In autumn 2023, VALOR implemented a new Business Intelligence dashboard for the group services of the Western Uusimaa wellbeing services county, enabling systematic and transparent monitoring of operational performance indicators and data-based decision-making.
The group services at the Western Uusimaa wellbeing services county encompass about twenty units, which previously lacked a unified method to monitor their operational performance indicators. For autumn 2023, the group services management set a goal to establish a transparent, uniform, and systematic monitoring mechanism and requested support from VALOR.
After discussions with experts and management from the group services units, suitable performance indicators were selected, the necessary source data were identified, and methodologies for accessing the data were developed.
VALOR’s consultant Jaro Mykkänen developed the dashboard in the county’s Microsoft PowerBI environment. With multiple years of experience in developing Business Intelligence dashboards across various platforms, Mykkänen’s previous roles at leading companies in the social and healthcare sector provided valuable insights.
A highly automated system facilitates updates
As a result, the management now has a clear overview, with the latest performance indicators updated transparently and almost fully automatically. This allows for monitoring the current situation without burdening the staff with extensive data requests and reduces operational rigidity.
Transparency has also fostered internal discussion within the organisation, as staff can easily track other units’ results.
Olli-Pekka Luukko, director of the shared group services at Western Uusimaa wellbeing services county, states that the need to rebuild the old municipal processes was clear from the beginning and that administrative support processes would be data-driven. Thus, specific processes required the establishment of target levels and metrics.
“Our vision, combined with VALOR’s expertise, produced an excellent result: we believe that the Western Uusimaa wellbeing services county is at the forefront of tracking the performance of support services in the Finnish healthcare sector,” Luukko says.
One shared truth creates trust
Mykkänen emphasises that decisions must be based on knowledge and facts. Moreover, these facts need to be transparent and readily available to lead operations efficiently.
“When management has access to a visual dashboard that is open to all, easy to understand, and transparent in its data sources, it fosters trust within the organisation. Everyone shares one common truth,” he notes.
Mykkänen adds that results from development actions are easier to evaluate when jointly agreed indicators are monitored over an extended period. Without a common and transparent follow-up, obtaining a general overview is challenging.
Development work can be launched immediately
The wellbeing services counties are still young organisations, consisting of previous municipalities with varying IT systems. Although the integration of these systems has not been fully completed at all levels, it does not prevent the launch of development work.
“It is essential to create the initial versions of management dashboards as quickly as possible, regardless of whether the data quality is perfect, or data storage projects are completed yet. First drafts are easy to develop further at a later stage. Additionally, they help to embed a data-driven management culture in the organisation,” Mykkänen highlights.
“When organisations realise how useful the performance dashboards can be at their best, they proactively start to drive further development of the dashboards,” he continues.
The project progressed on schedule
VALOR is equipped to handle the technical aspects of data-driven management projects, in addition to traditional management consulting. This advantage enabled the wellbeing services county to complete the project quickly and smoothly, within the agreed budget.
Pia Fredriksson, project manager for the knowledge management unit at the Western Uusimaa wellbeing services county, emphasises that VALOR’s solid experience and broad perspectives on other organisations’ report development strengthened their project.
“VALOR brought viewpoints beneficial to our project and actively participated not only in constructing the report, but also in defining metrics, developing technical indicator calculation logic, and ensuring data availability. Collaboration with both the project team and the group services experts was active and encouraging, which ensured that the project progressed on schedule,” Fredriksson says.
Data is at the core of decision-making
Although Mykkänen’s background is primarily in the social and healthcare sector, he underlines that the value of data and data-driven management capabilities is essential across all business areas.
“Data-driven management is at the core of every organisation’s efficiency and competitiveness. The current stage of implementation varies between organisations. Nevertheless, it is crucial to create a management system that is simple, clear, and reliable,” Mykkänen says.
Equally important is ensuring that producing information does not increase the administrative workload. Simplicity and extensive automation support this effort.
“Everyone who grapples with the utilisation, availability, and management of data and information can benefit from our expertise,” Mykkänen notes.
“We can combine traditional management consulting, project management, and technical implementation. This adds value for the customer as other participants are not needed to implement the different phases of the project.”
Comments about VALOR’s support:
Olli-Pekka Luukko, director of the shared group services at Western Uusimaa wellbeing services county:
“Our vision, combined with VALOR’s expertise, produced an excellent result: we believe that the Western Uusimaa wellbeing services county is at the forefront of tracking the performance of support services in the Finnish healthcare sector. Now, our challenge is to respond to the issues highlighted by the metrics and to develop operations further. Additionally, the objectives and indicators require continuous development.”
Pia Fredriksson, project manager for the knowledge management unit at the Western Uusimaa wellbeing services county:
“As a result of the project, we achieved a more automated solution than we originally planned. VALOR’s continuous support during the project and in the final phase of developing the maintenance model for the report proved invaluable. Smooth cooperation and expertise not only accelerated the project but also supported the learning process and ensured its successful outcome. From here, we can continue to refine the monitoring dashboard created during the project.”
Text: Catarina Stewen