with Quality Scotland and the EFQM Model and seeking continuous improvement across their businesses, to provide opportunities to “Share what works”. The Housing Association Network events are designed as an additional member benefit, building on the success of our three existing networks for our Public, Private and Third sector members. The content is member driven, around the benefits of working with the EFQM Model, and as such Quality Scotland’s Housing Association Network, is distinct from other networks in the housing sector. The launch was an open event to which several members brought representatives from other interested housing associations. Taking place at Quality Scotland’s Training Academy at 28 Drumsheugh Gardens in Edinburgh, attendees heard speakers from a range of Housing Associations and gained insights into their learning journeys so far. Gavin High from Caledonia HA, which achieved C2E Project Validation recognition in 2014, described how working with the
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EFQM Model provided the association with a Framework within which to continue to progress business improvement following the merger of Servite and Perthshire Housing Associations – two very different cultures, while Anne Marie Brown of Craigdale HA indicated the benefits that progressing through the levels of excellence to achieve R4E 5* recognition in 2014 has brought to her organisation. Deborah Taggart from Eildon HA discussed the benefits brought to her organisation through a recent self-assessment against the Model facilitated by Quality Scotland using
the EQUIP e-tool, and Quality Scotland’s Melanie Thomson later provided a short demonstration of EQUIP. The final session provided an opportunity for representatives to highlight the themes currently affecting the sector, to help shape future Network events. The next Housing Association Network meeting is on 14th April 2016 from 10am-1pm at Cairn Housing Association, Edinburgh. Further events are due to take place in July and October, dates and venues to be confirmed.
“The Housing Association Network is a fantastic forum for sharing experiences with, and learning from colleagues across the sector. The mix of participants, the different skills and experience that members bring with them and the willingness to share in an open and honest forum are just some of the reasons that I greatly value being part of this network. Thank you to Quality Scotland for facilitating this, and so many other opportunities to learn and share.” Fin Smith, Head of Business Improvement, Cairn Housing Association
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25th Anniversary Scottish Awards for Business Excellence 2016 Quality Scotland’s 2015/16 Awards Cycle is well under way with the annual Scottish Awards for Business Excellence fast approaching in June. Both applicant organisations and Assessors have been working extremely hard with the final stage of on-site visits about to take place in March.
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n the meantime, at Quality Scotland, as well as gearing up our next round of applicants for the 2016/17 cycle, we are working away in the background getting all our preparations and plans ready for the upcoming 25th Anniversary Awards Ceremony in June. This year, our special anniversary Awards Ceremony will take place in the EICC, Edinburgh on Tuesday 23rd June, 12pm
until 4pm and will be hosted for a third year by Cat Cubie. As ever we have a variety of excellent sponsorship packages available that are designed to showcase our supporters as Ambassadors in Excellence and we are delighted to once again have the Wheatley Group as our prestigious Platinum Sponsor for the 2016 ceremony. In addition, we are also thrilled to have Catalyst Consulting and Scotrail as our Bronze sponsors.
Platinum Sponsor
Comprising a range of organisations previously known as “the GHA family”, Wheatley Group – named after Glasgow MP John Wheatley, the father of social housing – was formed in 2012 and is building a reputation as Scotland’s leading housing, community regeneration and care group. Its subsidiaries are: • Scotland’s largest social landlord, Glasgow Housing Association; • Cube Housing Association with 3300 affordable homes across the West of Scotland; • Scotland’s “Feel Good Factor” YourPlace Property Management; and • commercial subsidiary Lowther Homes, which has 340 mid and full-market homes to rent from Glasgow’s West End to Leith. Wheatley, rooted in communities, while contributing to national outcomes, continues to ensure tenants and factored homeowners are at the heart of all local decision making. www.wheatley-group.com
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Bronze Sponsor
Catalyst Consulting are a training and consulting company committed to enabling Continuous Improvement and Breakthrough Performance results for clients. They specialise in helping their customers improve business process performance through Lean Six Sigma, Process Management, Culture Change, and Business Transformation, offering a wide range of products and services, which can be tailored to meet customer requirements. They always seek to work in partnership with customers with an overriding aim of transferring skills and expertise. Their success is built on reputation, and at the heart of their service is a strong capable and talented team of people with practical, real world experience. They pride themselves on providing learning solutions to help develop the right skills and deploy best business practice throughout organisations, saving their clients valuable time and money, improving service, and enhancing both customer and employee satisfaction.
#SABE16
To ensure a space at the Scottish Awards for Business Excellence please book early – book now and get last year’s prices (offer only available until 31st March 2016). You can book online Early Bird Discount when booked before 31st March 2016 • One seat, £80 (+VAT) • One table (10 seats), £800 (+VAT) Full Price • One seat, £95 (+VAT) • One table (10 seats), £900 (+VAT)
Bronze Sponsor
ScotRail is one of the largest regional train operators in the UK and was presented with a Scottish Award for Business Excellence in 2014, along with a Recognised for Excellence 5 Star award. The train operator – now operated by Abellio – believes it has a social responsibility to passengers which extends beyond train journeys. The delivery of safe, reliable and comfortable services is the starting point, but ScotRail goes further to ensure its services play an integrated role in the socio-economic development of the communities it serves. An independent passenger survey recently found that 90% of customers are ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with the service provided by ScotRail, a 3 per cent increase year on year.
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About our host Cat Cubie is a Scottish TV presenter, broadcaster and writer; best known for presenting the weather on BBC Scotland.
