Performance dashboard

The Knowledge, Analysis and Intelligence team at HM Revenue and Customs needed an inexpensive way to measure performance to ensure that they were meeting expectations. In an initial scoping phase, Jigsaw consultants liaised with all stakeholders, including senior board representatives and internal customers, to understand the need for performance information and how best to deliver it. We then prepared a written report outlining potential solutions. We were asked to implement the preferred option, and in phase 2 developed a fully automated Business Intelligence application in Microsoft Access, pulling data from multiple disparate sources and using Excel to deliver a bespoke scorecard to monitor current performance and show how this changed over time.

Client comments: "Despite the limitations of our current technology and available funding, Jigsaw were able to develop an effective BI system. We can now effectively and efficiently manage our internal processes and measure our performance against agreed indicators to demonstrate that we are meeting customer and stakeholder expectations."

Risk management tools review

Following the merger of Inland Revenue with HM Customs and Excise, the new organisation needed to align multiple projects and initiatives with its emerging strategy for compliance and enforcement. Their long term aspiration is to develop a standardised, end to end risk management process supported by integrated systems for storing and sharing data centrally, sophisticated analytics for profiling and targeting, tracking compliance activity and monitoring performance.

Jigsaw was asked to conduct a short, independent review of HMRC’s existing risk management tools and capabilities, and to evaluate these against future requirements. Colin Elwood worked with internal risk specialists to:

• Identify and catalogue existing risk analysis and assessment tools, focusing on the most important
• Interview tool users, risk experts and other key stakeholders
• Compare current capabilities to future needs, as currently articulated, and identify significant gaps
• Identify priorities for migration into strategic developments for Compliance & Enforcement

The main benefits of the project to the client were:

• Creating a knowledge base of existing risk tools
• A better understanding of current capabilities
• Clearer vision of desired business and technical architecture, steps needed for transition and key challenges ahead
• Agreeing a shortlist of high priority tools meriting more detailed evaluation

Client comments: "Jigsaw brought a useful external perspective and a data literate view to a complex, post-merger architecture. Their review formed the basis of some key management decisions in our change Programme for Risk."