Wednesday 25 February 2015

Using Pro Bono O.R. to address a wide range of operational improvements

Pro Bono O.R. (Operational Research) – free consultancy for third sector organisations
UK based organisations in the third sector can benefit from O.R. consultancy at no cost. The Operational Research society is offering third sector organisations the opportunity for free consultancy to address a wide range of operational improvements – for example greater efficiency, better customer service, higher quality or lower cost.  Whatever the aim, O.R. can offer the flexibility and adaptability to provide objective help.
O.R. is about finding ways to apply analytical methods to make better decisions. Third Sector organisations face extremely complex decisions about the direction they should take and how to allocate scarce resources.  These are some of the issues the organisations we’ve worked with have faced:
  • ‘We have lots of different options for the future but it’s impossible to decide which to choose in such uncertain times.’
  • ‘We’re under huge pressure to do more with less, and we don’t know how we’re going to do it.’
  • ‘It’s hard to stay objective when we’re faced with such emotionally charged decisions.’
  • ‘We know we’re doing a good job – but how can we prove it?’
 Here are some of the issues the projects we've already completed have addressed:
  • Strategic planning/review
  • Impact measurement
  • Process improvement
  • Data analysis
  • Business planning
  • Efficiency improvement
  • Options appraisal
  • Decision making
O.R. consistently delivers significant value – strategic to tactical, top-line to bottom-line – to the organisations and executives who use it.   
 Since launching in September 2013, Pro Bono O.R. has completed twelve projects and is currently working with a further fifteen organisations.  In addition to that there are several organisations that have expressed an interest in receiving support.  We have over 250 volunteers across the UK and these range from retired professionals to analysts in their early career, consultants and others in the O.R./analytics profession who either volunteer in their own time, are given company time or a mixture of both.  Forty four of those volunteers have already worked/are working on projects and many more are eager to get involved with helping support third sector organisations.
Hear what the organisation have to say:
"We are enormously grateful for being able to benefit from the advice and support of such a knowledgeable and experienced professional, who was able to raise challenging issues in a sensitive and helpful way"
"We've benefited hugely from your work and support in all areas of the project, and from an organisational perspective you've enabled us to take a highly professional approach to increasing the efficiency of our charity"
Hear what the volunteers have to say:
"I've really enjoyed working with third sector organisations and found the staff extremely positive about the contribution we make"
"Working as a pro bono volunteer is a great way to contribute some professional expertise to some truly worthwhile causes.  The Third Sector is full of people who feel passionately about their Mission, so working with them is invariably a positive learning experience"
For further information about the scheme please visit: http://www.theorsociety.com/Pages/Probono/Probono.aspx
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