Why NHS Strategy Costs £80,000 in Wasted Time
The real cost of batch-and-queue strategy development processes
Why NHS Strategy Costs £80,000 in Wasted Time
NHS strategy development processes typically take 6-12 months. During that time, executives spend countless hours in meetings, reviews, and revisions. The real cost isn't just the consultant fees or the time spent writing, it's the opportunity cost of executive time consumed in a process that produces Frankenstein Documents instead of actionable strategies.
The Real Cost Calculation
Let's break down the real cost of a typical NHS strategy development process:
Executive Time:
- Strategy lead: 2 days per month × 8 months = 16 days
- Senior leadership team: 1 day per month × 8 months = 8 days × 5 people = 40 days
- Middle management: 0.5 days per month × 8 months = 4 days × 10 people = 40 days
- Total: 96 executive days
Cost Per Day:
- Strategy lead: £500/day
- Senior leadership: £600/day
- Middle management: £400/day
Total Cost:
- Strategy lead: 16 days × £500 = £8,000
- Senior leadership: 40 days × £600 = £24,000
- Middle management: 40 days × £400 = £16,000
- Total: £48,000
But Wait—There's More:
- Consultant fees: £20,000-£30,000
- Opportunity cost (what else could they have been doing?): £20,000-£30,000
- Total Real Cost: £80,000-£100,000
Where the Time Goes
The time in strategy development is consumed by the batch-and-queue process:
Writing Phase (Months 1-2):
- Initial draft writing: 5-10 days
- Research and analysis: 5-10 days
- Total: 10-20 days
Review Phase (Months 3-4):
- First review meeting: 1 day × 5 people = 5 days
- Feedback compilation: 2 days
- Revision: 5 days
- Total: 12 days
Consultation Phase (Months 5-6):
- Stakeholder consultation meetings: 2 days × 10 people = 20 days
- Feedback analysis: 3 days
- Document revision: 5 days
- Total: 28 days
Finalization Phase (Months 7-8):
- Final review: 1 day × 5 people = 5 days
- Final revisions: 3 days
- Approval process: 2 days
- Total: 10 days
The Problem: Most of this time is spent waiting—waiting for reviews, waiting for feedback, waiting for revisions. The actual productive work is a fraction of the total time.
The Batch-and-Queue Waste
The batch-and-queue approach creates waste at every stage:
Waiting Waste:
- Documents sit in inboxes waiting for review
- Feedback waits to be incorporated
- Revisions wait for approval
- Result: 60-70% of time is waiting, not working
Rework Waste:
- Multiple rounds of revision
- Feedback that contradicts previous feedback
- Changes that get changed back
- Result: 20-30% of work is redoing previous work
Over-Processing Waste:
- Unnecessary formatting and polishing
- Multiple review cycles for minor changes
- Perfectionism that delays completion
- Result: 10-20% of time is spent on polish, not substance
Total Waste: 90%+ of time is non-value-adding activity.
The Opportunity Cost
The real cost isn't just the £80,000 spent—it's what that time could have been used for instead:
What Executives Could Have Done:
- Implemented previous strategies
- Addressed operational challenges
- Developed their teams
- Built relationships with stakeholders
- Focused on patient care improvements
The Lost Opportunity:
- Strategies that could have been implemented
- Problems that could have been solved
- Improvements that could have been made
- Value that could have been created
The Compounding Problem
The waste compounds because:
Multiple Strategies:
- Most NHS organizations have multiple strategies in development simultaneously
- Each follows the same wasteful process
- Result: Hundreds of thousands of pounds wasted annually
Failed Implementation:
- Strategies that take 8 months to develop often fail to get implemented
- The time spent developing them is completely wasted
- Result: 100% waste, not just 90%
Cynicism and Resistance:
- Staff become cynical about strategy processes
- Future strategies face resistance
- Result: Even more time wasted overcoming resistance
The Dynamic Genie Alternative
Dynamic Genie compresses 8 months into 1 day by eliminating the batch-and-queue waste:
The Co-Creation Day:
- All stakeholders together: 1 day × 15 people = 15 person-days
- Pre-session preparation: 2 days
- Follow-up refinement: 1 day
- Total: 18 person-days
Cost Comparison:
- Traditional: 96 person-days = £48,000+
- Dynamic Genie: 18 person-days = £9,000-£12,000
- Savings: £36,000-£39,000 (75-80% reduction)
But More Importantly:
- Strategy is ready for implementation immediately
- Everyone owns it because they created it
- No rework needed because it was done right the first time
- Result: Strategies that actually get implemented
Breaking the Waste Cycle
Breaking the £80k waste cycle requires changing the process:
From: Batch-and-queue (write, review, revise, repeat) To: Real-time co-creation (everyone together, immediate output)
From: Multiple rounds over months To: Single intensive day
From: Documents that sit on shelves To: Strategies ready for immediate implementation
Conclusion
The £80,000 waste in NHS strategy development isn't inevitable. It's a product of the batch-and-queue approach that creates Frankenstein Documents and stakeholder disconnection.
By switching to co-creation, we can compress 8 months into 1 day, reduce costs by 75-80%, and produce strategies that actually get implemented.
If you're tired of wasting £80,000 on strategies that don't work, Dynamic Genie can help you break the cycle.
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