DLO PATHWAY

FACILITATING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE‘FACILITOR’

‘THE SUREFIRE ROUTE TO SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL HOUSING WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT’

PUBLIC OR PRIVATE SECTOR?This system is based on industry ‘best practice’ and the principles are equally appropriate when used by either contractor or client, ALMO or Social Housing Provider.

So whilst it is focused on Council and ALMO DLOs, there is every bit as much to be gained by the Contractor or stand alone Social Housing Provider - especially in situations where a dysfunctional local authority DLO has been TUPED over as a result of outsourcing or stock transfer.

Several maintenance contractors have gone ‘belly-up’, some spectacularly, because they failed to address the considerable people management issues they inherited from a local authority that was very glad to be rid of them.

SOCIAL HOUSING REPAIRS

DIRECT LABOUR ORGANISATION

BENEFICIAL ASSET OR COSTLY LIABILITY?

WHY DIRECT LABOUR?

Traditionally, Social Housing DLOs have had a deservedly bad name for poor quality, inefficiency, being costly, and as a source of a high level of mainly unnecessary complaints. Corruption, and malpractice in general, were also at one time very prevalent, and some of this still remains today.

Largely unmanageable ‘beasts’, they evolved over many years through weak and ineffectual management, repeated executive tinkering, and more than their fair share of self serving political expediency that lacked the will to tackle them effectively.

Rather than deal with the problem, whereby the ‘tail was wagging the dog’, it was often instead passed on to ALMOs, independent Social Housing Groups, and to other Outsourced Contractors.

Most businesses would be very wary of outsourcing their ‘core’ staff. Those who have done so with peripheral functions such as customer call centres, IT or logistics have often regretted it and reversed or modified their decision before very long.

Recently, previously outsourced DLOs have been taken back in-house because the outsourcing experience had failed.

An internal workforce provides far greater flexibility in tackling fluctuating demand - responding faster when needed and at minimal or no extra cost within an already paid for timeframe, costing little more than the price of the materials.

There is also the generally overlooked benefit that comes from building a loyal and dedicated workforce with extensive local knowledge, taking pride in delivering a bespoke service.

Even in the worst scenarios, whether in the public or private sector, 75 - 85% of any trade operative workforce is of a generally acceptable standard, although some will require improvement by training, mentoring, and ongoing monitoring.

In most cases the problem lies with a small rump of those technically incompetent for the task, encouraged by an even smaller but vociferous number of the lazy and the dishonest, keen to hide their own lack of contribution and their self serving agendas.

However, a properly structured, well organised, and fully facilitated DLO that is motivated, monitored and effectively managed should typically cost at the very least 10 - 15% less than any outsourced responsive maintenance contractor.

Sub-contractors will always be required of course, but need only be used to cover specialist works, one off projects, and some planned as well as unexpected upswings in demand.

Even in situations where the whole works package is outsourced to one or more main contractors, it can be advantageous to maintain a core micro team to deal with emergencies and potentially embarrassing complaints.

Normally engaged on internal facilities works and, in smaller providers, consisting of maybe only one or two multi-trade operatives, this team allows for a fast response that ‘takes the heat out of the problem’ - something that even good main contractors can struggle to achieve, especially if they are in turn sub-contracting, which is becoming the norm.

DRIVERS

DOERS

FOLLOWERS

INCOMPETENTS

WASTERS

THIEVES

10%

25%

45%

MEDIANBASELINE

10%

5%

5%

A

B

C

D

THEFOURQUARTILES PLUS

The dotted line is the point below which very few are likely to benefit from any training, mentoring, or disciplinary action.

THE ‘A’ TEAM + THE ‘B’ TEAM

The chart on the previous slide, although a generalisation, is a typical guide profile of a badly underperforming workforce. It may well apply to the whole organisation and not just to the operatives. In well run organisations it is rare to find any employee that falls below the median ‘baseline’ and if there are, then they’re not permitted to stay there for long.

Don’t fool yourself that you can operate successfully any other way, because you can’t. There are always far too many other important business delivery issues requiring attention, for you or others in your team, to be spending an inordinate amount of time and effort monitoring individual bad performers on a day to day basis.

