Best Practice Guides

Take a look at our full range of Best Practice Guides - outstanding books that bring together highlights from our extensive online member library of best practice materials. Designed not only to inspire, but also to identify practical insight and provide toolkits and hot tips, we intend our resources to help you to raise standards across the industry. Packed with case studies, research, thought leadership and supplier listings, this is the year-round resource that contains the jewels of the year’s best practice.
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Shrinkage (1) - Introduction to Shrinkage

Discover what shrinkage is and the correct way to calculate basic shrinkage and tiered (or primary and secondary shrinkage). In this module, you will;

 - Understand the problems caused by incorrectly calculating shrinkage
 - Learn about when it is best to use budget shrinkage targets and when using recent historical data will be to your advantage.
 - See the value of managing shrinkage and the return on investment that it can bring to your business.

This module is part of the Shrinkage Box Set

Shrinkage (2) - The Planning Wheel (Shrinkage)

In this module, you will be introduced to our Planning Wheel, a device for illustrating how 100% of the time spent in your centre is being used.

 - Learn the critical factors of shrinkage management and the pitfalls to avoid
 - Discover the importance of forecasting human behaviour and shrinkage and how you can influence shrinkage through your work
 - Complete an exercise based on your own business to help you to understand the Planning Wheel

This module is part of the Shrinkage Box Set

Shrinkage (3) - Planning & Tracking Shrinkage

Deeper dive into shrinkage, historical tracking, forecasting and incorporating in long and short term planning. Understand the importance of tracking and managing your shrinkages so they are optimised for your staff. Learning outcomes include:

 - How to ensure that you are able to track your shrinkage data across all time horizons: annual, Monthly, Weekly, Daily
 - The benefits of shrinkage categorisation when it comes to successful tracking
 - How the inter-connectedness of Shrinkage categories makes effectively managing shrinkage challenging

This module is part of the Shrinkage Box Set

Shrinkage (4) - Tiered Shrinkage

Introduction into shrinkage calculations, tiered shrinkage, historical tracking.  Understand the importance of calculating shrinkages so they are optimised for your operation the key differences and impact on your resource requirements

 - What is included in shrinkage?
 - The importance of calculating shrinkage correctly.
 - Which method should you use for planning, budgeting.

This module is part of the Shrinkage Box Set

Shrinkage (5) - Benchmarking Shrinkage

Benchmarking is important in understanding best practice, comparing ourselves with our competitors and becoming the best, but there are many pitfalls to avoid. In this module;

 - Learn different research and benchmarking methods that are available for you to use
 - Find out about the best types of questions that you can ask to assist your benchmarking
 - Get a plan for external benchmarking amongst your peers

This module is part of the Shrinkage Box Set

Conformance & Adherence

Measuring and managing adherence and conformance effectively is critical, however this is often mis-understood and can drive the wrong behaviour.  This module takes a close look at both measures, how they should becalculated and classic mistakes. Learning outcomes include:
 - Understand how to calculate and report adherence and conformance
 - Define new measures which drive the right behaviour
 - Learn the pit falls to avoid and how to improve performance

Predictability of Events

A chance to practice assessing the predictability of events through a classic exercise from The Forum to help you hone your skills in forecasting ad hoc events.

Building and optimising Real-time RAG Models

Drive decisions and continuous improvement by building effective RAG status trigger for actions, which engage the operation and improve performance. This module follows the “Using RAG models to take action”.

- Learn how to set appropriate thresholds for in-day reporting
- Understand different ways of engaging the operation
- Create a learning mechanism to drive continuous improvement

Driving Strategy through Real Time

Daily Real Time tasks work best when they are fully aligned to overarching business goals and objectives.  If they are not, the result in wasted effort and add no value.
 - Learn how to identify the strategy of your business
 - Understand the language of engagement and the benefit of strategic communication
 - See how volatile businesses use Playbooks to their advantage

The Power of One

Teamwork and understanding the plan are critical to achieve strategic objectives.  However, too often this is left to chance and not an embedded behaviour. So easy to get wrong, fortunately easy to improve. This module will help you to:  

 - Understand the “power-of-one” and the impact of small changes.
 - Improve your on-the-day decision making and see the result for your customers and colleagues.
 - Learn the classic mistakes and how to overcome these

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