Sponsorship opportunities still available! Don’t miss out on your opportunity to support excellence be a sponsor for these special 25th Anniversary Scottish Awards for Business Excellence 2016! Gold Sponsorship £8000 (1 available) Silver Sponsorship £4000 (2 available) Bronze Sponsorship £2000 (3 available) 25th Anniversary Gift Bag £2000 Drinks Reception £2000 Exhibition Space £500 Commemorative 25th Anniversary brochure advertising opportunities • Back cover full-page £500 • Inside full-page £300 • Inside half-page £150 Other bespoke packages also available. If you are keen to be involved and would like to discuss sponsorship options, please contact Catriona McDougall who will be more than happy to help. Email: catriona.mcdougall@qualityscotland.co.uk Phone: 0131 225 5765
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Cat is bright, witty and insightful. She loves a challenge and is compassionate about a wide number of subjects. She has presented across several different TV shows and networks, from making peoples’ dreams come true on BBC1’s National Lottery to film specials for Channel 4 and MTV news. Cat writes a weekly column for the Evening Times and the Evening Express, as well as guest writing for a number of other well-known publications. She had her own show on Real Radio and is in demand as an experienced event host and compere. When she’s not in the studio or on the stage, Cat loves to be in the Scottish Highlands and the great outdoors. She was delighted to host the Scottish Awards for Business Excellence in 2014 and 2015 we are very excited to have her back for 2016!
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Scottish Awards for Business Excellence
The Award Categories Committed to Excellence Committed to Excellence allows organisations of all sizes and from all sectors to demonstrate their commitment to continuous improvement. In the Committed to Excellence process organisations’ undertake a self-assessment and identify three improvement projects. Once implemented, Quality Scotland EFQM Assessors validate the improvement projects using the RADAR methodology to ensure that continuous improvement is being implemented in a structured way within the organisation. Organisations are given a feedback report on their application which highlights their strengths and areas for improvement, which can be used as they move forward on their Excellence Journey. The project based approach of the scheme allows organisations to focus on the activities which are of the most importance to them while embedding their approach to quality. This makes Committed to Excellence a perfect starting point in an organisation’s Excellence Journey on the way to higher levels of Excellence, or as a cyclical process to ensure that continuous improvement activity becomes embedded into the organisation. Committed to Excellence: Assessment Committed to Excellence: Assessment is the new level of recognition which EFQM launched in March 2014. This recognition is designed to be a bridge between traditional Committed to Excellence: Validation and Recognised for Excellence. Similar to Recognised for Excellence, Committed to Excellence Assessment assesses your entire organisation against the EFQM model. As part of this recognition scheme organisations are asked to complete a short submission document which includes basic information about the organisation and an Enabler May which describes some of the key approaches within the organisation. Following this a team of Quality Scotland EFQM Assessors will conduct a one day assessment visit, which will comprise of interviews on 6 key themes.
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The organisation’s performance will then be scored using the RADAR methodology and depending on the organisations performance they will either be awarded C2E 1 star or C2E 2 star. Organisation will receive a detailed feedback report which analyses their performance against the 9 criteria of the EFQM Excellence Model. This process gives organisations a holistic assessment of their approach to continuous improvement and can be used to inform future activities in their Excellence Journey. Recognised for Excellence Recognised for Excellence (R4E) is a level of excellence designed largely for organisations that are ‘on the way’ to excellence. It is a recognition scheme acknowledged all over Europe for organisations that demonstrate high levels of performance against the nine criteria of the comprehensive EFQM Excellence Model. The main benefit of the process for the organisation making an application is that it allows them to identify areas of strength but also pinpoint where there is room for improvement based on the feedback from a group of experienced and trained EFQM Assessors. Organisations can apply for Recognised for Excellence using the R4E Enabler Map Approach. The organisation will then be assessed and scored by an Assessment team against the EFQM Excellence Model. If the organisation achieves over 300 points it will be awarded 3-star, 4-star or 5-star based on its performance. The organisation who achieves 5-star and receives the highest points will be recognised as the Winner of the Scottish Award for Business Excellence. When organisations achieve R4E, all applicant organisations highlight the sense of pride felt throughout the process – an acknowledgement of how far they have travelled since setting out on their unique journey to excellence.
What’s more, not only does R4E embed a culture of Excellence; the principles of continuous improvement become a way of life between staff at all levels within each excellent organisation. Special Category Awards In conjunction with other partners we also support a number of special category awards as follows: • Ambassador Award • Leadership in Excellence Award • Lean Six Sigma Award sponsored by Catalyst The Lean Six Sigma Award The Lean Six Sigma Award is a fantastic opportunity for organisations to achieve recognition for the work that their Lean Six Sigma and business excellence professionals are delivering to customers, shareholders and other key stakeholders. This award, sponsored by Catalyst, is open to any individual or project team from any organisation of any size across the private, public and voluntary sectors. To find out more about the process, what an application should include, and hear about last year’s winning project you can register online for the free webinar “Outline of the Lean Six Sigma Award” on the 3rd March, 2-3pm.
