Planning Inspectorate
Designing a flagship digital service that 'appeals' to users.
Rainmaker initially focused on understanding Inspector workforce planning. Realising that addressing scheduling alone wouldn’t solve the core problem, we launched Operational Delivery Transformation (ODT).
We understood the end-to-end service across nine case types, identifying opportunities to simplify workflows and design a user-friendly solution. Prototypes were created and tested with user input, ensuring buy-in and knowledge transfer. The resulting service design dramatically reduced lead times and resolved over 95% of identified pain points.
3m+
Cashable savings per annum and 10% reduction in Inspector headcount.
75%
Of manual effort removed from the service, enabling PINS
staff to focus on meeting the needs of customers and adding value.
23
Weeks of time saved per case (on average), bringing appeal timelines in line with statutory expectations
01 The challenge we faced
The Planning Inspectorate (PINS), a Government agency, are responsible for deciding planning appeals and approving nationally significant infrastructure projects, handling 35,000 cases per year.
PINS were facing increasing case numbers and believed there were huge inefficiencies within the scheduling and travel of inspectors during cases, so much so that they could achieve 10% business savings and reduce their backlog of work by improving the process of planning and scheduling.
After going through 2 Discoveries, PINS were faced with a “change fatigued” stakeholder group who are unable to see what the future of the service could look like and, therefore were reluctant to progress.
02 Tackling the problem
Rainmaker’s initial focus (Inspector Workforce Planning & Scheduling) understood how Inspectors’ workload was assigned. Though recommendations on operational planning were identified ‘IWPS’ found that resolving scheduling pain points alone would not deliver maximum benefit; the end-to-end appeals service needed to transform to fully improve user experience.
Rainmaker and PINS then launched Operational Delivery Transformation, broadening the scope to address the whole problem. During ‘ODT’, Rainmaker engaged a diverse mix of users, understanding the needs of staff and end users. We blueprinted all nine case types, overlaid pain points, and highlighted opportunities for improvement in service design and delivery.
Our insight and analysis highlighted that these nine case types managed by PINS could be consolidated into a consistent workflow, reducing unnecessary process complexity. This, coupled with an unrecognised opportunity to remove legacy platforms and migrate to an easy-to-maintain, commodity solution that met user needs.
We created prototypes of the new service (right), engaging users to ensure they understood and bought into the future vision. Throughout, we continued a programme of knowledge transfer, meaning PINS could develop and test new prototypes using in-house capability.
As a result, a wholly user-centric service was developed in six months, at a pace not seen before at PINS.
“You have achieved in 5 days what we have been trying to achieve for 9 years”
Director of Major Casework
Planning Inspectorate
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