**PLHR Improving Processes (MQS) - Managing a Quality Service Flashcards
PLHR Improving Processes
What was the situation?
S1:
- Managed a quality service by adapting my work as a paralegal to align with the department’s economic and social welfare priorities - profitable working and maintaining legal aid services
S2:
- Recognised that our department needed to show sustainable profits to continue operating under legal aid costs and manage a legal aid service for the most vulnerable in society.
PLHR Improving Processes
What was the task?
T1:
- Tasked with improving processes in our regional team to maximise profits and help the national dept meet key performance targets
T2:
- Ability to manage a profitable service was vital to maintain our existing legal aid services and prevent termination of the firm’s legal aid contract.
PLHR Improving Processes
What actions did you take to perform the task?
(Reviewed methods, created practical resources)
A1:
- Review methods to increase profit recovery rate and checked that it was achievable under the legal aid guidance
- Created practical resources to achieve our costs objectives: costs budgeting templates, legal aid eligibility checklists, high-cost case plan spreadsheet calculator to minimise mistakes when calculating profit costs
(Supported team members)
A2:
- Supported team by sharing newly created resources to improve profitable working. Team asked for further guidance on costs applications - compiled approved precedents for costs reviews and budget justifications. Resources enabled colleagues to challenge points of dispute from the legal aid agency on case files.
(Worked on my own development)
A3:
- Worked on improving my own profit recovery rate. Reviewed feedback from costs draftsmen on closing files, considered the extent of non-recoverable work recorded. Shared findings with the team, gained feedback from supervisors on how to record time more successfully on files.
(Tracking team’s profit recovery rate)
A4:
- To track the team’s profit recovery rate - trained junior colleagues to search for key information in our financial performance software - allowed them to keep on track of their individual and team financial targets.
(Improving processes for new enquiries team)
A5:
- Improved processes for new enquiries team to onboard clients with legal aid eligibility. Shared legal aid eligibility checklists, summarised complex legal aid agency guidance into easy steps to calculate income and capital eligibility.
PLHR Improving Processes
What was the result?
(Result on performance targets)
R1:
- Work in improving processes directly impacted team’s efficiency. Regional team exceeded their annual billing target of £600k. One of the highest performing regional teams in the national department, recognised by partners. Contributed to national department exceeding its own target of £6 million. Profitable working initiatives demonstrated my ability to deliver service objectives with expertise and efficiency.
(Met social objective of providing legal aid services)
R2:
- Achieving commercial goals ensured that the department could meet wider social objective of providing essential legal services under legal aid to vulnerable clients. Took into account diverse customer needs - understood value of our service as it enabled vulnerable clients with access to free legal advice to challenge decisions against their human rights.
(Reflection)
R3:
- Reflection - learning outcome - importance of working towards the wider organisational goals when managing a service. Commercial objectives, value for money and efficiency are now at the forefront of my mind when delivering service objectives. This has made me a more productive and valuable team member.
