'Top 6' Major Projects for the Council

The Solihull Way - being a lean thinking and learning organisation

The Solihull Way is exactly what it says on the tin: it’s the way we do things in Solihull. It is our lean thinking and learning philosophy and it is our way to enable all Members and staff to live the Council’s Brand. It is also our strategy and approach to transform Solihull MBC into a world class lean thinking and learning organisation. One that:

• Has a rigorous understanding of its purpose (i.e. knows what the customer needs and wants); its processes (i.e. having the right processes in place to fulfill the purpose); and its people (i.e. having the right people skilled and organised to run the processes).
• Focuses on the best possible outcomes (quality and value) to its customers.
• Continually improves.

Essentially, lean thinking is about the elimination of waste and a focus on the activities that add value to the customer. Our ‘Going Lean’ programme has two elements. Firstly, a programme of deep reviews aligned to the Council’s priorities. These are designed to deliver a step change in the quality and value of services received by customers, whilst making the processes as efficient as possible. Secondly, a programme of skills and knowledge building to embed the principles of lean thinking widely across the organisation.

Our Long Term Objective

The long term objective of the programme is to ensure that Solihull is a lean thinking and learning organisation and is able to sustain that.

Our Goals and Tactics

• To deliver the best possible outcomes for customers, in terms of cost, quality and fitness of purpose, within the resources available.
• To have employees who believe in, value and implement our lean thinking approach and our Brand - The Solihull Way -  and behave in a way that demonstrates continuous improvement.

Measuring Success

We will measure our success through: 

• Improvements in customer outcomes and increased customer satisfaction.
• Increased staff capacity, understanding and satisfaction.

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