TWO DOORS PER DAY

If a contractor wins a contract to replace a sizeable number of external doors over an agreed period, then they have likely priced the carpentry work on a break even of completing two doors per day per operative including a primer undercoat.

To ensure a modest profit, given the sort of competitive mark up demanded by today’s market, it is essential therefore that no operative does as few as two per day and that any rework is kept to an absolute minimum.

A few of them will do as many as three most days, quite a number will do almost as well and, if there are none doing less than 2.25 with little or no rework, then the business is on course to make a reasonable return.

3

2.5 +

2.25 +

1.5 + & REWORK

WASTERS

THIEVES

10%

25%

45%

BREAK EVEN

10%

5%

5%

A

B

C

D

TWO DOORS PER DAY

A good production line method, along with appropriate procurement, planning and preparation, has so far ensured that teams of carpenters, of varying size according to ability mix, have delivered the job successfully.

What is needed to complete the job is a similar approach with a smaller team of equally competent painters and an appropriate program that takes account of the non linear nature of preparing and applying two coats of gloss paint.

Good project planning and management are obviously critical in ensuring that neither phase of the work causes problems, but issues will be far less likely to occur if all operatives are from the A and B teams.

The Door Contract can still Fail!

The A and B Teams are the key to success, delivering acceptable to exceptional performance with almost no rework and needing only the minimum of supervision.

There is still no guarantee that the contract will be profitable - problems with the quality of the materials could become an issue later perhaps. However a good ‘A’ Team, that is properly included, will ‘flag up’ any likely quality difficulties at an early stage and prevent them from becoming a much bigger problem in the future.

This is because good employees care about the risks to the source of their income and seek to protect it. Bad ones don’t, welcoming anything that would excuse or cover up their own incompetence, bad behaviour or hidden agendas.

RESTRUCTURING?

It is a simple fact that, whether the rump that lies outside of the A and B teams is 5, 10, or 15%, these employees are the main detrimental force within the team.

Eliminating this small minority from the team goes at least 60% of the way to achieving a successful business and yet the public sector are almost religiously reluctant to do so.

When they eventually and usually half heartedly tackle it, it is almost always as a Voluntary Redundancy Project, which is a missed opportunity and a hugely counterproductive exercise, because you only ever get rid of a few of the bad apples and lose a far greater number of the good ones.

Things will have of course improved to a certain extent and there will be an immediate drop in the wage bill, but the same long festering problems will remain and will still need to be tackled. If left unchallenged, the situation will gradually deteriorate over time, until you are back where you started.

If however you choose the full enforced restructure route then, apart from a measured and controlled one off financial hit followed by the immediate P&L benefits, there are few restructuring costs other than assessment and training.

The financial hit can of course be substantial and prevents a lot of organisations from doing what’s really needed. This is a pity, because the restructuring exercise is an opportunity to get the unit fully ‘fit for purpose’ once and for all and should be a thorough and complete realignment.

Done correctly it should only have to happen once, so when carrying it out, it is essential to make it very clear across the business that it is a determined, fully supported project that won’t be allowed to fail - that ‘the party is over’ and in future there will be no return to the wasteful ways of the past.

It shouldn’t therefore be done in stages, e.g. staff then operatives with a break in between, but as a flowing project with the operative restructure partially overlapping that of the management and staff, which should always come first.

It must of course be carried out in as inclusive and consultative a manner as possible, but there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that it is going to happen.

It is likely to cost quite a sum - money that could be easily spent on any number of projects. So is it the only way open?

Restructuring isn’t the only available choice. If you have tried the voluntary route but didn’t achieve the outcome you expected, or are committed to avoiding a restructure for whatever reason, then you can still achieve your objectives with a dedicated and experienced transformation team.

This ‘taskforce’ will almost certainly require an element of accomplished external support, must have the power to implement what’s needed, and will of course involve a cost.

Although fully involved with the overall team operationally, it must remain strategically detached. It must have operational influence across the structure, yet stay firmly objective.

AN ALTERNATIVE ROUTE?

