TNAG-0364-FCO40-410-McKinsey-Report-on-strengthening-the-machinery-of-government-1973 — Page 63

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great rapidity and impressive effect.

But top-level pressure cannot be applied to every individual file and therefore for various reasons some sub- stantial delays can occur on more routine matters.

To avoid such delays two steps are necessary. First there should be a systematic and routine measurement of the paperwork flow and, second the measure should be used by top-level staff to apply pressure or identify remedial action. Such steps are taken already in some instances.

We recommend that simple control systems should be introduced across the whole Secretariat and extended later to the departments.

5. Route in parallel rather than in series. In many cases files and papers are routed serially from person to person because at each stage the individual needs the total picture. At times, however, parallel routing and the consequent speeding up of processes become practical.

Many of these changes can be achieved only through 'managerial' observation and pressure, but for the more important processes some more systematic O. & M. analyses should be undertaken.

Changes in Environment

None of the ideas underlying the above recommendations are new - many of them are already being applied in some areas; none of them require other than general skills to identify and implement - skills of an order that already exists within Government. The five changes described above will bring the best immediate benefits but other opportunities abound. An environ- ment is therefore needed that actively encourages staff not merely to operate the machinery but also to improve it.

Specifically, the Government should:

1. Make available 20-30 per cent of D. C. S. 's time for direct management of the Secretariat. We believe major benefits could be gained by freeing sufficient of the D. C. S. 's time to spend about one day a week regularly visiting all parts of the central Secretariat, and ultimately other areas of Government, observing what is actually happening, identifying problem areas, training more junior staff and understanding their difficulties, and generally keeping the place on its toes. We believe that such action would highlight many minor but cumulatively important improvements.

The more immediate reason for needing an active top-level presence is to gain tangible benefits from the improvements recommended in this section and the others that will follow.

McKinsey & Company, Inc.