Balancing Cost Savings, Capabilities & Risk

The Challenge

Significant budgetary restrictions are forcing structural and service reviews throughout the public sector. For departments and agencies, budget cuts are already being applied and difficult decisions need to be made. Future strategies will need to realise significant cost savings, whilst minimising the impact on front-line services. This challenge exists in a climate where there is increasing public pressure and intense scrutiny to deliver ever more effective and efficient services.

Clearly, there is an opportunity for public sector organisations’ to take control and manage the balancing of cost savings and essential services; through a process of effective Trade-Off Analysis.

“Options for cost savings of up to 42% have been identified, these have been combined with an impact assessment on performance and consequential risks… all assessed cost saving options are realisable within 12 months. ” Government Agency TradeSpace™ Assessment, April 2010

A Proven Approach to Cost Saving & Performance Management

Ensuring the best possible outcome is a complex task, requiring the consideration of a number of key factors:

An understanding and prioritisation of organisational capabilities and services aligned with clearly defined stakeholder communities and requirements.
An in-depth exploration and consideration of the impact of potential cost savings on performance, operational and community-based risk.
An understanding of the timescales and resource implications is required to determine the sustainability of capabilities, performance and cost savings.
Comprehensive stakeholder consultation, agreement and on-going management.
The ability to realise a cost saving option through confident implementation of a robustly defined delivery plan.
The ability to identify and qualify opportunities for Shared Services across the organisation and with national and local partners and government agencies.

Introducing the TradeSpace™ Process & Application

TradeSpace™ provides a best practice framework, process and software application that guides an organisation through the trade-off analysis process. TradeSpace™ is research-based*, proven, flexible and easy to implement. We empower teams to successfully complete complex analysis without the need for on-going and costly consultancy assistance.

With powerful full stakeholder management functionality, it is possible to ensure that all cost savings, performance changes and risks are fully reviewed and agreed by all of the key stakeholder communities.

A comprehensive analysis of balanced cost saving opportunities can typically be completed within four weeks of process and application implementation and skills transfer.

A Powerful Aid to Effective Decision Making

Clear, visual and flexible reporting is combined with the ability to quickly assess various future scenarios. TradeSpace™ provides these capabilities at all levels of management; providing focused information, on-demand - supporting confident decision-making.

The reports identify key waypoints, clearly highlighting the risks likely to emerge on the path towards cost savings realisation. A key feature of TradeSpace™ is the ability to identify where cost and resource savings can be made without impeding current and planned, future capabilities and operational performance.

Building Internal Capability

Proving provides a low cost, highly effective solution for meeting the current economic challenges. In keeping with our academic background, our business ethos is to support our clients in developing internal capabilities and competences. This is achieved through a Capability Transfer Programme; embedding the process together with the essential skills and knowledge. Skills transfer may be delivered on-site or at Cranfield University; if a more formal learning environment is required. From the outset, Proving endeavours to ensure that the TradeSpace™ process and application assist organisations in becoming centres of excellence; effective in trade-off analysis, performance management, risk mitigation and cost savings realisation.

For more information please contact us.