It's been a busy week this week. I am Deputy Assistant Returning Officer (DARO) for the South West Wiltshire constituency at next weeks' election. This means that I'm responsible and accountable for the election in this constituency. We're in the final stages of planning, training the polling station teams and preparing for the verification and count next Thursday. As an election "junky", I'm loving it!
Tomorrow, Friday I'm taking my team to Urchfont to spend a day reviewing where we are as a team; what's going well and what's not working as well as we would wish. We'll then develop our improvement plans together to ensure we're all leading in the same direction. We will also be starting work on some elements of the Business Plan that will take shape over the next 3-4 months. More of this another time.
I spent yesterday morning walking the streets of Melksham with one of our Parish Stewards and the highway repairs team. We were learning about the demand that comes into the service, and designing ways for improving the quality and speed of response to our customers. I love this work; it's real and you always learn something new that can be used to develop and improve the business that we're in.
Thanks for reading. I'll try and speak again next week but as I will have been up all night at the count it may not happen!
Enjoy your long weekend.
Carlton
Friday, 30 April 2010
Friday, 23 April 2010
Friday 23 April 2010
A great week this week - a combination of moving forward quickly on some of the larger corporate change programmes coupled with some brilliant weather. Topped off with a superb Victoria sponge made by Louise Della Mura from property services for our weekly team and biscuits session yesterday. Thanks a lot Louise. And my new kitchen is almost fitted - last night I was washing up in the bath which is starting to annoy even me! Just the plumbing to go now...
I chaired the Work Place Transformation Board on Tuesday. This board oversees the numerous delivery work streams that make up this programme, which we now believe to be the largest and fastest service and property transformation programme anywhere in the public sector, let alone local government. Many of you will have also seen the Cabinet decision to approve the decant of some County Hall and Browfort based staff to the George Ward site in Melksham while the refurbishment is carried out. Whilst some are very excited about this, I know that others are very worried about how all of this will work. The programme team will now be working hard with individuals and teams to work out the details and to minimise the disruption to our customers, work and personal lives. More of this in future blogs.
David Amos from the Local Government Improvement Network in Scotland visited us on Wednesday. Wiltshire is increasingly being seen as a leader for its successful work on LGR, BMP and systems thinking led service transformation using lean principles. It was good to have some national recognition for this work.
I'm joining the ICT management team at Urchfont today where they are conducting the detailed planning around the in-sourcing of ICT and how ICT supports the work place transformation programme. This is the most important part of this programme, as the flexible use of our office and operational estate all hinges on great, reliable ICT. The first role out of the new kit starts over the next few months as Bourne Hill starts to be fitted out.
Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend and talk again next week.
Carlton
I chaired the Work Place Transformation Board on Tuesday. This board oversees the numerous delivery work streams that make up this programme, which we now believe to be the largest and fastest service and property transformation programme anywhere in the public sector, let alone local government. Many of you will have also seen the Cabinet decision to approve the decant of some County Hall and Browfort based staff to the George Ward site in Melksham while the refurbishment is carried out. Whilst some are very excited about this, I know that others are very worried about how all of this will work. The programme team will now be working hard with individuals and teams to work out the details and to minimise the disruption to our customers, work and personal lives. More of this in future blogs.
David Amos from the Local Government Improvement Network in Scotland visited us on Wednesday. Wiltshire is increasingly being seen as a leader for its successful work on LGR, BMP and systems thinking led service transformation using lean principles. It was good to have some national recognition for this work.
I'm joining the ICT management team at Urchfont today where they are conducting the detailed planning around the in-sourcing of ICT and how ICT supports the work place transformation programme. This is the most important part of this programme, as the flexible use of our office and operational estate all hinges on great, reliable ICT. The first role out of the new kit starts over the next few months as Bourne Hill starts to be fitted out.
Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend and talk again next week.
Carlton
Friday, 16 April 2010
Friday 16 April 2010
Back to work after my hols, and I'm pleased to report that the weather on the Costa-Frome was excellent. All the better too for not having to navigate Icelandic volcanic ash clouds and millions of people at airports...
This week I spent a morning with the Customer Care Unit management team at their team meeting. We went through much customer demand data that they have been collecting from their lean review and started to understand what it's telling us about how customers are contacting us and the problems they sometimes face. I love this stuff as it represents such an important way of learning about how to improve our work. I recommend this approach to everybody!
I have had the initial KPMG findings for our 2009-10 Use of Resources assessment. I met with the steering team earlier this week to review these findings and plan further work over the next two months in terms of additional case and evidence material which we will have to pull together for the auditors.
I went to Potterne yesterday to meet with senior staff at Wiltshire Fire & Rescue. We're exploring ways whereby we might be able to collaborate on things such as fleet management and maintenance, procurement, and support services. I think there are some very quick wins on the cards here, and it was great to meet colleagues from another part of the public sector who think so too. More on this anon.
Just for information, I have re-started my weekly tea & biscuits sessions for front line staff. Those of you new to DOR may not have heard about these, but it is an opportunity for 5 or 6 front line staff and I to get together over a cuppa to chat about anything at all, how things are going, how we might improve them too. If you'd like to attend, please email Jane or myself.
Thanks for reading. Have a good weekend, and chat again next week.
Carlton
This week I spent a morning with the Customer Care Unit management team at their team meeting. We went through much customer demand data that they have been collecting from their lean review and started to understand what it's telling us about how customers are contacting us and the problems they sometimes face. I love this stuff as it represents such an important way of learning about how to improve our work. I recommend this approach to everybody!
I have had the initial KPMG findings for our 2009-10 Use of Resources assessment. I met with the steering team earlier this week to review these findings and plan further work over the next two months in terms of additional case and evidence material which we will have to pull together for the auditors.
I went to Potterne yesterday to meet with senior staff at Wiltshire Fire & Rescue. We're exploring ways whereby we might be able to collaborate on things such as fleet management and maintenance, procurement, and support services. I think there are some very quick wins on the cards here, and it was great to meet colleagues from another part of the public sector who think so too. More on this anon.
Just for information, I have re-started my weekly tea & biscuits sessions for front line staff. Those of you new to DOR may not have heard about these, but it is an opportunity for 5 or 6 front line staff and I to get together over a cuppa to chat about anything at all, how things are going, how we might improve them too. If you'd like to attend, please email Jane or myself.
Thanks for reading. Have a good weekend, and chat again next week.
Carlton
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Thursday 1 April
Well we made it! Our 1st birthday has arrived and I can't believe it's been a year since we formed. Happy birthday everybody.
And what a year it's been - busy and hectic doesn't begin to describe what we've been through and what we've all achieved together. I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you very much. Thanks for your effort, hard work and unstinting commitment to making it all happen, in which ever part of the business you work.
I'm taking next week off for a rest - like many of you. I hope you all have a great Easter, and enjoy your break if you're taking one.
Thanks for reading. Talk again in a couple of weeks.
Carlton
And what a year it's been - busy and hectic doesn't begin to describe what we've been through and what we've all achieved together. I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you very much. Thanks for your effort, hard work and unstinting commitment to making it all happen, in which ever part of the business you work.
I'm taking next week off for a rest - like many of you. I hope you all have a great Easter, and enjoy your break if you're taking one.
Thanks for reading. Talk again in a couple of weeks.
Carlton
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