It’s role is to:-

1) Review processes, procedures, and working practices, including reporting methods - implementing whatever changes are needed.

2) Identify and deliver the training and mentoring needs of the supervisors and managers.

3) Assess operative skills and capabilities - supervising retraining where appropriate.

4) Analyse performance information to identify inefficient, incompetent and fraudulent patterns and trends.

5) Carry out random pre and post inspections of repairs.

6) Work closely with a dedicated HR officer, to ensure there are no delays in processing disciplinary action.

Although this taskforce is there to support, coach and mentor the existing management team, it mustn't be forgotten that the management team itself is almost certain to be seriously underperforming and very likely in need of improvement.

It is essential therefore that they are made fully aware of the taskforce’s mandate, which in turn must fully empower the taskforce if it is to achieve its goals.

One of the greatest stumbling blocks to success is the self generated, self serving internal politics of a less than competent management team - paying lip service to the project, safe in the knowledge that they’ve been through all this before and that things will be returning to ‘normal’ soon.

They’ve had their chance and failed, and possibly after several expensive attempts.

Although an existing DLO may at first appear to be unmanageable, most operatives and sufficient numbers of the management and staff will embrace a significant amount of ‘self management’, when a team philosophy of involvement and responsibility is in place, supported by an efficient and effective operating structure that is understood by everyone.

We all like to know, indeed need to know where we stand. Creating an honest and transparent atmosphere, where every employee is regarded as important and all are treated scrupulously fairly as well as scrupulously firmly, in equal measure, is the first step.

Reasonableness is the key, along with ‘treating every individual as you would wish to be treated yourself’, and ensuring that this ‘mantra’ is followed all the way down the food chain without exception.

A greater problem almost always lies within lower and middle management levels, with as much as 50% of these wholly unsuited to their roles and often completely incapable of making an appropriate impact.

They are usually a mixture of the well meaning good, the equally well meaning incompetent, and the ‘why should we bother?’ Their common denominator is that they have all been promoted on the basis of their trade skills rather than managerial suitability and more often than not have had little or no ‘sharp end’ management training.

The situation is often compounded by operatives transferred into staff positions because of long term injury or lack of trade ability. Once there they usually ‘hide’ in a created, contrived role, and are often devoid of any clerical usefulness whatsoever.

Additionally, the use of ‘productivity schemes’, whereby the operative gets paid extra to do the job ‘cost effectively’ or on a similar basis to a sub-contractor, ties up an inordinate and unnecessary amount of management time. This is because the validating of operative effort by pre and post inspection becomes a full time job in itself.

Productivity schemes are usually only introduced after successive failed attempts at creating an efficient workforce.They do indeed deliver an improvement in performance during an initial first few months, from what is always a low base, as operatives seek to boost their income.

In a very short time however, unless a disproportionate amount of management resource is applied, they result in an even less productive situation than before at much greater cost, usually accompanied by a significant overspend.

This is because the operatives get better and better at ‘working the system’, bringing additional problems for the organisation to deal with, for example:-

Operatives earning two, three, and as much as four times their base salary with a few earning in excess of £100k p.a.Operatives unable, either by ability or opportunity, to earn more than their guaranteed base wage and therefore only doing a minimum of what is required.Operatives taking full advantage of the fact that managers are pulled from pillar to post, enabling them to avoid or walk away from jobs that are too much like hard work or that restrict their earnings.

Before long you’re not managing them, they‘re managing you and they’re deciding how the budget is spent.

Productivity schemes are also often accompanied, either in their initial design or at a later date to offset the high level of unfulfilled managerial inspections, by operative inspections, whereby the operative is paid to pre inspect the job.

This adds another opportunity for ‘wage padding’, with everyone doing a few ‘fill in’ inspections and the lazy and incompetent making up a large part of their working week with spurious inspections. These often result in a request by the operative for a further inspection by a supervisor, manager, or building surveyor.

Any properly qualified, competent, experienced tradesperson should be capable of assessing what is required of him or her prior to starting the work, without the need for any separate inspection or for being paid extra for doing so.

EMERGENCY TEAM?

