Efficiency and effectiveness review programme

Report: 09
Date: 9 June 2003
By: Treasurer

Summary

This report updates members on progress of the efficiency and effectiveness review programme, outlines the revised governance arrangements for the Project Board, advises of £500,000 budget transfers and presents the draft final report on Accenture’s review of sharing good practice.

A. Recommendations

That

1. members note the progress on the Efficiency and Effectiveness review programme;
2. note the revised governance arrangements for the E&E Project Board;
3. note the virement arrangements for the one-off transfer of £500,000 direct to MPS budgets, and
4. agree to receive the draft final report from Accenture on Sharing Good Practice and note the action taken to progress the review and the proposed further report to this committee in September.

B. Supporting information

Tranches 1 and 2

1. The E&E Project Board has met four times since the last update presented to the 13 February Finance Committee. The Board has considered and taken appropriate action on Tranches 1 and 2 issues concerning:

• a progress report and position statement on outstanding financial benefit (Tranche 1);
• progress reports on implementation of the reviews relating to overtime, interpreters, FMEs, forensics, transport, income generation and supplies and services (Tranche 1);
• a report on the current position within the MPS on abstractions (Tranche 2);
• Tranche 2 budget position; and
• a report on the Tranche 2 Property reviews.

Tranche 3

2. (a) Procurement

The Board agreed that £100,000 be set aside to appoint an interim manager with significant senior procurement and change management experience to lead and drive improvements. This budget would be transferred to the MPS Procurement Department, but the Board would receive regular monitoring reports. Specific objectives would be:

• To produce a clearly prioritised improvement programme and manage its delivery, i.e.
  • cost/benefit, price improvement opportunities;
  • effectiveness improvements;
  • process efficiency and compliance improvements.
• To produce a commodity review strategy and manage the implementation
  • concentrate on high win areas;
  • maximise benefit
  • prepare the control framework.
• To develop a collaborative approach to procurement
  • between MPS and suppliers;
  • internal procurement services to customer base;
  • between MPS and other public sector bodies.

(b) Property

The Board agreed to not proceed with the financing of an interim manager to progress property matters. The anticipated resource (£100,000) will be held by the Project Board pending further consideration.

(c) Step Change Programme

The Board agreed that a sum of £400,000 be set aside for this project. This had already been signalled to COP on 17 February when a substantial proportion of the efficiency and effectiveness review programme was identified as being able to assist in this strategic review. The Board has decided to vire the budget from the MPA to the MPS Deputy Commissioner’s Command, subject to monitoring by the Step Change Programme Steering Group.

(d) Unallocated provision

The remaining unallocated sum of £400,000 will be held by the Board and the requests for its use monitored.

(e) Reporting Arrangements

The Board considered a paper on future governance arrangements now that Tranche 3 activity was likely to be considerably reduced in size from that previously undertaken. The Board considered it more appropriate to meet quarterly from June and it was felt the membership should comprise officer representatives from the three stakeholders. Rachel Whittaker and Nicholas Long will be provided copies of the agenda and minutes with a remit to attend meetings if they so wish. It was felt that the Mayor’s quarterly Integration Unit Meetings would provide the appropriate forum to alert and appraise the Mayor, MPA Chair and Commissioner of any further relevant issues.

(f) Management of Organisational Growth

The Board decided to delete this review, which had been planned for Tranche 3. Instead, as already indicated, the resource will be applied to the Step Change Programme.

Genesis Project

3. The Board received a presentation on Genesis from Inspector Simon Marshallsay, Information Service Manager at Centrex, the Central Police Training & Development Authority. Genesis was:

• a police eyes only database available over the Criminal Justice Extranet (CJX);
• a tried and tested system;
• a ‘sharing good practice’ tool as well as holding details of specialists;
• provided an online helpdesk;
• had a restricted write facility;
• held bulletin boards;
• had an automated notification facility;
• held a diary of events; and
• had an ability to provide feedback.

4. The Board was advised that there were presently 6 pilots including Greater Manchester Police Service and it was intended that these pilots would be signed off in April with live running thereafter. There was currently no charge to use the system, which civil staff could also use.

5. The MPS were evaluating the possible resource implications and establishing what the business benefits would be. It was noted that a post implementation review of the live system would be held by Centrex in July and a further review after one year.

Accenture - Sharing of Good Practice Review

6. The Board agreed to commission a study by Accenture on the Sharing of Good Practice and the draft final report was presented to the Board at its meeting on 21 May. The review focussed on three strands:

• good practice capability assessment/framework;
• good practice toolkit guide; and
• good practice implementation.

7. Accenture’s review concluded that implementation of the capability framework needed:

• leadership by way of senior executive sponsorship at Deputy Commissioner or Commissioner level with managerial responsibility delegated to a Chief Knowledge Officer;
• the implementation of incentive schemes, addressing the culture and stressing the expectations around sharing good practice;
• the strategic element – the benefits of sharing good practice should be linked to MPS strategic goals;
• consideration of resources – a central and distributed function is needed. The central function requires approximately 5 FTE’s, the distributed function should be staffed by local sponsors/quality assurance officers; and
• standardised processes and evaluation procedures across the MPS.

8. Accenture identified seven example tools for sharing good practice: the directory of contacts, discussion database, good practice forum, information cards, intranet pages, information menu and postcards. Accenture have identified measures to encourage the use of these tools.

9. Accenture focussed on the Territorial Police planning function and in conjunction with the TP Planning Team developed practical implementation of a number of these tools and:

• established a Good Practice Forum within TP Planning;
• created a Directory of Contacts for the TP Planning good practice forum (GPF);
• created a Special Interest Group for the TP Planning GPF; and
• designed and hosted the initial GPF meeting with planning practitioners from BOCUs, pan-London Units and Policing Model strands.

10. Accenture’s management summary and list of recommendations is attached at appendix 1 and a full copy of the draft report is available to members.

11. The Project Board considered that there was still further work needed to develop this review to a position where the MPS Management Board could take an informed decision. This work included the development of a Business Case (including the most appropriate way to resource the project) and appropriate consultation with MPS business groups. A degree of challenge to the Accenture recommendations was needed to ensure that all MPS stakeholders were content with the proposals. The MPS also needed time to respond to the 17 recommendations. It was agreed that the Joint Working Group (which reports to the Project Board), in conjunction with Accenture, would progress this work with a view to report back to a special meeting of the Project Board before a presentation to the MPS Management Board in August. A further report will be made to this Committee in September.

Accenture – scoping project on the shape of tranche 3

12. Accenture reported on a small scoping project commissioned by the Board on thoughts for the shape of Tranche 3. This was presented in February and assisted in the Board’s eventual decisions on the present composition of Tranche 3.

C. Equality and diversity implications

None specifically identified although the successful implementation of many of Accenture’s recommendations, particularly in HR, requires the best principles in this field to be adopted.

D. Financial implications

Budget provision of £1 million has been made in the 2003-04 MPA budget to fund Tranche 3 of the efficiency and effectiveness programme. It has been agreed to vire one-off transfers of £400,000 to the Deputy Commissioner’s Command to assist the funding of the Step Change Programme and £100,000 to the MPS Procurement Department.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Ken Hunt, Deputy Treasurer, MPA.

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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