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Process and logistical confusion was causing the Home Office to miss its performance targets; Xansa consultants found out why and helped improve response times by 50%
The Home Office has a high public profile and satisfying everyone's need for information about security policy and events is a challenging task. Ministers get over 100,000 items of correspondence a year from MPs and members of the public.
The challenge
One key measure of performance is the speed with which correspondence is answered. The Home Office is expected to respond to 90% of its correspondence within 15 days of receipt but was often only achieving rates of 40% or 50%. Causes included the fact that correspondence was being passed between the Communications Directorate and up to 45 other Policy Units and seven Ministers' offices without any proper tracking system.
The solution
The first task for Xansa was to examine current business processes, identify what was needed to improve correspondence response times, review the IT options and make recommendations for action.
Having involved all stakeholders and obtained their buy-in, Xansa worked with the chosen IT supplier to ensure delivery against detailed requirements and with the Communications Directorate, on a benefits delivery plan with quarterly targets. This, together with the fact that Xansa undertook the complete business and technical assurance role, helped guarantee ongoing implementation of the improvements. A subsequent feasibility study confirmed that the same correspondence tracking system should be implemented for sister department, the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.
The benefit
After the major review of internal processes and implementation of the automated correspondence tracking system (CTS), there is a 50% improvement in correspondence response times.
Although these programmes are notoriously difficult to implement, Mark Smith project manager at the Home Office remarked, "Like all culture-changing projects, CTS will take time to bed in but if you ask 'Was it on budget?' or 'Did it achieve its objectives?', the answer is categorically, yes it did".
Better tracking means there is a single view of when correspondence items come in and go out enabling prioritisation to take place. Managers can see where volumes are rising and move resources to deal with peaks. In addition, the Department can look at quality and target training where it is needed most.
Xansa's understanding of business benefits realisation was a big factor for me. I have no qualms about saying that this project has advanced us, even though we have only just gone live.
Jill Beckingham, Project Director, Immigration and Nationality Directorate