It becomes even more complicated when an emergency team is in place, because they have the first shot at the profitable opportunities and are often in a position to leave the unprofitable follow on work to others. Despite contractual obligations within the bonus scheme, insisting they have to subsequently finish the job to qualify, they are forced by the system to rush to another emergency.

They therefore get away with ‘making safe’ or only doing the bare minimum to satisfy the repair, leading to the need for a ‘follow on’ or further fresh repair at a later date. They become very good at doing just enough to make the repair last long enough to collect a bonus and are very vocal about the poor condition of the stock as a way of justifying repeated visits.

Dedicated emergency teams ring fence and tie-up a large part of the most able and best performing members of the operative workforce. The idea that these ‘elite’ operatives can be genuinely and competently achieving as many as12 or more jobs a day is a nonsense. They’re just ‘milking the system’ as much as those on only 1 - 2 jobs per day.

Over time it generates a culture of residents getting used to and good at ‘crying wolf’, with an attendant and ever growing percentage of emergency repairs, requiring increasing amounts of effort to control and manage. As the number of emergency repairs becomes a burden, individual operatives who are accomplished at ‘playing the system’, earn excessive wages that ‘eat away’ at the available budget.

The operative’s line management become more and more demoralised and demotivated as they are overwhelmed with pre and post inspections, a backlog of requests from operatives to assist with spurious problems, and mounting complaints from residents about poor, unfinished, and repeatedly postponed work.

They quickly become the organisation’s ‘whipping boys’, carrying an unfair share of the blame, earning less than a lot of the operatives they supervise, and are often the most dissatisfied members of the whole team. Good ones don’t stay, mediocre ones do what they can as well as they can within their ‘silos’, with the balance resigned to the fact that operatives ‘play the system’ and that they are helpless to do much about it.

If it were your own business and you were paying your operatives the going, industry wide agreed rate, to do a particular task that they should be competent at, then the last thing you would do is pay them extra to make sure of it. Nor would you give them a guaranteed ‘profit share’ while you took all the risk.

You would quite rightly expect them to automatically perform in a proficient and cost effective manner. If they didn’t you would manage them and, if necessary, out of the business if there was no reasonable alternative.

The very sub-contractors that you use to supplement your team pay their operatives on the basis of NVQ or equivalent + level of multi-skilling + multi-trade where appropriate + extra proficiency (leading hand) / additional responsibility (charge hand) - and all with 100% trade union agreement.

TRADE OPERATIVE PAY FRAMEWORK

It is often forgotten, that the purpose of any operative pay scheme is to fairly and accurately remunerate the operatives for delivering the correct amount of work within a costed ‘sales’ framework.

This ‘Schedule of Rates’ is what the client expects to pay in a competitive market and is calculated by adding overhead and profit to how long it should take the average, competent tradesman to do the work, i.e. via ‘Standard Minute Values’.

Consequently, it is important that all operatives can prove or are assessed as to their ability to make the appropriate contribution. This then correlates to a fair pay structure.

Operative ability will always vary greatly but, even in the most prosperous of times, those who can’t meet the SMVs, especially after a period of support and retraining, can’t expect to be retained by any organisation.

These individuals don’t just represent a financial drain, often exacerbated by rework, but are a demotivating influence on others. Those that consistently perform at a higher level are role models and the ‘drivers’ of overall team achievement.

Private contractors seek to ensure, that all their operatives are of a sufficient standard to be able to deliver within this SOR at a reasonable return, when averaged out across the team. They fully expect to have to pay more to those who achieve more, just as they don’t expect to keep under achievers on board for longer than is necessary.

Trade operative pay schemes therefore, whether in the private or public sectors, should be structured solely by skills, competency and flexibility, based on nationally agreed rates such as those operated under the CIJB and NIC EIC.

These rates are used widely throughout the private sector as a base and are then uplifted to take account of an individual’s contribution, productivity or extra responsibility.

The fact that it is fully structured and quantified makes it easy to manage the operatives, because they have to demonstrate both skill and productivity to justify any increase in their wages.

