2. Our story of quality development
In the Ombudsman’s opinion...
Safe delegation of discretionary decision making
Systematic improvement and quality assurance
Introducing an external perspective

3. In the Ombudsman’s opinion...
All decisions about process and determination overseen, supervised and signed by the Ombudsman
Advantages:
The statutory appointee has control over the quality of decisions
Decisions are genuinely ‘in the Ombudsman’s opinion...’
Standards of quality are in the Ombudsman’s head – process of complaint handling directed by him

4. In the Ombudsman’s opinion...
Disadvantages:
Lack of capacity in face of rising demand
Process bottlenecks
Lack of clear guidance on exercise of discretion
Problems managing performance because of lack of clear expectations
Disempowering highly qualified and expensive employees

5. Our story of quality development
In the Ombudsman’s opinion...
Safe delegation of discretionary decision making
Systematic improvement and quality assurance
Introducing an external perspective

6. Safe delegation of discretion
Defining quality
2004 Quality criteria
Manager’s to supervise
Final decisions delegated to senior managers
Clear communication
Managing expectations
Clarity of Ombudsman’s role
Timeliness
Consistency in approach and decision-making
Accuracy
Accountability – evidence based decision making

7. Safe delegation of discretion
Advantages:
Managers able to make decisions
Clarity on skills and competencies needed
Clearer guidance on parameters for exercising discretion – more autonomy
Clearer expectations for managing performance
Efficiency

8. Safe delegation of discretion
Disadvantages:
‘Subjectivity’ of quality monitoring
Personal values under attack
Variable quality of decisions
Onerous quality control
Marking home work

9. Our story of quality development
In the Ombudsman’s opinion...
Safe delegation of discretionary decision making
Systematic improvement and quality assurance
Introducing an external perspective

10. Systematic process and quality assurance
Core process re-engineering
Single casework process
Lean principles – purpose and customer perspective
CMS with management reports
Investigation and quality assurance processes integrated into work-flow
Increasing demand
Board requiring assurance
Opaque processes
Lack of clarity of purpose
Single flow process

11. Systematic process and quality assurance
Casework roles
Job roles and team structures
Competencies & emotional intelligence
Performance management
Learning and development – skills and behaviours
Guidance on discretions
Customer service
Teams dealing with process end to end

12. Systematic process and quality assurance
Culture
Values
Explicit people management expectations
Commitment, competence and contribution
Management development - effective feedback, difficult conversations, managing performance, challenging behaviours
You can’t manage quality and performance without giving your managers the tools they need – both in terms of a corporate culture. Policies and procedures. Explicit expectations of behaviour. People as well as technical skills

13. Systematic process and quality assurance
2007 quality standards
Accurate reflection of the Ombudsman’s role
Fair and impartial
Timely
Professional standards of customer care
Clarity
Audit trail
Decisions & determinations
Purpose - Managing reputation and risk
Compliance

14. Systematic process and quality assurance
Quality control process:
Complaint definition
Key issues
Investigation and assessment of evidence
Determination – ‘findings’
Orders and recommendations
Key stages of process of investigation
Direction of investigation
Determination
Review

15. Systematic process and quality assurance
Advantages:
Unbelievable efficiencies
Double demand
Half investigation time
No extra resources
Turnover – ‘non-regretted leavers’
Highly skilled managers and caseworkers

16. Systematic process and quality assurance
Disadvantages:
Competence is not universal
Endless ‘development’ activities
Blurred boundaries of acceptable performance
Quality supported by the highly skilled – marking homework
Double handling of casework
Lack of responsibility for decision making
Target driven investigations distorting process
Undervalued work at the front end of process
Process driven performance

17. Our story of quality development
In the Ombudsman’s opinion...
Safe delegation of discretionary decision making
Systematic improvement and quality assurance
Introducing an external perspective

18. Introducing the external perspective
What value do we add?
What impact does our service have on our customers and the sector we work in?
Public value and employee engagement
It’s all very well being efficient – and effectively managing reputation and risk but we must be able to offer more than that...Introduction of the idea that quality has to have an external perspective – we need to produce a high quality product by our own standards – but we also need to have regard to what our customers think is important...

19. Introducing the external perspective
Build on the good bits...
Align work flow to reflect customer demand and deliver value
Focus on positive outcomes not process
Streamlined quality standards integrating customer care
Flexible roles to match the skills that actually exist

20. Introducing the external perspective
What does the customer think?
Tenants and landlords
Did we help?
How did we treat you?
Evidence of impact on an individual and collective basis

21. Introducing the external perspective
Advantages:
Performance management for the whole of HOS
Benchmark for service improvements
Analysis to improve performance
Insight into which elements of ‘quality’ have the greatest impact on the customer
Recognises value at all stages of the process
Puts the customer at the centre of our service
Analysis to improve performance applies at all levels from corporate to individual
Value at all stages of process – but also non-casework – linking support teams purpose to outcomes

22. Introducing the external perspective
Work in progress:
Embedding the new ways of working
Focus on outcomes
External perspective
Understanding autonomy
Accepting responsibility
Mindset and behaviour change

23. Our story of quality development
Intrinsically linked to our organisational development
Where you are in terms of organisational development will determine how you manage quality
Driving up quality will help you with organisational development
Simple in theory, darn hard in practice!
Through 4 stages of quality development – from defining quality in the Ombudsman’s head – through quality defined and measured by managers – to giving the customer a say in what quality is...