CASE STUDY:
Support Needs Analysis
The client
A local laws enforcement unit of a large local authority in south-east Queensland.
The brief
A high level organisation review had recently been undertaken resulting in recommendations to enhance the delivery of services, create greater accountability at lower levels and provide opportunities for more flexibility in resourcing.
Several business models were suggested as an outcome of the review for consideration by management.
As a precursor to any restructuring, our client wanted to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the first line supervisory and team leader roles within the Unit.
The client wanted independent, professional assistance to undertake the analysis.
My response
The methodology was critical because staff were concerned about job security and the impact of potential changes to the structure of the Unit.
In addition, a number of other projects were being implemented to analyse business processes and it was important to align the job analysis project with these.
The data collection was inclusive of affected staff, allowing them to input views and identify concerns as well as providing a mechanism for identifying the key elements of the roles in a reliable and valid manner.
My approach involved:
- one-on-one interviews with all affected staff
- collection of other data relevant to the job analysis
- consultation with unions
- consultation with key managers
- analysis of all data against a framework of key issues developed in consultation with the client
A detailed report was produced which provided qualitative and quantitative analysis, highlighting significant areas of overlap in responsibilities between two levels of management, duplication of activities, time spent on key activities, areas of misalignment with existing position descriptions and accountabilities that were not being addressed, identification of barriers and blockages, key skills and knowledge required for the job and gaps, and anomalies in reporting structures.
The results
The findings were presented to the Branch management team and incorporated into a presentation to the Departmental Steering Group.
Some areas of overlap and misalignment were able to be addressed immediately. The findings provided important data to support the introduction of refresher training in certain areas and provided significant information that helped the Branch in realigning business processes and roles.
