Changing and Improving HEO Example — 250-Word Statement
At HEO level, assessors look for you to have led a change, not just suggested one. They want a method: evidence gathered, a designed fix, a trial or pilot, adjustment from feedback, and a measured result. Involving others and writing up what worked shows the structured thinking this grade requires.
Example statement
SI was a team coordinator in a distribution warehouse processing around 2,000 orders a day. Pickers walked long routes that crossed each other, causing delays and several near misses with trolleys.
TI was responsible for my shift's performance, and I believed the picking route itself was the real problem, so I set out to improve it.
AI mapped the ten most common order types and walked the routes myself with a step-counter app to measure the distances involved. I sketched a revised layout that grouped the 50 fastest-moving lines near packing and sequenced picks in a simple loop. I presented the idea to the warehouse manager with estimated time savings and got agreement to trial it in one zone. I involved the pickers early, asking what would slow them down; they flagged that heavy items would end up in the middle of the tote, so I adjusted the sequence to put weight at the bottom. During the two-week trial I reviewed the order data every evening and fine-tuned slot positions twice. I kept the team updated at daily briefings and acted on two further suggestions, including a floor marker where routes crossed. I then wrote a short evaluation comparing pick rates before and after, and shared it with the other shift coordinators.
RAverage picks per hour rose from 62 to 78 in the trial zone, walking distance per order fell by about a fifth, and the manager approved a phased rollout across all six zones.
Use this as a model, not a script. This is an original example written for this site. Adapt the structure to your own experience — copying it word for word risks plagiarism and will not reflect your evidence.
Why this scores well
- HEO assessors want you to review working practices and lead a change, not just suggest one: you measured the problem, designed the solution and ran the trial.
- You involved the people affected early and changed the design based on their input, showing you implement change collaboratively.
- The evaluation mindset (before and after comparison, written evaluation, phased rollout) shows the structured thinking expected at HEO.
What HEO level requires
| Grade | What assessors expect |
|---|---|
| EO | At EO, Changing and Improving means suggesting workable improvements to team processes, helping put them in place, and adapting your own approach when feedback or circumstances change. |
| HEO ← this page | At HEO, Changing and Improving means reviewing working practices, leading small-scale change with a clear method, involving the people affected, and measuring whether the change worked. |
| SEO | At SEO, Changing and Improving means leading change across a team: challenging inefficient practice constructively, bringing people with you through resistance, and embedding improvements so they last. |
Common mistakes at this level
- Leading the change in the story's title but leaving the 'how' vague
- No trial or pilot: jumping from idea to full rollout with no testing
- Involving nobody: no colleague, user or manager input shaping the change
Frequently asked questions
Leadership of the change. At EO you suggested and helped; at HEO you reviewed the practice, designed the fix, ran the trial and evaluated it. The word 'I' should attach to decisions, not just tasks. If the story works with your name swapped for a colleague's, it is not HEO level yet.
No. You need to have led a change, which is different from line management. Coordinating a trial, briefing colleagues, gathering their input and adjusting the design all count. Plenty of strong HEO examples come from individual contributors who improved a process the whole team relied on.
Compress the review into one or two evidence-rich sentences: what data or observation you used and what it showed. 'I timed the process over three days and found guests repeated their booking details' proves a review happened. Then spend your words on the actions you took in response.
Next step
Get the free HEO statement template pack — the same STAR structure used in this example.
Download the template pack