Lean Six Sigma Key Dates Note of Interest: Tuesday 12th April Application Deadline: Friday 6th May Presentations of shortlisted projects: Week commencing 16th May Note Your Interest To note your interest, please email us: info@qualityscotland.co.uk or phone 0131 225 5765
Private Sector Network Update
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n 14th January the Private Sector Network met for their first session of the New Year. Sara Keane, new private sector Account Director at Quality Scotland hosted the event at our offices in Drumsheugh Gardens. Sara introduced Claire Ford our CEO who gave a brief overview of our aims and ambitions for this year and coming years and showed our 25th Anniversary video for the first time. The first of two guest speakers, Ralph Harkness of CeeD (Centre for Engineering and Education Development), a reciprocal member of Quality Scotland, provided an overview of CeeD, a member-based organisation made up of businesses and academics, with very similar aspirations to Quality Scotland in pursuing operational excellence through pooling their collective expertise, experience and resources in order to help their members
“Good speakers, interesting, thought-provoking and very appropriate talks” improve operational efficiency, effectiveness and profitability. Their focus is in supporting their members through daily challenges, sharing best practice, collaboration and problem-solving on a whole host of issues ranging across property maintenance, lean manufacturing, energy, waste, training, marketing, health and safety, product and people development. There’s always someone within the community with the knowledge and experience to help. CeeD support their members through Clinics on various topics and also run a Growth 500 programme for individual development as well as project support and their Employment Exchange linking those at risk of redundancy with prospective employers. “Data Quackery” and Practical Process Improvement (PPI but not as we know it) were the topics covered by the second speaker
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of the day Mike Bell. Mike outlined 4 simple data analysis tools to help avoid “Data Quackery” his term for the abuse of data, metrics and reporting all too common in most organisations
“Thought-provoking ideas from Mike Bell on Practical Process Improvement – would like to see more of this at future network meetings” today. Metrics, charts and reports produced and displayed on Balanced Scorecards – may look pretty, promise much but deliver very little and are pretty meaningless for most. According to Mike decisions are made and actions assigned but often without a clear understanding of what the numbers actually mean. (See full article on “Data Quackery” on page 24) Mike also covered a methodology he has created called Practical Process Improvement, a form of project management to help implement service improvements within organisations. In his 3-5 day short, sharp, issue-focussed sessions he helps organisations work through actual issues and gives attendees the tools and techniques to integrate process improvements into their projects and learn as they go through. Sara concluded the session with a brief look at TPC (Technical, Political, and Cultural) analysis and some other tools which are available along with copies of presentations on the members’ area of our website.
The next Private Sector Network will take place on 28th April – invitations will be coming soon.
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RBS’ LEARNING JOURNEY
Adding Value for Customers How RBS have transformed their approach to transformation
Delegates who attended the recent Learning Journey hosted by RBS at their impressive headquarters at Gogarburn in Edinburgh, got a rare insight into how RBS are continually changing, improving, transforming and evolving through their “Determined to Lead” programme.
S
ince recapitalisation of the bank in 2008 – their well-publicised “burning platform” – RBS have had to fundamentally change their approach on a number of levels. Prior to 2008 the main focus of the bank was on global growth, taking risks and making money with not much regard for customers’ needs, wants and expectations. Today their ambition is not to be the biggest bank but the best bank, not to be global but very much local i.e. UK based and crucially, to put customers at the centre of everything that they do. As Mike McShane, Senior Manager of the Service Optimisation Team who hosted the day said “If the Customer doesn’t want it don’t build it.” Mike’s team are very much focussed on improvement approaches across the bank primarily using Lean, but, whereas in the past their Lean programme was focussed on big projects with a cost efficiency bias nowadays it’s more about adding value for customers. Mike recommends that for Lean to be of most benefit then it needs to be built into an organisation’s core principles, be a continual investment in terms of time and resources and supported from CEO level downwards.
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The team are about “Building capability” across all staff rather than just delivering “Lean Projects”. Role modelling and flexibility are key to any Lean change programme – if your boss is doing it then you’ll do it, and if too rigid and pedantic then it fails. What RBS have found so far in their “Determined to Lead” programme is that they are achieving better results by focussing on behavioural change and performance management rather than on process change and technical challenges. All employees are encouraged to “think outside the Bank” to encourage innovation and entrepreneurialism. Paul Blackler, an expert on Agile methodology, spoke about some of the innovative approaches being introduced and adopted by RBS in response to customer needs. Paul also outlined how RBS are involved in the Entrepreneurial Spark, a collaborative project to encourage and develop entrepreneurs to be successful through the Entrepreneurial Development Academy soon to be opened in Gogarburn which provides office space, mentors, training, development, business and financial advice for entrepreneurs. RBS intend to
put 10,000 staff through the Entrepreneurial Development Academy as exposing staff to entrepreneurs creates a different mind set and one that can benefit the bank and its customers. Ewan Shearer introduced some of the new Customer Led Design approaches being implemented within the bank which are looking at the customer experience now and what it is likely to be in the future – through a joint project with The Royal College of Art – very much turning the whole process of the customer experience on its head with a focus on the emotional journey, developing customer personas and involving customers in the “ideation” process. The ambition of RBS today is to be known as the Number one Bank for Customer Service, Trust and Advocacy, and they are hopeful that their more customercentric values and approach will help them move towards that vision.
Presentations and notes from this Learning Journey are available in the members’ area of our website. www.qualityscotland.co.uk.
Learning Journeys
CORNERSTONE’S LEARNING JOURNEY Cornerstone provides care and support in the community to enable children, young people and adults with disabilities and other support needs to enjoy a valued life. Cornerstone recognises that continuous development of staff and improvement to services is paramount to enabling them to meet the needs of anyone who requires their support. Never ending journey… Cornerstone became the first voluntary organisation to be awarded Recognised for Excellence by Quality Scotland in 2011, after being awarded their Committed to Excellence Project Validation in 2009. At the Scottish Awards for Business Excellence in June 2015 they were once again awarded Recognised for Excellence, making the transition from 3 Star to 4 Star. Cornerstone’s experienced presenters truly embraced the idea of ‘Share What Works’ and provided the delegates with a full picture of Cornerstone’s journey to excellence; including their mistakes, successes, practical advice for Recognised for Excellence submission, potential roadblocks, and where they plan to go from here. The presenters also
“I think having people explain the positive and real impact EFQM has had on their organisation, and most importantly how EFQM has enabled them to influence and shape their organisation for the better, is inspiring.” “The knowledge and passion of the speakers were fantastic and they were keen to talk equally about the things that had gone well and could have been better.” @qualityscotland
Quality Scotland
focused on three of the Fundamental Concepts; Sustaining Outstanding Results, Succeeding Through the Talent of People, and Leading with Vision, Inspiration and Integrity. Using the EFQM Excellence Model’s Fundamental Concepts to help develop their Strategic Plan was highlighted as key by Cornerstone. This has helped Cornerstone to integrate the model into their planning, identify their key performance indicators, and has informed their recruitment process to ensure the people hired truly embody their organisation’s Values. Over time they believe this commitment to the Excellence Model and embedding the Fundamental Concepts into their Values has resulted in a cultural change amongst staff.
