Background
The
Electronic Monitoring Services division of Reliance is
responsible for the electronic tagging and monitoring
of offenders in much of Southern England. It is demanding
work with high service levels and response times of as
little as 20 minutes for emergency call outs. The majority
of the work takes place during the evening and less than
40% of the evenings workload is known before the key shift
begins. This puts enormous pressure on the organisation
to schedule and manage staff cost effectively in the field.
The existing processes were manual and relied heavily
on the experience of a few individuals. As the operation
continues to grow rapidly, this method of working is increasingly
untenable and there is a higher risk of service failure
and increased costs. Bisham Consulting were called in
to review the operation and recommend a cost effective
solution.
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Activities
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Bisham Consulting reviewed and mapped the scheduling
process and developed a model to calculate the impact
of growth. Demand patterns were analysed and set against
the location and availability of staff. The objective
was to identify key factors in solution development.
The solution is not simply about effective scheduling
of staff and routeing of vehicles but must take account
of personal security. The monitoring centre has to be
able to track the activities of staff at each stage
of the process and be able to respond quickly should
an emergency occur. Safety and security as well as efficiency
are central features of the work.
A conceptual solution was developed and a market-place
review undertaken to identify potential service providers.
The tender process identified a cost effective solution
for the key elements of the solution. An operating cost
and capital budget was put in place and the project
is now in implementation.
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Outputs
·
A conceptual plan for a fully-costed Dynamic Scheduling
package
· An outline implementation plan and revised operational
process
· Recommendations on service providers |
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Results
·
The solution secured Board approval and is now in implementation
· The system is capable of handling over 10 times
current volumes
· Operating costs are expected to reduce by 10-15%
· The new solution makes the growth plan achievable
by reducing the operational pressure in planning and improving
operational efficiency
· Further development of the system is now under
way on the basis of the plan |
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