How LapSafe® Helps Trusts Turn Vision into Everyday Practice

Creating capacity for Schools, Colleges and MATs

Operational Excellence (OpEx) is the discipline that creates capacity by tightening the connection between people, processes, data and technology. The Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) has now codified an education-specific OpEx framework with ten domains schools and trusts can use to improve service quality, cut waste, and focus resources on teaching and learning.

In this post, we summarise what OpEx means in an education context and show where LapSafe® Smart Lockers, powered by ONARKEN®, fit into that picture as part of a whole-system approach to improvement.

What is the ISBL Operational Excellence Framework?

ISBL’s framework describes ten operational capability domains that, together, drive effectiveness across a trust’s central functions and into classrooms:

Impact on Teaching & Learning
Process & Quality Control
Resource Planning & Deployment
Data, Performance Measurement & Action
Skills & Human Performance
Operations Management Capability
Operational Risk & Quality Assurance
Productivity & Cost Control
Technology Effectiveness
Continuous Improvement.

The intent is practical: define what good looks like (e.g., “right first time” processes; balanced scorecards; total-cost mindset in procurement) so teams can eliminate duplication and make evidence-informed decisions that ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Why it matters now

Schools and trusts can no longer operate in silos. Estates, procurement, and digital infrastructure must work coherently, with technology embedded as part of the process, not bolted on at the end.

The framework emphasises process mapping, listening to people’s needs, using systems and data well, and continually improving rather than relying on heroics.

This is the backdrop for where LapSafe® fits in.

Where LapSafe® & ONARKEN® Align With The 10 Domains

Below, we connect common challenges to OpEx expectations, and then to the way LapSafe® and ONARKEN® support the journey. Real-world adoption always happens incrementally; the goal is to reduce friction and create headroom.

1) Impact on Teaching & Learning

OpEx expectation: Central services exist to enable teaching; processes are designed around staff ‘customer journeys’ with clear service levels. How LapSafe® helps: Reliable access to charged devices at the right time and place reduces lesson disruption. Self-service smart lockers minimise queueing and staff call-outs, so teachers can start on time and stay on plan.

2) Process & Quality Control

OpEx expectation: “Right first time” with simple, documented processes; end-to-end ownership and root-cause fixes. How LapSafe® helps: ONARKEN® standardises the end-to-end device flow (issue → use → return → charge → ready). Audit trails capture exceptions (e.g., late return, damaged device) so schools can fix causes, not symptoms.

3) Resource Planning & Deployment

OpEx expectation: Match resources to demand; flex to peaks; manage work across boundaries. How LapSafe® helps: Usage data shows true device demand by time/day, helping schools plan fleet sizes per site, re-balance between subjects, and schedule maintenance without downtime. Self-Service Smart Lockers encourage the use of shared devices and therefore reduce the number of devices required across the site.

4) Data, Performance Measurement & Action

OpEx expectation: Balanced scorecards with 3–5 KPIs per team; data turned into insight and action; leaders coach from visible performance. How LapSafe® helps: ONARKEN® reports (e.g., % availability at start of day, utilisation by cohort, turnaround time from return to ready, incident rates) provide practical KPIs for ICT, estates and curriculum leadership to regularly review.

5) Skills & Human Performance

OpEx expectation: Skills matrices, coaching, fair metrics that drive desired behaviours. How LapSafe® helps: Clear, repeatable workflows reduce reliance on a few “power users.” Quick guides and role-based access make it easy for technicians, admin and teaching staff to do the right thing consistently.

6) Operations Management Capability

OpEx expectation: Operations management treated as a core discipline; managers trained and present in the work. How LapSafe® helps: Dashboards give managers real-time visibility (e.g., which lockers are in use, battery health, open tickets), enabling daily stand-ups focused on flow rather than firefighting. Fault Reporting capabilities mean faulty devices and issues can be identified immediately, deviecs can be held back and dealt with swiftly.

7) Operational Risk & Quality Assurance

OpEx expectation: Identify risks/defects, design controls, verify they work; welcome defects as improvement opportunities. How LapSafe® helps: Secure storage with identity-based access reduces loss/theft risk. User accountability is created with audit trails. Automated logging supports investigations and closes the loop with targeted interventions (e.g., user training when repeat issues occur).

8) Productivity & Cost Control

OpEx expectation: Control total cost and value, not just price; tidy, professional workspace; simple procure-to-pay with managed contracts. How LapSafe® helps: Extending device lifespan via correct charging cycles, reducing spares needed through tighter turnaround, and cutting technician time spent chasing devices all lower total cost of ownership. Making best use of the exisiting digital estate prevents unnecessary expenditure and maximised budgets and existing spending.

9) Technology Effectiveness

OpEx expectation: Tech that’s fit for purpose, available when needed; user-centred service processes; training through change. How LapSafe® helps: ONARKEN® supports remote management (software updates, configuration changes, health checks, intelligent asset verification) and simplifies common service tasks (e.g., booking windows, issuing the best charged devices, automated notifications for students and staff). That keeps devices available at the moment of need, which is the key metric that matters.

10) Continuous Improvement

OpEx expectation: Everyone improves the work; PDCA cycles; right-sized project management; scheduled time for improvement, not just BAU.

How LapSafe® helps: Because usage, fault reporting and incident data are built-in, teams can Plan–Do–Check–Act on concrete evidence (e.g., tweak loan periods, adjust return cut-offs, re-site bays near high-demand classrooms) and then measure the impact in the next cycle.

From “don’t procure in isolation” to a coherent operational system

The framework is explicit that trusts shouldn’t procure point solutions in isolation; technology must sit within mapped processes, with clear roles and success measures, and with people supported through change.

When LapSafe® is deployed as part of a system:

Process maps define the device journey and who does what
Policies (e.g., eligibility, loan duration, service levels) are configured in ONARKEN® rather than left as informal custom
KPIs (availability, utilisation, incidents, turnaround) are reviewed in routine huddles
Continuous improvement time is ring-fenced to trial small changes, evaluate, and scale
Communication and training help staff see benefits beyond the classroom — in estates, finance, IT, and safeguarding.

This is how schools move from “working hard” to “working smart”, creating capacity and headroom for what matters most.

Practical starting points for MATs and schools

Map the current journey for student/staff device access. Identify friction: queueing, “dead” batteries, lost devices, technician call-outs.
Choose 3–5 KPIs that reflect outcomes (e.g., % of first-lesson device availability, average turn-around to ‘ready’, incident rate per 100 loans).
Pilot PDCA cycles: Adjust a parameter (loan length, bay locations, booking rules), review the data after a set time, and lock in gains.
Design for scale across the trust: harmonise core rules but allow site-level parameters where context demands it, an approach explicitly considered in the framework’s guidance on central vs local.
Procure with total cost in mind: consider technician time saved, reduced loss and damage, and increased uptime, not just initial unit price.

The LapSafe® difference in an OpEx world

Smart, secure access to the right device at the right time
Automated charging and readiness so lessons start smoothly
Remote management via ONARKEN® to update, configure and monitor fleets without site visits
Audit trails and reports that turn usage into decisions
Standardised processes across schools with room for local nuance

In short: LapSafe® helps convert the ISBL framework from theory into everyday operational reality, freeing staff time, giving leaders the insight to improve, and ensuring technology truly serves teaching and learning.

Talk to our team to see how LapSafe® can play a key role in your organisations Operational Excellence Framework.