In this way, a high quality team of operatives working a 40 hour week are paid across a banding that usually ranges between £26,500 p.a. for the completely unskilled and £36,500 p.a. for the most productive, highly skilled multitrades, with a few multiskilled individuals with extra duties earning £40,000+ p.a.

Where a bonus is paid, it is either on a one off basis to an individual or team because of a short term need or as an end of year profit share across the whole business. The best schemes usually split this overall award, so half is paid pro rata with earnings and the balance to reward individual effort.

Base rates, which have been enhanced by performance or extra responsibility payments, can be further supplemented by a call out standby payment and by overtime paid at time and a half for Saturday and up to 8pm Monday to Friday, with all other O/T hours at double time.

It has in fact become common in the private commercial sector for trade teams to be contracted for anything between a 40 or even a 45 hour week, with the extra hours calculated into their salaries as overtime.

Typically, a CIJB NVQ3 carpenter in the private sector, who was also a very competent multitrade, i.e. to the point of being multiskilled, would earn about £16 per hour, i.e. approximately £32,500 p.a. for a 39 hour week. With ‘Leading Hand’ uplift and overtime to 40 hours this would become around £36,500 p.a.

A fully approved JIB electrician with no other skills would earn £15.22 per hour - i.e. approximately £30,000 p.a. for a 37.5 hour week. With a 10% basic multitrade uplift and overtime to 40 hours this would become around £36,500 p.a.

An NVQ3 or equivalent plasterer who also tiles small amounts to an acceptable standard might get a 10% enhancement, but one who is also an NVQ2 tiler, screeds / lays flooring and is flexible and very productive might get a 35% uplift. Equally an unskilled labourer who can’t drive would get less than one who can.

If an operative feels he or she is undervalued then all they have to do is demonstrate that they are worthy of a higher rate. Underperforming operatives whose quality or quantity of work deteriorates can be downgraded accordingly.

Where someone doesn’t have the right qualifications but considers themselves to be competent then an assessor needs to inspect their work and award the appropriate NVQ. Equally, there are specified rates for electricians e.g. who are competent but not approved, as well as for semiskilled tradesmen, labourers etc.

This framework must of course be underpinned by appropriate Standard Minute Values that allow for access to, as well as the condition of, the housing stock and a Schedule of Rates that therefore reflects the works being undertaken.

It’s worth noting, that in the highly competitive private commercial maintenance sector today, not every front line operative is a fully qualified tradesperson.

It has become the norm for at least 50% of the team to comprise of multitrade operatives with two or possibly three NVQ1 qualifications, with very few having even one NVQ2.This is supplemented with up to 20% non-skilled personnel, and only 20% skilled plus 10% highly skilled tradespersons.

Although this template doesn’t transpose directly onto the social housing maintenance sector, there is a lot to be learned from it.

Efficient DLOs need to keep evolving, by embracing change in an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary manner, and a changing skills profile will play a significant part in this.

Many organisations find themselves in a situation where they are ‘top heavy’ with ineffective managers and unproductive staff, strategically moving ‘full steam ahead’, yet ‘dragging their anchors’ operationally.

Too often the response is to ‘move the goal posts’, adjust targets, massage KPIs, and to generally pretend that things are getting better, when they’re not.

A general unpreparedness in dealing with difficult issues, especially as a result of TUPE obligations, and particularly a failure to make it clear at the start just what is required and equally what is likely to be required of the workforce, in a constantly changing world, always leads to a dysfunctional and unworkable scenario.

Outsourcing is not the answer, as has been proved so often.

There is no ‘magic bullet’ in reaching the goal of a ‘Premier League’ DLO, and many have to accept that even with full empowerment and support it will take a minimum of 6 months and possibly up to 18 months to achieve.

The rewards that come from success however far outweigh any outsourced alternative - delivering a high quality, value for money service to impress even the most vociferous and disgruntled leaseholder.

The introduction of suitable hand held technology, vehicletrackers, and appropriate vehicle imprest stocks, coupled with a properly tailored repairs finder, a good scheduling software package, and a knowledgeable and smart planning team allows senior management to support, monitor, and direct an evaluated, selected, and trained workforce with the help of a minimum of middle and junior managers.

