The Planning Inspectorate

City

Rural

Supporting Decision Making

CLIENT ASSIGNMENT:

Comprehensive Organisational Redesign

Duration: 11 Months

Location: Bristol

EiB Role:

Management Consultants and Programme Management

Project Overview:

The Planning Inspectorate had evolved over its 100 year history as new legislation created new requirements; the result was an organisation with highly motivated staff but little flexibility for new tasks or varying workload, with no capacity to cope with forecast changes to planning legislation, and with duplication of certain common functions. 

Like many organisations (PINS has around 800 staff, of whom about 450 are office based) this Government Agency was faced with a rapidly changing environment in which to operate, including Central Government initiatives such as the regionalisation agenda, changing planning regulations, and a forecast of a 10% year on year increase in workload for the next 3 - 4 years.

Under the leadership of a new Chief Executive, the main board had taken a strategic decision to re-structure the Inspectorate around 3 core areas: policy, operations and support.  Initially it was intended to take this re-structuring forward internally but it was quickly found that the senior management team lacked sufficient time to tackle this as well as their existing high workloads.  The commission was to support the design, development and delivery of this key project

Project Outcomes/Impact:

1. Throughout, the aim was to maximise the ability to conduct "business as usual" during and immediately after the transition phase.  This was achieved, with particular emphasis on ensuring that implicit knowledge was not lost - that staff were easily able to tap into the "corporate memory", even where individuals had moved into new roles.  Additionally, we developed and produced a detailed CD-ROM based communications tool. 
2. We developed the programme management concept for taking forward the wide range of related strategic initiatives that depended on the new structure being in place.
3. For the Planning Inspectorate the benefits were the considerably increased flexibility of the organisation. 
4. Common functions were brought together, releasing resource for specifically customer facing tasks - moving effort from the back office to the front line.  It provided the basis for moving forward into a new, and more challenging, environment.

CONSULTANCY SERVICE LINKS:

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT LINKS:

CONSULTANT LINKS: