Public Sector Case Study: Part 1
Between 2022 - 2023, Lithe Transformation and its expert consultants undertook a series of projects across several departments in the public sector. The following case study is Part 1 of a series that showcases how Lithe coached and advised multi-level officials in not just understanding and implementing the principles of Agile but also using them to achieve long-term and sustainable results.
If you are an organisation that is struggling with time delays, failing to meet objectives and is in a constant rope challenge on what to prioritise, get in touch with us to see how our experienced consultants can help you revolutionise your operations.
This public body is a well-oiled machine and highly agile in many scenarios.
A lot hangs in the balance for the organisations within this sector to operate with efficiency and ease when faced with critical situations.
So, what valuable contributions could we provide to a department operating under well-established guidelines of official regulations, and trained to excel in its core functions?
A different perspective, for a start.
Together with other leading consultancies, Lithe was engaged to support the leaders of the organisation to streamline decision-making processes and improve operational agility, whilst navigating the organisation's traditional structures and challenges.
Faced with a rigid and bureaucratic decision-making process, the departments were keen to identify the delays, bottlenecks and inefficiencies within the organisation’s lengthy planning processes.
Lithe’s consulting engagement aimed to bring about positive outcomes and results through coaching and collaborative efforts.
The Key Challenges:
Lengthy Decision-making Processes:
The specific area where this transformation was focused on was bound by strict operational guidelines, many downstream from higher-up regulations, enforcing a waterfall methodology when planning work. This meant that decisions and approvals had to follow a sequential, stage-gated process.
This approach inevitably caused delays, pushing operational decisions further out, so that the two year planning window was compressed into the final few months, often leading to delays and posed a significant risk due to the complex and critical nature of the work.
Key decisions required input and approval from people higher up, who were understandably reluctant to make decisions until they had the critical WHO, WHAT, and WHEN information. None of this could be known until the planning teams had the WHY information, and that came from the highest level of directors in charge. The risk associated with making the wrong decisions further complicated timely decision-making.
Approach and Methodology:
Lithe Consulting utilised its expertise and undertook a coaching and agile-thinking approach to address the challenges faced by the department. The consulting team, including Russ Lewis, worked closely with key personnel, to understand the situation and help the colleagues and planning experts use agile ways of thinking to improve the process.
The approach included the following key steps:
Understanding Current Processes:
The consultants actively listened to the personnel, gaining insights into their work processes, pain points, and decision-making challenges. Working as part of the team but offering different ways of thinking, Lithe's consultants realised that the current approach to planning was the equivalent to waterfall and asked "how can we make decisions iteratively and incrementally?”
Agile-thinking and Breaking Down Decision-making:
Gradually, the team came to see an alternative to waiting for their bosses instruction so they could begin planning. Instead, they saw the instruction as a set of decisions, each one having a number of options. Even more importantly, they recognised they had the expertise to provide the boss with those options and that doing so would make it easier to arrive at a decision. Instead of command and control, the team and the boss could collaborate.
Reframing and Empowerment:
By using various personal development coaching and reframing techniques, the consulting team empowered personnel by helping them realise their agency and the critical role they played in decision-making. By emphasising the importance of conversations, negotiations, and relationships, the team reshaped the perception of decision-making as a collaborative effort rather than a top-down imposition.
Results and Impact
Through coaching and collaborative efforts, Lithe Consulting supported this group in overcoming bureaucratic hurdles and fostering a more Agile approach.
The transformation empowered key personnel at all levels to make informed decisions quickly, resulting in reduced operational risks, increased collaboration, and improved overall efficiency.
As a result, the department achieved its goal of planning operations in just 3 months, a significant improvement from the previous year-long timeframe.
The successful transformation showcased the benefits of Agile thinking and demonstrated how it can be applied beyond traditional software development, even in a highly hierarchical and complex organisation.
This led to:
1. Streamlined Decision-Making:
The adoption of an agile approach and the breaking down of decision phases allowed the department and personnel to make decisions more efficiently. Incremental decisions enabled quicker approvals, reduced delays, and improved the overall decision-making process.
2. Increased Collaboration and Empowerment:
Agile thinking and reframing processes improved collaboration among teams and stakeholders, fostering a more agile and responsive environment, empowering people throughout the organisation.
3. Improved Operational Agility:
With faster decision-making and improved information flow, the teams became more adaptable and responsive to changing circumstances.
4. Leadership Development:
Lithe Consultants introduced leadership development workshops that enabled leaders to experience scenarios and understand Agile thinking in practical contexts, not just whilst under the engagement of Lithe but also for the future.
Join the journey of driving efficiency and effectiveness through agile adoption. Contact Lithe Consulting to embark on your agile transformation.
