Case Studies

University of Bradford. Strategic Prioritisation for the HR Leadership Team.

The People, Culture & Wellbeing Directorate (PCW) faced mounting pressure from rising service demands, tighter budgets, and the need to align HR operations with institutional goals. With resources stretched thin, leadership required a clear framework to prioritise activities and reconfigure service delivery.

Dave Harris the Director of People, Culture and Wellbeing commissioned Maverick Spark to support his leadership team through this process with a customised Decision Sprint.

Decision-Making

The Challenge


During a preparatory online workshop with Dave’s leadership team a problem statement was agreed that focused on balancing service quality with fiscal responsibility:

“How might we prioritise our immediate workload and adapt our services within increasingly tight financial and time constraints?”

During this online workshop we also pre-identified and categorised 50 key activities for the team to focus on during the in-person Decision Sprint.

The Solution: A Decision Sprint


We then brought the leadership team together for an in-person Decision Sprint workshop. The sprint was led by our lead facilitator, Edyta Jaworek and supported by our co-founder, and HR expert, Mike Falvey. The sprint focussed on:

Client Feedback

Conclusion


The Decision Sprint methodology enabled the university’s HR leadership team to quickly and effectively prioritise their workload and adapt their services within tight financial constraints. And, more importantly, it brought them closer together as a team.

The process provided a structured framework for decision-making, ensuring that the team could focus on essential activities and develop a clear action plan. The outcomes of the sprint have set a solid foundation for managing uncertainty and driving continuous improvement.

Maverick Spark specialises in rapid decision-making support for complex organisational challenges.

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