This chart serves to illustrate just how little input is required, from supervisors and middle management generally, to deliver an efficient, value for money service.

OPERATIVES 60%

SYSTEMS

20%

PROCESS

& PROCEDURE

15%

SUPERVISORS & MANAGERS

5%

Equally important is a Resident’s Handbook that generates realistic expectations given the available budget, a well trained and knowledgeable in-house call centre, and the afore mentioned salaried pay scheme, tailored to an individual operative’s skills, productivity and flexibility.

The starting point however, if any manager is to be successful, irrespective of level or area of responsibility, must always be to ‘get control and keep it’. Managers need to be able to manage and they can’t do that unless there is a clear chain of command, along with an agreed structure of guidelines, requirements, and parameters.

This is equally important, whether operating in a ‘Top Down’ or in a Matrix Management environment.

TRADE UNIONS!

Good employee relations are an essential if not the essential component of a truly successful business and Trade Unions can play a vital role in achieving and maintaining a happy team. They shouldn’t be automatically viewed as the enemy but rather as a potential partner in delivering success.

Achieving this ideal state however can often be difficult and require a lot of effort. Your strategy with them should be exactly the same as with your employees, i.e. fully involved, scrupulously fair and equally scrupulously firm, always within the employment regs, reasonableness at all times, and with the clear understanding as to who is managing the business.

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

‘It’s all about the people’ - it is after all, the people that determine the success or failure of the business and the ‘virtual distance’ between ‘the boss’ and the lowliest ‘trooper’ shouldn’t be any greater than it needs to be.

The boss of a privately owned business, even with a staff of a few hundred, would want to know the name, role and contribution made by every employee within the business.

They would make sure that they were in full control without micromanaging - confidently empowering their management team, with a clear ‘chain of command’ and appropriate but simple monitoring and reporting procedures in place.

There is absolutely no reason why the same shouldn’t be just as true for an ALMO or local authority DLO.

OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE

The following outlines a workable framework for delivering a quality, cost effective repairs service, regardless of size. Small DLOs may need to cut, condense, or combine roles, just as large ones would increase the number of certain positions.

Typically, a maximum overall ratio of 1 - 3 staff to operatives will deliver the most efficient results - an important and usually overlooked point when taking decisions to outsource, say gas servicing for example. This is because the ‘economies of scale’ are always critically important in getting best ‘value for money’. In any event, in a well run business and when fully occupied, operatives are revenue generating assets. Equally, only in exceptional circumstances should any supervisor or manager have less than 15 operatives.

UNIT DIRECTOR

LOGISTICS MANAGER

STOREMEN / COURIERS

DRIVER / LABOURERS

LEAD

PLANNER

PLANNERS

ADMIN

PLANNED

OPERATIONS MANAGER

VOIDS

MANAGER

S’VISORS

GAS

MANAGER

S’VISORS

DISREPAIR

MANAGER

ELEC

MANAGERS’VISORS

ADMIN

PA

SENIOR ADMIN

ADMIN POOL

FINANCE & COMMERCIAL

MANAGER

SENIOR QS

ADMIN

BUILDING INSPECTORS

SENIOR FINANCE OFFICER

PAYROLL

OFFICER

FINANCE ASSISTANTS

CUSTOMERLIAISON

MANAGER

ADMIN

SYSTEMSMANAGER

SOFTWARE ENGINEERS

ADMIN

H&S MANAGER

ADMIN

RESPONSIVE

OPERATIONSMANAGER

REPAIRSS’VISORS

ADMIN

HRMANAGER

ADMIN

This structure allows the Unit Director close control of the operation, whilst providing the flexibility to operate with the minimum of supervision. DLOs of any size can be successfully managed with this or a variant of this template.

The PA role is as important as any member of the Senior Management Team. He or she monitors the pulse of the organisation, manages the administrative pool, and is responsible for the collation of all data along with the formulation of all KPIs and reporting information.

The Logistics Manager performs a key function as the hub of operational delivery and is the Line Manager for all the operatives. This role covers all work planning including the important relationship between ‘right first time’ and the First response and Completions Team, as well as stock control, vehicle management, tools, etc.

