making the world a better place
Where other supporters
might run a marathon, shave a leg or bake a cake, decisionLab consultants are
applying their problem solving skills pro bono, directly to the issues tackled
by some of the UK’s best known charities.
Major corporations and
government departments have long understood the benefits of better
decision-making underpinned by Operational Research (OR). Sometimes known as management science, OR
uses maths, data analytics and computer science to help understand complex
business problems and provide tools which improve decision making.
Specialist OR consultancy
decisionLab has been instrumental in improving outcomes, and profits, in
sectors ranging from aerospace to utilities.
Now decisionLab problem
solvers are making better outcomes accessible to the third sector. First to benefit are the Joseph Rowntree
Foundation and Marie Curie Cancer Care.
The Joseph Rowntree
Foundation undertakes research into the root causes of poverty and effective
ways to reduce social and economic inequalities. decisionLab Director David Buxton, one the
UK's leading authorities on Agent Based Modelling and Simulation, is advising
the endowed foundation on adopting this OR technique, which takes into account
individual behaviours, to improve its research.
Chris Goulden, Head of the Poverty Team at the Joseph
Rowntree Foundation told us that “Although
we already use sophisticated quantitative research techniques, ABMS is new to
us and, with David’s support we want to understand if this approach can deliver
more accurate research into the long term implications of government policy
designed to tackling its effect.”
Marie Curie is the leading charity
providing care to people with a terminal illness in their own homes or in one
of its nine hospices. The charity is also a leader in research into the best
ways of caring for people with a terminal illness. The Great Daffodil Appeal is
the charity’s annual flagship fundraising campaign and all
money raised allows Marie Curie Nurses to provide more free care to people at a
time when they need it most.
decisionLab director Liz
Archibald and modeller Kevis Pachos are now working to improve the logistical
planning of the Great Daffodil Appeal campaigns for 2015 and 2016.
Tracey Murray, Head of Fundraising Campaigns for Marie
Curie, said: “We rely
on our biggest annual fundraising campaign to help us deliver services to
people who are terminally ill and support for their families at a very
difficult time. We constantly review the
way we deliver the appeal and with decisionLab’s help we’re looking at cost
savings and operational efficiencies which will deliver an even bigger return
on our investment so we can support more people with a terminal illness and
their families.”
The three decisionLab
founders, Liz Archibald, David Buxton and Kate Swatridge, make no secret of
their ethical leanings. And they are
building philanthropy into the DNA of their fledgling business by offering
every employee up to five extra days each year to work on charitable
projects.
Now, as a growing firm,
they’re stepping up their commitment to make the world a better place through
the OR Society’s Pro Bono programme.
David told us that “Conscious that being good at what we do means we have
a role in creating wealth for commercial institutions, we want to commit our
time and expertise to improving the income and effectiveness of charitable
organisations too. Kate herself is currently on sabbatical contributing her
expertise to projects in Africa and more sustainable farming initiatives.”
It’s not just the
charities, and those who rely on them, who benefit from the increased expertise
and capacity decisionLab contributes, Liz added “Our volunteer problem solvers get
to put their analytical skills into practice in more diverse situations and
develop their knowledge of different kinds of organisations with disparate
operational challenges. We see it as an
enriching experience which enhances the skills we offer to corporate as well as
charity clients. We also get to educate
a wider audience about Operational Research and increase awareness of our
profession. Everyone benefits.”
