Press releases

Business strategy offers fast-track solutions (January 2002)

A unique problem-solving strategy devised by a University of Sunderland academic is helping to save organisations across the UK millions of pounds.

Multinational corporations and one-man businesses through to NHS trusts and fire brigades have benefited greatly from Process Improvement for Strategic Objectives (PISO), created by David Deeks.

More than 300 companies and organisations across Britain have so far used this approach, which to date boasts a 92% success rate - way above the norm for business improvement methods.

One company in the south was close to collapse before it used PISO. It is now one of the top five performers in its field in the UK.

South Tyneside Health Care NHS Trust has recorded substantial improvements in efficiency in areas where PISO has been used. Hospital bosses are now working on implementing it in other areas.

Maureen Tann, the Trust's head of performance management, says:

"PISO has dramatically reduced the time it takes for patients with hip fractures to be admitted to a ward after arriving at accident and emergency. We are now looking to widen it to other patient areas. I think it is an excellent method. It makes people more creative and allows them to focus much more on the patient. It supports what the NHS is trying to do in terms of modernisation."

PISO is a streamlined version of an approach called Business Process Re-engineering (BPR). Although BPR is highly regarded world-wide it is usually very expensive and often does not produce the desired results. PISO not only has an impressive success rate but is also extremely cost effective.

David Deeks, who is a Reader in Computing Practice, says:

"We don't need to know a company's specific problem, we just need to supply the tools to solve it. Organisations can often pay for months of management consultancy time, during which employees will tell them what they know. With PISO we spend several hours telling employees what we know and teach them simple techniques to bring about their own changes. PISO is about harnessing the creativity of employees to come up with new ways of doing their jobs more efficiently."

PISO is offered to organisations via five 90 minute seminars. For more information contact Graeme Young at the Industry Centre on (0191) 515 2666.