DIRECTOR

PA

H&S MANAGER

CUSTOMER LIAISONMANAGER

SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR

HR MANAGER

UNITDIRECTOR

FINANCE & COMMERCIAL

MANAGER

LOGISTICS MANAGER

OPERATIONS MANAGERS

SYSTEMS MANAGER

SENIOR QS

FINANCE MANAGER

SENIOR FINANCE OFFICER

SENIOR FINANCE OFFICER

PAYROLL OFFICER

FINANCE ASSISTANTS

SENIOR QUANTITY SURVEYOR

BUILDING INSPECTORS

ADMIN

LOGISTICS MANAGER

STOREMEN/ COURIERS

DRIVER / LABOURERS ADMIN

PLANNING /SCHEDULING

TEAM

LEADPLANNER

PLANNERS

OPERATIONS MANAGERPLANNED WORKS

ADMIN

GAS SERVICES MANAGER

ELECTRICAL MANAGER

DISREPAIRMANAGER

VOIDSMANAGER

SUPERVISORSSUPERVISORS

SUPERVISORS

OPERATIONS MANAGERRESPONSIVE REPAIRS

ADMINSERVICE

MANAGERS

SYSTEMSMANAGER

SOFTWARE ENGINEERS

ADMIN

OPERATIVE POOL

PLANNED

COMPLETIONS TEAM

FIRSTRESPONSE

AN END TO SILO MENTALITY!

The most efficient and therefore cost effective way to deliver a fluctuating demand repairs service is by having a pool of flexible, multi-skilled, multi-trade, multi-tasking operatives.

There will always be operatives who predominately work in one area because that is where they are most suited, whether because of extra skill or the lack of it, but even the most limited of them can be utilised elsewhere when available or needed.

Managers will often say “just give me my team and I’ll deliver my end”, which they invariably do. However, they’ll ask for extra men when stretched, yet when slack they are often unaware of, or reluctant to free up operatives who have little or nothing to do.

If four managers have a total of fourteen carpenters between them, then it’s likely that cumulatively they only have enough work for twelve at best.

Supervisors and middle managers usually know the assets, know the types of work required, and also know the abilities of the individual operatives, even in large DLOs. Despite or because of this, they invariably seek to have as many of the best operatives under their control and usually too many.

Educating them that the Operative Pool is in everyone’s best interests is one thing, but they’ll only embrace it if they are sure that the available resource is of a decent standard and free from the incompetent and the unwilling. A reliable skills audit complete with a competency, quality and output assessment is therefore essential.

FIRST RESPONSEThe best way of dealing with and managing all responsive repairs is to have a First Response Team backed up by a Completions Team, with the majority of operatives available for emergencies.

In keeping with the need to reduce costs and the large number of managers traditionally associated with DLOs, First Response dovetails in perfectly with the philosophy of ‘self management’.

Unless previously surveyed and therefore pre-planned, whereby a job would be allocated to a Completions Team operative, a First Response operative would likely make the initial visit and either ‘first time fix’ or plan and programme the completion works.

Any follow-on works can be booked and organised, materials ordered and often pre-delivered, and any completion details arranged with the resident, there and then to their satisfaction.

When a First Response system is coupled with the appropriate technology etc, as outlined earlier, the service becomes largely self managing, requiring minimal external supervision and far fewer managers to perform effectively.

In this way the operation becomes very efficient and therefore very competitively priced - the envy of any outsourced contractor.

BUSINESS OR POLITICS

It is essential that the DLO is able to operate completely free from all political expediency or influence. In theory, the creation of ALMOs should have removed the corporate element, but this generally didn’t happen because very few were allowed to be truly ‘arms length’.

Public Sector organisations are often quoted as saying that they need and want to operate as if they were private businesses. This is a worthy, yet very seldom achieved cause, because corporate and internal politics almost always get in the way.

The internal culture feeds off the corporate and as a result, the senior and executive management team are more involved in the politics than in service delivery, with the rest of the team either just playing along or constantly struggling with bad decisions.

