Design of a high-performance operational planning process at the NCLS
- OverviewRead more
The National College for School Leadership (NCSL) undertakes a wide range of leadership programmes and projects. Moorhouse were engaged to support updates to operational planning and budget preparation. Leading a collaborative client-consultant team, we delivered this project that comprised two 'cycles' of activity. The first was based on our existing performance management framework and rapidly developed NCSL's operational planning approach. We created customised planning templates, raised awareness of planning, and provided mentoring to managers. The second planning cycle focused on assurance on the operational plans, active management of interdependencies and confirmation of links for the budget process. The client-consultant team's PPM approach created a renewed focus on operational plans, inspired greater confidence and capability in creating and using 'SMART' business objectives, and improved collaboration and ability to co-ordinate programmes across government agencies.
- Our client's challengeRead more
Historical challenges in the area of budget variance and consistency of planning across the organisation had led to the development of several internal initiatives in the area of governance and planning. Keen to build on the gathering momentum, NCSL appointed Moorhouse to support the core objective of updating the operational planning and budget preparation process in two areas:
- To provide targeted support to ensure increased robustness for their budget-preparation process
To enable stronger linkages with the corporate planning cycle, more rigour in operational plans, and a tighter budget relationship to enable far greater confidence in the achievability and realism of delivery objectives.
- To provide targeted support to ensure increased robustness for their budget-preparation process
- Our responseRead more
Moorhouse led a combined client-consultant team to create, deliver and embed this project comprising two “cycles” of activity:
The first planning cycle rapidly developed an operational planning approach based on Moorhouse's existing performance management framework. This included:
- Designing and customising planning templates including guidance notes;
- Conducting stakeholder engagement across the College to raise awareness of planning;
- Providing mentoring amongst managers charged with creation of an initial suite of operational plans comprised of 'SMART' business objectives tied into the initial budget settlement.
The second planning cycle focused more strongly on assurance of the operational plans as they were refined; active management of interdependencies and the confirmation of links for the budget process.Both planning cycles taken together were designed to encompass the entire planning year by providing sufficient time in the process for real engagement within the college.
- The value to our clientRead more
The joint client-consultant team was empowered by a Project 'Working Group' that enabled NCSL to 'own' the solution from the outset. We built and embedded a PPM approach that:
- Created a renewed focus on operational plans leading the process that results in intrinsically linked budgets to provide a financial perspective on business objectives;
- Provided tactical support for preparation of upcoming budgets;
- Established links between strategic objectives and individual performance;
- Introduced a consistent level of operational planning;
- Created a culture in which staff were more engaged with direction by shaping strategy during the planning year. Provided a pragmatic, flexible solution that could be developed further to provide management information from the College's roadmap of delivery;
- Greater confidence and capability in using 'SMART' business objectives;
- Increased clarity and focus on performance management processes;
- Improved collaboration and greater ability to co-ordinate programmes across government agencies.
- Established the ability to interact more proactively with corporate support functions in order to ensure planning is genuinely holistic.