Presenters Hilary Bennison Quality Development Manager Debbie Masson Human Resources and Systems Advisor Mairi Martin Director of Human Resources & Learning and Development
Learning Points
Very worthwhile session – and I’m glad I made the effort to attend. A great story to hear – inspiring and painted a clear picture of the road we potentially have ahead of us. I got plenty of ideas for how to get staff to engage with the vision and values of our organisation. The importance of networking with other Quality Managers. Recognise that the process is one of continued learning.
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Applying for quality recognition? Check out our top tips for… COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE PROJECT VALIDATION Committed to Excellence Project Validation is an easy first step for organisations to receive external recognition of their commitment to quality. This level of recognition helps organisations to identify their areas for improvement and implement an effective, structured improvement process. To support you in applying for quality recognition we have put together a list of top tips. Use our online toolkit ‘EQUIP for C2E Project Validation’ which provides a flexible method of facilitated self-assessment and is an ideal way for organisations to begin their excellence journey. Self-Assessment The most successful self-assessment involves a cross-section of people in the organisation. During the self-assessment ensure that everyone feels comfortable to contribute. Prioritise Improvement Projects You won’t be able to act on all the improvement activities identified in your self-assessment.
Pick the projects which are going to have the greatest impact on the business bearing in mind the resources available. Many hands make work light If possible different people should lead on each of the three improvement projects. This will spread the work as well as increase awareness and ownership of the process. Co-ordinator We would recommend that one person is responsible for coordinating the application and supports the project leaders. Use the Submission Plan your project to follow the RADAR methodology. This will help you to consider all the elements which you will be assessed against. Communication Take the time to identify all your stakeholders and how you are going to communicate with them throughout the project. Evidence During the validation visit you will be asked to present evidence of your improvement projects, collate this from
the beginning to reduce the time it takes to prepare for the validation visit itself. Validation Visit Don’t worry it’s not an audit. The validators will not be trying to find flaws in the projects, but will be looking to find how you have done things and why that was the best solution for your organisation. They will follow the same RADAR logic you used in your submission. Celebrate Achieving C2E is a great accomplishment for all organisations. Make sure you take the time to celebrate with your staff and customers. You can celebrate with us too, all C2E winners get one free place at the Scottish Awards for Business Excellence! Additional Benefits You can use achieving C2E to help attract funding, bid for tenders and promote your organisation’s commitment to excellence. More information on Committed to Excellence Project Validation
The Quality Scotland business improvement toolkits to help you achieve Committed to Excellence (C2E) success. EQUIP helps you to: Fully understand your organisation’s current level of performance against the Excellence framework, prioritise and implement improvement activities and gain meaningful recognition. Save time and resources when completing your Committed to Excellence submission. Achieve tangible results from your improvement activities.
EQUIP for C2E is available in two levels, depending on the level of recognition you are interested in. Each Package includes: Use of the EQUIP online toolkit A flexible method of self-assessment which provides reports to highlight areas of strength and areas for improvement. A full day facilitation with one of our experienced facilitators to guide you and your team through the self-assessment and begin populating your submission. Committed to Excellence recognition including submission support and feedback report.
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Section Title
COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE ASSESSMENT Committed to Excellence Assessment is the second award in EFQM’s Level of Excellence, a leading quality certification programme. The assessment evaluates the key approaches your organisation is taking to manage your business. To support you in applying for quality recognition we have put together a list of top tips. Use our online toolkit ‘EQUIP for C2E Assessment’, which has been developed to guide you through this process, with a facilitated self-assessment that automatically produces a completed enabler map. Are You Ready? Complete our simple checklist to establish whether you are ready to apply for Committed to Excellence Assessment Submission: Key Information is the first half of the submission, through 6 headings you are asked to describe your organisation and its operating environment. Try to be concise as you have limited space and you will be able to explain in more detail during the assessment visit. Please add diagrams or graphics to an appendix at the end.
Enabler Map This is the name of the table which is used to record 20 key approaches you are using to manage your organisation. You are asked to describe what you are doing and what evidence you have of these activities and who is responsible for them. Collaboration In order to fully capture everything which is happening in your enabler map complete this section with a group of people from across the organisation. This session could also be used by the organisation as a self-assessment to identify improvement actions.
Introducing your organisation: During the first interview session you will be asked to do a short presentation on your organisation. Use the structure of the Key Information part of the submission as a guide for your presentation. This will ensure that you cover all of the necessary information. Celebrate Achieving C2E is a great accomplishment for all organisations so make sure you take the time to celebrate with your staff and customers. You can celebrate with us too, all C2E winners get one free place at the Scottish Awards for Business Excellence!
Evidence In the Enabler Map section of the submission you will be asked to identify evidence of the activities you describe. Ensure that this evidence is available on the day of the assessment.
Additional Benefits You can use achieving C2E to help attract funding, bid for tenders and promote your organisation’s commitment to excellence.
Assessment Visit The assessors will look at what you are trying to achieve, what you are doing to achieve these goals, the solutions you have chosen for your organisation and how you are reviewing your approaches.
Looking Ahead It is useful to consider the next steps in your excellence journey, R4E allows you to look at your organisation against the EFQM Excellence Model in more depth. This can be both challenging and exciting. For more information on Committed to Excellence Assessment
LEVEL
LEVEL
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COMPLETED ENABLER MAP AND SUBMISSION
Ideal for beginning your excellence journey. Enables your organisation to complete a facilitated self-assessment. More information
Enables your organisation to complete a facilitated self-assessment and automatically produces a completed enabler map as part of your submission. More information Excellence now
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Cutting Budgets
the benefits of using Lean Six Sigma in the Public Sector by John Morgan
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his is neither the time nor the place to rehearse the rights and wrongs of the government policy of austerity, but it is probably worth pointing out one rather salient fact; it seems to be here to stay. There may have been a time when austerity – in simple terms the government spending less and less public money on a wider and wider range of services and activities – was presented and generally thought of as being a temporary solution to a severe but particular crisis. That time appears to have passed. With the Chancellor shortly due to unveil a spending review prefaced by a request for unprotected departments to draw up plans for cuts of 40%, the withdrawal of public cash from broad swathes of life looks set to continue. Not only will this have an immediate impact, but it will also entrench the effects of lower spending on a more or less permanent basis, even allowing for the possible change in the political complexion of any future government. Bearing all of this in mind it seems to be imperative that vital public services get to grips with this changed and difficult environment as quickly as possible, and nowhere is this more the case than in the realm of local government. The Local Government Association (LGA), in a submission made as part of the forthcoming spending review, has predicted that councils around the country will face a shortfall of almost £10bn by 2020 due to a variety of factors and before any further cuts are even made. Once the cuts begin to bite, it’s feared that this figure might rise as high as £20bn. Given that the LGA is a bi-partisan umbrella organisation, chaired by Conservative Lord Gary Porter, it can be assumed that the comments they make regarding the impact of funding shortfalls are, at least, not aimed at political point scoring. When the LGA warns that councils could stop providing refuse collection and recycling, road maintenance, arts and leisure services, subsidised bus services, trading standards oversight, parks maintenance, street cleaning and street lighting and still not cover the looming funding shortfall, it’s a claim which simply has to be taken as more than the standard scaremongering of a lobbying group.
The wider point of the situation is that this isn’t simply an issue affecting those directly involved. The people who run, work for and access local government services will feel the full force of any funding shortfalls, clearly, but the impact will resonate throughout society as a whole. To take a small example, the longer waiting times often experienced at hospital accident and emergency departments can be directly traced to the phenomenon of ‘bed blocking’ – the situation which arises when people, often older people, having completed their course of treatment, can’t be released from hospital and free up a bed because of a lack of services in the wider community. These services, often something as simple as fitting a handrail to allow a person to access their own front door, are provided through local government funding, and the fewer such services there are, the longer people have to wait in their local hospital. This is despite the fact that spending on the NHS is, nominally at least, protected from cuts. The question which arises, therefore, is how exactly local government and other public services can survive or even flourish in an age of austerity, and what processes can be utilised to minimise the wider effects of increasing and ongoing funding cuts. The answer to these questions, or at least a very large part of that answer, is provided by the Lean Six Sigma methodology, and promoting the use of Lean Six Sigma methods and practices throughout the realm of local government is something which would reap benefits for all concerned. Put simply, Lean Six Sigma is a means via which the workings of an organisation can be broken down into their component parts, and then each of these component parts examined in depth and through statistical analysis with the intention of maximising efficiency. It should be noted that ‘efficiency’, in terms of Lean Six Sigma, is always looked at through the prism of value as it is perceived by the end user. It might not, therefore, always be more ‘efficient’ to simply do things more quickly, even though Lean Six Sigma is targeted at stripping away any wasteful
John Morgan It is with great sadness and regret that we acknowledge that John Morgan passed away peacefully on 14th February 2016. On behalf of Quality Scotland we would like to extend our condolences to his family, friends and his colleagues at Catalyst Consulting. John, a Director of Catalyst since 1995, was passionate and knowledgeable about all things Lean authoring many publications including The Lean Six Sigma Improvement Journey and Go Lean, as well as several ‘in-house’ books that have been tailored for organisations including General Electric, BT, O2, Saint-Gobain Glass, London Underground and BAA. He also co-authored Lean Six Sigma for Dummies, SPC in the Office and Lean Six Sigma Business Transformation For Dummies and headed up The Lean Six Sigma Academy on behalf of The British Quality Foundation. This is one of several articles contributed by John Morgan that can be found in the resources section of our Members’ area of our website www.qualityscotland.co.uk
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Quality Scotland
Section title
The sheer size and culture of local government makes it the ideal sector for the implementation of Lean Six Sigma. activity or process. Whatever is most efficient is whatever delivers the most value to the end user, and as far as possible, anything which gets in the way of this will be identified and eliminated. This is often most easily understood in terms of a manufacturing process embodied by the traditional production line and a physical product moving through the various stages. The same principles, however, can just as easily be applied to a public body such as a council, with the services provided being broken down into individual steps, from procurement or commissioning to delivery – from a service user making a phone call, to a hand rail being fitted by a front door – and each step analysed to see if it is both truly necessary and being delivered in the most efficient and effective manner possible. The process utilised to revamp this ‘production line’ is known as DMAIC, standing for Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control. Define and Measure involves identifying the problem hindering service delivery, and doing so through a careful analysis of all available statistics and the transparent and open input of staff involved at all levels of that delivery. The Analysis which then takes place is the thorough examination of exactly why the things which go wrong are going wrong, and this is followed by Improvement, which is when solutions to the problems are crafted. Control, the final process, involves setting up frameworks through which improvements can be implemented, measured and monitored in the future. This last phase is vital in that it embeds change in a permanent manner, rather than simply creating a temporary spike in efficiency. Lean Six Sigma and DMAIC are being utilised by North Ayrshire Council. One of their improvement projects centred upon the provision of Occupational Therapy equipment, a vital service and one which was experiencing long delays of a kind which impacted negatively on service users’ quality of life. The results of the project – which involved workshops, data collection and focussed input from the team responsible for delivery – were hugely impressive. Benefits included the following: • The average lead time was reduced from 34.5 days to 1.5 days • 76% of priority requests were receiving equipment within a day, 100% within 2 days • Communication with service users was increased and improved
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• 95% of all requests were met within a period of 7 days • The steps involved in the process of service delivery were taken from 57 to just 30 Indeed, the results of the project were so striking that the Quality Scotland Awards for Business Excellence 2015 awarded it the prize for best Lean Six Sigma project. The sheer size and culture of local government makes it the ideal sector for the implementation of Lean Six Sigma. Within a council as a whole and the individual departments which comprise it, processes will have developed over years of incremental change and amidst the culture of an organisation constantly working at crisis point. With management too busy firefighting to step back and take an overview and staff too busy coping with limited resources to take the time to share their valuable experience of life at the ‘coal face’, the chances of analysing and improving performance are naturally strictly limited. Until, that is, the framework, discipline and focus of Lean Six Sigma is imposed. To tackle a body as large as the average local council as a whole would require a full transformation programme requiring complete buy-in from the leadership and staff. It might be therefore that the North Ayrshire approach signposts the way forward. By dealing with individual departments, a council will not only gradually introduce the principles of Lean Six Sigma but it will also have a success story to point to and a culture of good practice to share. Some people involved in local government may well be wary of a process which promises ‘efficiency’, due to the fact that the word has often been used as political spin for funding cutbacks. It’s all the more important, therefore, to ensure that the nature of efficiency as it applies to Lean Six Sigma is clearly understood and that every member of staff involved is fully on board. Only by truly engaging staff will councils gain the insight needed to develop the right solutions and the sense of ownership required to deliver those solutions. Councils hesitant to embrace the principles of Lean Six Sigma should be reassured that it is not primarily about saving money as an end in itself; rather, it is about instilling an ethos of everyday operational excellence in a manner which will, almost by default, result in less money being spent on the delivery of better services, to the benefit of both the council and the wider community.
Catalyst has been a Quality Scotland Partner in Excellence for many years and sponsor the Quality Scotland Lean Six Sigma Award as part of the Scottish Awards for Business Excellence. Catalyst will be a key participant in our 25th Anniversary Lean Event – Managing with Agility on 1st March, 10am–1pm
Public Sector Network Meetings Last year saw the launch of the Quality Scotland Public Sector Network due to member demand. The meetings have been well attended by members in the public sector who enjoy coming together to share and learn from each other.
The last meeting of the year in December 2015 covered topics relating to the process of change – a presentation delivered by Sara Keane of Quality Scotland, Public Performance Reporting – a group discussion session and forward planning for the network meetings going into 2016. 2015 saw a variety of topics covered at the meetings from areas such as change, self-assessment, lean six sigma and levels of excellence to name a few. At each of the network meetings the network attendees are given the opportunity to shape the meetings by letting us know the topics which they would like to learn from the group and also share to the group. Some possible future agenda topics include: • Social media and how best to use it • Excellence on a budget • Getting people enthused about selfassessment The meetings for 2016 will be in the following months: • March • June • September • December
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Quality Scotland
A final list of confirmed dates will be sent across to network attendees prior to the next network meeting in March. Some of the positive feedback which we have received from the network meetings:
“Excellent range of people within the room. Good energy!” “Getting a wider understanding of various bodies across the network” “Sharing experiences and knowing that we are all in the same boat.”
Quality Scotland collaborates for win-win results
Hear from our members and partners at the Gathering 2016 Workshop: Thursday 18th February, 10-11am Quality Scotland is proud to be collaborating with SCVO at the Gathering 2016 at the SECC, Glasgow, on 17th and 18th February with a workshop on the benefits of collaborative working. Quality Scotland members and other partners will give examples of win-win results from collaborative working with Quality Scotland. Quality Scotland is the national partner of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and as such are exponents of the EFQM Excellence Model, a comprehensive management framework, used by members across all sectors and by other EFQM partner organisations in different countries. The Excellence Model provides a holistic approach to managing any organisation and offers a common language to support collaboration across teams, projects and working with partners and other stakeholders. The model facilitates integration across different cultures and ways of working. As an overarching framework, industry or sector specific standards can be incorporated into the model. The event will describe results based on perceptions from customers, people and society. These together with relevant performance indicators and business results allow Quality Scotland members and partners to make informed organisational decisions with confidence. In keeping with ‘share what works’, the event will include examples of winwin results from members and partners with an opportunity for discussion and learning for all.
Find out more information and book your place at this workshop on the Gathering website.
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Data Quackery
METRICS, CHARTS AND REPORTS THAT LOOK PRETTY, PROMISE MUCH, BUT ARE PRETTY WORTHLESS – AND HOW TO FIX THEM. Quality Scotland will be offering a new workshop in 2016 to help all its members improve how they collect, analyse and report metrics. This will be run by Dr Mike Bell and is based on his new book, Data Quackery.
“I have a problem with numbers. I hate to see them tortured, abused and misused, or even simply ignored. But numbers do not have feelings, so my real issue is with the people who are subjected to numbers nonsense that I call Data Quackery.” Dr Mike Bell In the past few decades, we have lost our way with metrics and driving improvement. Everyone knows that they should be measuring things, but we are now drowning in numbers. And these numbers are hindering progress, rather than showing us the way forward.
