If you are to undertake a journey for the first time you would normally plan your route identifying the starting and finishing points and any points of reference or interest between these two.
Those familiar with the framework of the Lexcel quality standard will have appreciated that the framework can be easily utilised as a practice’s route map to excellence and more importantly continuous improvement. The starting and finishing points will vary from practice to practice. The framework is very flexible in allowing practices to adopt their own approach to how they wish to undertake their journey toward excellence.
In respect of the finish of the journey we will be looking at this in future articles but for now we can recognise that for some practices the end of the journey will be the award of Lexcel itself while for others the destination will be the holy grail of achieving ever higher and higher standards of best practice and quality of service to its clients and business partners.
Even if not the starting point very quickly the first point of reference will be the structure of the framework and how a practice fits with and can satisfy the key points of reference within the standard, namely:
- Effective management
- Promotion of service excellence
- Cost efficiencies (and reduction of waste)
- Reductions in risk
- Client service excellence
- Regulatory and legal compliance
In assessing a practice’s position along the journey toward excellence the framework enables a practice to assess itself and provide evidence in a systematic way against key assessment criteria, the headings of which are:
- Structures and policies
- Strategy, the provision of services and marketing
- Financial management
- Information management and facilities
- People management
- Supervision and operational risk management
- Client care
- File and case management
Now that the map of the journey is clear a practice can choose the best way for it to undertake and continue along the journey. St Helens Law will be detailing and reflecting on its own journey in future articles.
© 2010 Paul Wood/St Helens Law Ltd
If you are to undertake a journey for the first time you would normally plan your route identifying the starting and finishing points and any points of reference or interest between these two.
Those familiar with the framework of the Lexcel quality standard will have appreciated that the framework can be easily utilised as a practice’s route map to excellence and more importantly continuous improvement. The starting and finishing points will vary from practice to practice. The framework is very flexible in allowing practices to adopt their own approach to how they wish to undertake their journey toward excellence.
In respect of the finish of the journey we will be looking at this in future articles but for now we can recognise that for some practices the end of the journey will be the award of Lexcel itself while for others the destination will be the holy grail of achieving ever higher and higher standards of best practice and quality of service to its clients and business partners.
Even if not the starting point very quickly the first point of reference will be the structure of the framework and how a practice fits with and can satisfy the key points of reference within the standard, namely:
- Effective management
- Promotion of service excellence
- Cost efficiencies (and reduction of waste)
- Reductions in risk
- Client service excellence
- Regulatory and legal compliance
In assessing a practice’s position along the journey toward excellence the framework enables a practice to assess itself and provide evidence in a systematic way against key assessment criteria, the headings of which are:
- Structures and policies
- Strategy, the provision of services and marketing
- Financial management
- Information management and facilities
- People management
- Supervision and operational risk management
- Client care
- File and case management
Now that the map of the journey is clear a practice can choose the best way for it to undertake and continue along the journey. St Helens Law will be detailing and reflecting on its own journey in future articles.
© 2010 Paul Wood/St Helens Law Ltd