August 2004
News update from Rocket Science
Get CLOSER to your client...
How can you ensure your clients have a great experience of your services?
CLOSER (Client Oriented Services) is a new way of finding out how clients experience your services. A detailed exploration of the client experience - from first contact and service delivery to follow through - reveals a 'process outline' which identifies areas for improvement in terms of customer satisfaction and internal efficiency and effectiveness.
Gillian Gray, Community Enterprise in Strathclyde (CEiS) said: 'Rocket Science undertook a detailed assessment of our internal processes to identify any areas for improvement. This review involved interviewing key members of each team, reviewing client files and gaining a clearer insight into our internal roles and responsibilities. We are now re-designing our enquiry system to make this more streamlined and responsive to client needs and reviewing our end of assignment exit strategies and linking this to our invoice procedures. We are reviewing ongoing continuous professional development within the monthly update meetings and have begun to introduce more cross working between teams where possible.'
For further information contact Tine Kleif
...And closer still
A fast emerging theme in public services is 'co-production.' Co-production goes beyond consultation and engagement in that it involves 'the client' (usually the end user) in creating solutions and the delivery of services that work. The process aims to achieve better results, ensure wider ownership, build confidence and, in some cases, raise clients' self esteem. It is a significant step on the way to public service transformation which remains a key priority for the government.
A great example of co-production involved lone parents through the National Council for One Parent Families produced a step change in the performance of the New Deal for Lone Parents. Working with a number of clients, Rocket Science has developed a range of tools and techniques to help organisations to engage effectively with clients in co-producing services. For example, with our help, London City Fringe Partnership gained powerful evidence, based on customer input, with which to redesign their service, address weaknesses and potentially influence future commissioning of business support. Contact John Griffiths
Creative conferencing
Imagine you are holding a conference and a creative artist is with you - listening and immediately interpreting every major message onto a flipchart with a picture and a verbal representation of the story. All very accurate, very clever - and fun. The conference in pictures! Rocket Science takes them away, digitises them and sends them back to you electronically in full colour. Magic. Contact Willy Roe
New training opportunities
From October, Rocket Science will offer a new series of training courses for policy makers and practitioners in a range of fields, including work and welfare, learning and skills, regeneration, community engagement, economic development and youth issues. Experienced consultants will introduce a variety of practical tools, techniques and case studies to help participants to build up their skills, knowledge and potential. Forthcoming events:
Marketing and promoting your project
Tuesday 26 October 2004, Edinburgh (Beginners)
Effective partnership working
Wednesday 24 November 2004, London (Advanced)
Networking, learning and knowledge sharing
Wednesday 19 January 2005, Newcastle (Beginners)
Mainstreaming and sustainability
Wednesday 16 February 2005, Newcastle (Advanced)
Developing and managing financial systems
Tuesday 22 March 2005, London (Beginners)
Involving young people in regenerating communities
Wednesday 27 April 2005, Edinburgh/Glasgow tbc (Advanced)
Numbers are strictly limited. Contact Ruth Evans or visit www.rocketsciencetraining.co.uk
Well?
Readers in Scotland should look out for a special edition of Well?, the Scottish Executive's mental health magazine, when they buy the Big Issue on 7 October. The free publication is being produced by a team of young people from across Scotland, who have been recruited, trained and supported by Rocket Science in association with the Scottish Executive and Young Scot. Distribution has been timed to coincide with Scottish Mental Health Week, 4-10 October 2004. An online copy will be available at www.wellontheweb.co.uk
Contact Debbie Adams
Bid assessment
Rocket Science has produced a new bid-assessment tool which mirrors precisely the objectives and priorities of a funding prospectus. Initially designed for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) London Central during the 2003-5 ESF co-financing round, the paper-based prototype has now been developed into an on-line interactive scorecard using a MS Excel software platform. LSC London Central found that the prototype:
reduced the subjectivity that can creep into the bid assessment process
allowed assessors to make much more robust judgements about the strategic fit of an application with the objectives and priorities set out in the funding prospectus
sifted out weak bids at an earlier stage in the assessment process
speeded up the process, producing cost savings
was easy and fun to use
Rocket Science can train bid assessors on the use of the system and provide technical help throughout the process. Contact John Griffiths
Community regeneration
Communities Scotland recently launched a Community Regeneration Fund Partnership Toolkit as a free service for the 32 Community Planning Partnerships in Scotland. Access to a Rocket Science e-scorecard developed with Communities Scotland helps Partnerships to benchmark themselves against excellence, pinpoint their development needs and measure their progress over time.
Communities Scotland is committed to supporting and developing partnership working and has been one of the pioneers of this service.
Brian Nisbet, Targeted Regeneration Team, Communities Scotland, said "Our decision to lead the way and use e-scorecards was made because we wanted to support community planning partnerships across the country with their development. Community planning partnerships are being developed to take forward and deliver the Executive's aim to regenerate and improve opportunity in Scotland's most deprived communities. The Community Regeneration Fund Partnership Toolkit allows partners to provide community planning partnerships with feedback about their performance. It presents community planning partnerships with an easy way of prioritising their development needs and provides us with a clear indication of areas where we should be supporting them."
Contact Tine Kleif for more information.
Congratulations, Silwood
Congratulations to Silwood Regeneration Partnership, London, which is undertaking an ambitious estate rebuild/refurbishment scheme on the Lewisham/Southwark border, combined with education and training, youth, ICT and access to jobs schemes for the estate's community. The Partnership said that 'the warden's service has vastly improved' since Rocket Science reviewed their Community Safety Programme. Contact Janice Renowden
Welcome Jennifer
Jennifer Horne has joined our team as Business Manager. Find out about her 'towering strengths' and 'little weaknesses' and more about all our people on our website
Did you know?
Thanks to everyone who replied to the 'Who said that?' in our last newsletter. As Camilla Vaux, London Remade and Alyson Moore, LVSC, knew, it was not our Chancellor but George W Bush who said 'It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it.' (For more classic quotes see The Bush Dyslexicon by Mark Crispin Miller.)
Today's teaser is: Which late great topped the earnings chart by making $40million (about £21,834,400) last year? Answers in an e-mail please.