Despite a Practice Manager introducing lots of ways to improve a practice, staff cannot get enthusiastic about enhancements if their efforts are noticed and appreciated. To optimise productivity you must make an easily understandable efficiency evaluation or efficiency control system that shows the effects of staff efforts.

Level 1

A practice may think that it has an efficiency control system, but it actually doesn’t. It is often confused with management of objectives. A creation of efficiency control system has the following features:

• Track the amount of work involved in completing a task.
• Due to the large variation in tasks, it is unfeasible track each of them. It is more practical to divide them into groups or families with similar content.
• The division should be done by number of steps or similar process. Not by how similar the initial request is.
• Calculate standard labour content for each group/family.
• Completion levels in each group/family are used to determine the efficiency of the practice.

Level 2

Level 2 practices can take the concept of standard labour content too far. There is a risk staff will complain and productivity suffers.

• Decide on standard times for each process. This is the time it takes an experienced employee with all the skills required, with the appropriate amount of effort under normal working conditions to complete.
• Compare standard times to actual times.
• Determine a method to figure the value of the time employees spend on work.
• As improvements from other keys begin to bear fruit, it is time to recalculate a new standard.

Level 3

A level 3 practice has standard times for all processes, has a system for measuring actual times and can use these figures for efficiency control for each process.

• Put up an efficiency chart so staff can visualise improvements.
• Using the above and the monthly audits, individuals or groups can now make specific quantitative goals for improvement efficiency.
• Management are now able measure out workloads, evening out the work to a consistent pace.
• Efficiency control is applied to all processes.

Level 4

At level 4 efficiency ratings are an excellent indicator of effort levels. Employees can clearly see the effect of their efforts on the efficiency chart. Management can use the chart to track the motivation of the teams. They can also use it to decide where to apply their efforts to keep a high level of enthusiasm.

• There is continuous improvement in the ability to achieve efficiency goals.
• Standard labour times are continually revised. This keeps them relevant.
• Care must be taken that practices do not fall into a rut if efficiency goals are repeatedly not met.
• Keep statistics up-to-date so they can be used for productivity scheduling.

Level 5

At level 5 efficiency improvement goals are always achieved. Statistics are always up to date.