Our approach

A method designed to end in operation, not in a presentation.

Six stages, each with defined activities, deliverables and a specific requirement from the client. The sequence matters: skipping a stage moves the cost of the omission further down the programme.

Understand

Discovery and stakeholder alignment

Establish what the institution is trying to achieve, who must agree, and what has already been decided.

What we need from you

Access to leadership, existing documentation and a nominated internal counterpart.

Activities

Structured interviews with owners, executives and clinical leads
Review of existing plans, drawings, reports and financial information
Definition of objectives, scope, constraints and success measures
Agreement on governance, decision rights and reporting for the engagement

Deliverables

Engagement charter with agreed objectives and scope
Stakeholder map and governance arrangement
Information request and workplan

Assess

Assessment and evidence gathering

Replace assumption with evidence about how the institution currently performs.

What we need from you

Access to sites, data and staff, and confirmation of the accuracy of factual findings.

Activities

Site observation of clinical and administrative processes
Data collection on activity, capacity, cost, revenue and staffing
Condition and utilisation assessment of facilities and equipment
Benchmarking against relevant standards and documented practice

Deliverables

Assessment report with quantified findings
Gap analysis against standards or the agreed objective
Prioritised issue log with root causes

Design

Strategy and solution design

Develop options and design the chosen solution in enough detail to be costed and delivered.

What we need from you

Participation in design workshops and a formal decision on the option to be taken forward.

Activities

Option development with cost, risk and dependency analysis
Design workshops with clinical and operational teams
Financial and capacity modelling of the preferred option
Specification of processes, structures, systems or facilities

Deliverables

Options paper with recommendation
Detailed design documentation for the agreed option
Financial model and resource requirements

Implement

Implementation planning

Convert the design into a sequenced, resourced and owned delivery plan.

What we need from you

Appointment of internal owners and commitment of the resources the plan assumes.

Activities

Workstream definition with named owners and milestones
Dependency, risk and issue identification
Procurement, recruitment and training sequencing
Establishment of programme governance and reporting

Deliverables

Implementation roadmap and programme plan
Risk and issue registers
Governance framework and reporting calendar

Strengthen

Delivery and change management

Support delivery in practice and build the internal capability to run the change.

What we need from you

Visible leadership sponsorship and release of staff for training and transition.

Activities

Hands-on support during rollout, commissioning or system cutover
Training of internal leads, managers and end users
Communication and stakeholder engagement through the change
Rapid resolution of issues arising in live operation

Deliverables

Trained internal owners and documented procedures
Progress reports against the plan
Issue resolution log and corrective actions

Sustain

Measurement, strengthening and sustainability

Confirm that the change holds and that the institution can maintain it without us.

What we need from you

Continued management ownership of the indicators and review routine.

Activities

Measurement against the agreed success criteria
Review of adherence to new processes and systems
Refinement where practice has revealed weaknesses
Handover of ownership, documentation and reporting routines

Deliverables

Post-implementation review report
Sustainability plan and ownership handover
Recommendations for the next improvement cycle

Questions

How engagements run in practice

How long does a typical engagement take?: It depends entirely on scope. An assessment is usually measured in weeks; a hospital planning or implementation programme runs alongside the project itself. We set out an indicative duration in the proposal and re-baseline it if scope changes.
How much of the work is done on site?: Discovery, assessment and delivery stages require presence on site. Analysis, modelling and documentation are largely done off site. The balance is agreed at the start of the engagement.
What does the client need to provide?: A nominated internal counterpart, access to sites, data and staff, and decisions at the agreed points. Where an implementation stage is included, internal owners must be appointed and given the time the plan assumes.

Next step

Planning, developing or transforming a healthcare institution?

Tell us what you are working on. We will respond with an honest view of scope, sequence and where the risks sit.

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