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The workshop is split into 4 sections… 1. Recognise Data Quackery (in all its various forms) 2. Realise the deleterious impact Data Quackery can have on individuals and organisations 3. Refresh the principles of simple data analysis 4. Reduce down to the only 4 data tools that you will ever need The first stage is to recognise data quackery. There are many instances where data is presented badly, obscuring rather than elucidating a situation. And this happens across all sectors, in every type and size of organisation and at all management levels, regardless of age, background, gender or any other factor that you care to study. It seems that none of us are immune to this, despite our best intentions. We try to use data to explain to others what is going on, to support our arguments or to justify our actions. But we tend to confuse more often than clarify. There are so many examples of this – the use of bar charts, pie charts, Scatter Plots, RADAR diagrams etc., when simpler alternatives would be easier to understand. Targets or regression lines are added to charts, or the data is manipulated in some way, such as the popular rolling average or calculating ratios. RAG (Red, Amber, Green) status is assigned and many pretty charts and reports are produced. But they are all examples of data quackery because most of us do not understand
the information being presented; therefore, we fail to use this in making decisions. Many organisations have metrics wallpaper, where dozens of charts are posted but no one ever looks at them. At best, you may experience simple boredom, forced to sit through meeting after meeting, presentation after presentation, where the data, charts and reports make so little sense that you lose the thread of the discussion. Some people have a little fun at the meetings and events that they attend by uttering an almost inaudible “quack, quack” every time that they spot a good example of data quackery. However, it is important to realise that there is a dark side to metrics. People feel pressurised by the targets, ranking and induced competition, encouraging the wrong behaviours within our organisations and this dramatically impairs our overall performance. We live in a world with fantastic new technology, yet our productivity growth has been steadily declining since the 1970s. In the UK we struggle to produce the same output in 5 days that France manages in only four days. Our sickness and absence rates are at an all time high, mental illness at work is a very serious problem and many, many people hate their jobs – mostly because of the numbers. Fortunately, it is relatively simple to combat data quackery. The most important thing about your data or metric is to determine whether there is exceptional or routine variation. Without that knowledge, you are prone to making mistakes, jumping to conclusions
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Quality Scotland
and tampering. Secondly, you should measure the work, not the people. Mapping the Core, Strategic and Support processes makes metrics selection much easier. The two key questions to ask of any metric are: 1. Has the process changed? 2. What do we need to do about it, if anything? There is little point collecting all of that data if no one is going to bother analysing it. But most people shy away from analysis, believing it to be difficult to do, hard to understand and not really worth the effort. You can gain great insight with only four simple tools and to apply these tools all we need to be able to do is draw charts and perform simple arithmetic (add, subtract, multiple and divide). Once you understand the basics, it is easier to move on to more sophisticated analysis, such as that offered in programmes like Six Sigma. The first workshop will take place at Quality Scotland’s offices on 23rd February. Use this link to book on the workshop. Mike will also be conducting a webinar – Building a Continuous Improvement Culture on 26th February, 2-3pm for Quality Scotland members. Use the link above to book
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QUALITY SCOTLAND’S 25th ANNIVERSARY EVENTS
WEBINARS 2016
Lean workshop: ‘Managing with Agility’
‘Creating a Sustainable Future’ Learning Journey
Building a Continuous Improvement Culture
3rd May, 10am-2pm EICC, Edinburgh
26th February 2016, 2-3pm
1st March, 10am-1pm Quality Scotland
This Lean Workshop, in partnership with Catalyst Consulting, will include expert speakers from multinational organisations Aegon, SKY and SELEX looking at, and demonstrating how, Lean and the EFQM Excellence Model can work together to help drive change and efficiencies in your organisation. Cost: members £50 non-members £70
‘Quality and Leadership – a European Conference’
26th April, 10am-3pm Wheatley House, 25 Cochrane Street, Glasgow
Wheatley will host this European Conference which will look at Leading with Vision, Inspiration and Integrity. Martin Armstrong, CEO of the Wheatley Group will describe their excellence journey to date, focusing on how they have empowered their people to become effective leaders. Thomas Bauerle, European Lead Assessor will highlight his experience of working with a range of organisations across Europe who have embedded the EFQM Excellence Model in particular looking at the role of leadership within these organisations and examples of innovative practices. Juan Bonilla, Chairman of Spanish oil giant CLHPS will focus on how effective leadership has contributed to their success and how they have responded to challenges within the Oil & Gas Sector with particular attention to balancing the needs of stakeholders. Mike McShane Design and Transformation Lead, at Royal Bank of Scotland will discuss how RBS are encouraging new ways of thinking to encourage innovation
Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) is hosting this event. Marshall Dallas (EICC) will focus on sustainability within the context of the EFQM Excellence Model. Cost: members £50 non-members £70
PRESENTED BY:
Mike Bell, Simple Improvements Outline of the Lean Six Sigma Award
3rd March 2016, 2-3pm PRESENTED BY:
Catriona McDougall, Quality Scotland
Quality Scotland’s 25th Anniversary Awards
23rd June, 12-4pm EICC, Edinburgh
Quality Scotland will be celebrating 25 years of excellence at the annual Scottish Awards for Business Excellence 2016. This high profile event will be attended by over 250 professionals, including senior decision makers and Ambassadors for Excellence across the public, private and third sectors, who help support our aim of making excellence a national characteristic of Scotland. Early Bird Discount when booked before 31st March 2016: One seat, £80 (+VAT) One table (10 seats), £800 (+VAT) Full Price One seat, £95 (+VAT) One table (10 seats), £900 (+VAT)
Learning Journeys from our 2016 SABE award winners To be held in August, September and October
Cost: members £75 non-members £90
Managing Improvement Projects
17th March 2016, 2-3pm PRESENTED BY:
Sara Keane, Quality Scotland Embedding continuous improvement in your organisation
28th April 2015, 2-3pm PRESENTED BY:
Lauren Irvine, Quality Scotland Planning a Self-Assessment
12th May 2016, 2-3pm PRESENTED BY:
Lauren Irvine, Quality Scotland Using the EFQM Excellence Model to attract funding
9th June 2016, 2-3pm PRESENTED BY:
Fiona Liddle, Quality Scotland ISO and the EFQM Excellence Model
29th July, 2-3pm PRESENTED BY:
Ron Rivans, SQMC Committed to Excellence
25th August 2016, 2-3pm
To book any of our upcoming events and webinars, go to our website: www.qualityscotland.co.uk/events
PRESENTED BY:
Catriona McDougall, Quality Scotland Getting started with the EFQM excellence model
13th September 2016, 2-3pm
or call us on: 0131 225 5765
PRESENTED BY:
Lauren Irvine, Quality Scotland Sustaining Outstanding Results
3rd November, 2-3pm PRESENTED BY:
Lauren Irvine, Quality Scotland 26
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Learning, Training and Development Diary
March – June 2016
March
Course/Event
Designed For/To
Location
Price*
2nd
Basic Assessor Training
• For those who wish to go on to the EFQM Assessor Training. • To deliver more information about the EFQM Fundamental Concepts, the EFQM Excellence Model and the assessment methodology RADAR.