This ‘motivational blight’ percolates down and through the organisation, engendering a ‘what’s the point?’ attitude and contributing significantly to the ‘them and us’ mentality so prevalent in failing DLOs.

It’s customary to lay the blame squarely at the feet of the workforce, after all they’re usually the ones ‘dragging the business down’, aren’t they? The unpalatable truth is, that the situation only got to where it is because of long standing incompetent and ineffectual direction and management.

It is essential therefore that, once achieved, the now ‘lean’ management team are fully trained, experienced, strong, genuinely ‘fair but firm’, and 100% supported.

‘Welcome to the successful, value for money, DLO social housing repairs service.’

GRAEME HASKETTAn experienced Troubleshooter and Problem Solver, I help businesses of all types, shape and size, including starts-ups, SMEs and PLCs overcome the obstacles preventing them from getting to the next level by delivering revenue growth, reducing costs, improving operational productivity, increasing profitability, planning for the future, raising finance, dealing with difficult staff and helping with everyday problems. As operational as I am strategic, I arrive totally free from any preconceived beliefs or ‘internal baggage’, in an advisory and supportive capacity as a consultant or Non Executive Director, or closely involved and directly accountable as an interim executive.

A businessman for 35 years, with a ‘hands on’ mentoring style, I give freely of my knowledge at all times and work closely with everyone involved to ensure they achieve the best results.

I am not a ‘desk jockey’, offering overpriced textbook advice with little or nothing to substantiate it - neither do I employ any of the ever increasing number of ‘one size fits all’, tick-box, template methodologies that offer no guarantee of success.

Having made my mistakes a long time ago, I prefer to do my own thinking before ‘getting all my ducks in a row’, because ‘Proper Planning and PreparationPrevents Poor Performance’.

A lifelong Mensan, I provide jargon free, experience based management advice and support. I have met all the players, heard all the excuses, seen all the personal agendas, and battled with the office and corporate politics many times over.

My methods are based on my knowledge, common sense, and above all logical thinking. If I have thought it through and it doesn’t make sense then, no matter what the manual says, I won’t implement it because I know it won’t work.

You won’t get a cut and paste, ‘off the peg’ solution when you hire me. What you will get is dedication, commitment and 100% straight talking, along with a money back guarantee that none of my competitors have the confidence to match.

I offer up to a full day’s no cost preliminary consultation, including a short written summary of my initial views on how I might best help, plus the likely cost of any further work, should you wish to proceed.

You can pay by the hour, by the day, for a fixed price, or on a results dependent basis of up to 75% of my fee excluding expenses. I will also refund the whole fee less expenses, if I fail to make a significant improvement.

I guarantee value for money because all I’m selling is my analytical skills, my experience, and a lifetime of innovation and successful delivery. Consequently, there is no company or organisation, large or small, that wouldn’t benefit in some way from hiring me.

VALUE FOR MONEY GUARANTEE

‘FACILITOR’ENGAGEMENT, ALIGNMENT, CHANGE & ENABLEMENT

Bespoke experiential ‘PATHWAY’ training workshops and presentations along with facilitated ‘peer to peer’ forums aimed at senior managers, executives, and director level achievers seeking to attain their organisational goals - reaching their full potential by meeting and aligning themselves in such a way as to share and benefit from each other’s knowledge and expertise - exchanging best practice and testing new ideas in a relaxed but challenging environment - collectively problem solving, troubleshooting, and improving the performance of their respective organisations - learning from the hindsight of like-minded individuals to become better informed, better prepared, inspirational leaders and managers.

GRAMPIAN MANAGEMENT SERVICES LTD www.grampianmanagement.com

UNDERPERFORMANCE & BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST TRANSFORMATION & TURNAROUND - EXECUTIVE SUPPORT

INDEPENDENT ADVICE - INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS

Whether Client or Contractor, if you would like to know more about the DLO PATHWAY and how, when supported by a good management practice method such as the PEOPLE PATHWAY, it can help you achieve a first class social housing repairs service, then why not contact me for a confidential chat.

Graeme Haskettgraemehaskett@grampianmanagement.comMob:- 07914 733131 Tel:- 020 8390 1220 Skype:- mcgrouse