7 Ways to Save and Improve

A useful framework

The 7 ways to save and improve framework describes the key components that go into delivering a service. From the demand coming through the door to the policy that shapes the service’s design. By breaking the service down into tangible components, it helps organisations zoom in on specific parts while being able to visualise how those parts work together to deliver the whole service. Without such a framework it can be difficult to determine where improvements can be made and what to prioritise. 

The 7 ways framework covers the various parts of the service: (1) the demand coming in, (2) the first contact point with the service, (3) the process that happens to get residents the support they need and the conditions in place around that process to make the service work (4) the service's resources, (5) the overall organisational design, (6) how the service procures the things it needs and (7) the overall policies that the service works within.

Those reading this who work for a local authority will quickly recognise how homelessness services fit into the 7 ways to save and improve model. In the annotated diagram below, we’ve mapped some of the components of homelessness services against the different parts of the framework to show how it all fits together. 

For a deeper introduction to 7 ways, see the video below. Dennis, one of Basis' Directors, gives a quick overview of its applications and examples of how it has been used previously.