Edinburgh
Members £320 Non Members £640
22nd – 24th
PSIF AT
This three-day diploma course is designed for those undertaking assessments in organisations using the Public Service Improvement Framework (PSIF) in Scotland.
Edinburgh
Members £1,150 Non Members £2,300
April
Course/Event
Designed For/To
Location
Price*
19th – 21st
EFQM Assessor Training
• For those who wish to become an accredited EFQM Assessor and apply to be an external assessor for the Scottish Awards for Business Excellence. • To provide detailed knowledge and understanding of the EFQM Excellence Model and the RADAR logic.
Edinburgh
Members £1,150 Non Members £2,300
26th
Basic Assessor Training
• For those who wish to go on to the EFQM Assessor Training. • To deliver more information about the EFQM Fundamental Concepts, the EFQM Excellence Model and the assessment methodology RADAR.
Edinburgh
Members £320 Non Members £640
May
Course/Event
Designed For/To
Location
Price*
10th – 12th
EFQM Assessor Training
• For those who wish to become an accredited EFQM Assessor and apply to be an external assessor for the Scottish Awards for Business Excellence. • To provide detailed knowledge and understanding of the EFQM Excellence Model and the RADAR logic.
Edinburgh
Members £1,150 Non Members £2,300
June
Course/Event
Designed For/To
Location
Price*
7th
Basic Assessor Training
• For those who wish to go on to the EFQM Assessor Training. • To deliver more information about the EFQM Fundamental Concepts, the EFQM Excellence Model and the assessment methodology RADAR.
Glasgow
Members £320 Non Members £640
14th – 16th
EFQM Assessor Training
• For those who wish to become an accredited EFQM Assessor and apply to be an external assessor for the Scottish Awards for Business Excellence. • To provide detailed knowledge and understanding of the EFQM Excellence Model and the RADAR logic.
Glasgow
Members £1,150 Non Members £2,300
• Central Edinburgh location • Easy access to public transport • Flexible training, event or meeting venue • Full or half day bookings • Catering and refreshments • Competitive hire rates @qualityscotland
Quality Scotland
Quality Scotland’s Training Academy is located in the west end of Edinburgh, less than 10 minutes walk from Haymarket Station. On the ground floor of this stunning B listed townhouse our dedicated Training Academy offers a training suite and meeting venue with two distinct facilities which are available to hire individually or as a suite.
More Information
The Training Academy Excellence now
27
QS Directory
info@qualityscotland.co.uk qualityscotland.co.uk Tel: 0131 225 5765
@qualityscotland Quality Scotland
Quality Scotland is a registered Scottish Charity, No SC040316
Chief Executive
Shared Services
Partners in Excellence
Claire Ford
Ciara Sutherland Learning, Training, Development and Office Manager
SQMC
Eileen McGregor PA to CEO
Membership Services Angela Howarth Head of Membership Services and Account Director (PSIF / Public Sector) Sara Keane Account Director (Private Sector) Fiona Liddle Account Director (Third Sector) Janet Robertson Account Director (Education) Lauren Irvine Account Manager
Shona Angus Finance Assistant
Products and Services Melanie Thomson Online Products Developer Janet Robertson Director of Learning, Training & Development
Marketing and Events
Moore Allison Catalyst Consulting Ltd Harvey MacMillan Future Farmers
Networks VSN Fiona Liddle fiona.liddle@qualityscotland.co.uk
Elaine Sneddon Marketing Director
Private Sector Network
Joanna Kemp Marketing Manager
Public Sector Network
Business Development Ann Pike Head of Business Development
Carol George Perform Consulting and Development
Sara Keane sara.keane@qualityscotland.co.uk Angela Howarth angela.howarth@qualityscotland.co.uk
Awards
Housing Association Network
Catriona McDougall Awards Manager
Janet Robertson janet.robertson@qualityscotland.co.uk
Young Quality Scot Awards Ann Pike ann.pike@qualityscotland.co.uk
Young Enterprise Quality Award Janet Robertson janet.robertson@qualityscotland.co.uk
Contact us through our website
Š 2016 Quality Scotland
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