Consultancy for businesses

Business Process Reengineering

Reengineering is the use of many established techniques such as:

• Work measurement
• Method study
• Organisation and methods
• Systems analysis

However, it does add something new. That is to look at the whole business from the point of view of processes rather than processes within departmental boundaries. It therefore involves major structural and cultural changes across a much wider spectrum. It also involves the extensive use of computers and other technology. The newest software such as groupware and imaging technology allows people to work over networks with much greater effectiveness. Below is what we provided for one of our clients.

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Case Study: A Metropolitan Borough Council

We ran a starter workshop for the IT and HR representatives of the Council to train them in the practical implementation of BPR. The objective of the workshop was to help the BPR development team understand the practical difficulties of implementing BPR. In particular, problems associated with the significant cultural and organisational change that BPR initiates.

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Customer Care

The objective of customer service is to delight the customer so much that they become lifetime customers. Once you have some business you need to make the customer a business partner and turn them into delighted lifetime customers. Most managers having found a good supplier will not change unless there is a good reason. Partnerships are the best for the customer too. Below is what we provided for one of our clients.

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Case Study: A major UK manufacturer -
Customer service and stress management

We worked with a division of the company on customer service and Help Desk management. The assignment began with an evaluation of the processes and the staff. We held personal interviews with a selection of all interested parties and then delivered a customised training programme to the IT staff. After operating the revised customer service process for a number of months, we reviewed the system to confirm that it was achieving the desired results. This review consisted of a further set of staff interviews. A report followed recommending fine-tuning to the customer service operation to bring it to the highest level required by the organisation. We later extended the programme to include Stress Management training for Help Desk staff.

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Information technology management

Business people have a poor view of computers and the people who control them. Many business people believe that IT does not integrate with the business to a satisfactory degree, and that many IT professionals only concern is the technology and not the business need. They think that the IT department position their technology cart before the business horse. It is up to the IT management to dispel this by making sure the business people understand how technology can support the business at the appropriate level and this is where we can help. Below is what we provided for one of our clients.

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Case Study: A large Borough Council

We designed and delivered an IT strategy programme for this large local authority. The programme focuses on Information and Technology strategy. A consultancy assignment followed on how to implement the strategy within a local authority environment and culture.

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Project Management

In modern times, people have recognised the need for methodologies and the use of techniques to support the tools in both project management, but projects stand and fall because of how fallible human beings apply the principles. Most projects fail not because of a failure of the methodology, tools, or techniques but because people did not spend enough time planning, ignored the risks which were plain to see or because they accepted impossible criteria such as not enough money or not sufficient time. We provide consultancy, training, and mentoring to help you get your project finished on time and on budget. Below is what we provided for one of our clients.

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Case Study: A major UK bank

The bank engaged us to design and deliver a management development programme for all their project staff. The assignment involved helping them set up a suitable range of training courses. In addition, we helped define the project methodology and detailed practices required to raise the level of professionalism in both project management principles and human interaction.

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Risk Management

'Climbers know that the mountain is dangerous and the weather terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for not climbing the mountain'.

This quotation by Vincent Van Gogh nicely expresses the practical attitude to risk. Risk is something that needs careful management and control, but will not prevent us from attaining our objectives. However, if risks occur they may increase the cost and delay the attainment of our objectives or restrict the scope of them. Risk management enables people to manage risks by responding to them in a controlled way. The benefit of a risk management strategy is that there is a reduction in risk exposure so that risks we identify, assess and mitigate allow us to cost, monitor, and control them. Below is what we provided for one of our clients.

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Case Study: A major European aerospace manufacturer

The company was in the process of designing a fully integrated programme/project management system together with a risk management and benefits management element based on the 'Balanced Scorecard'. We completed a consultancy assignment, which entailed designing and implementing a risk management system that included both the methodology and process design. In addition, we developed an accompanying training programme for senior staff. We delivered the training programme twice before handing it over to the internal training department. This risk methodology became an integral part of the company's programme management software. The next stage of the project extended risk analysis to include a benefits management process, which will integrate risk management with the balanced scorecard approach. We included, as an integral part of the risk-training module, a soft skill section on how to sell and present radical change to working methods in a way that carried all the stakeholders along with these new ideas.

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Executive mentoring

We provide a service to executives and managers that allow them to discuss problems that they have in a safe environment. One of our specialists provides advice and a strategy for the executive to follow that makes their job easier. The mentor can also act as an advisor who is completely independent of the political and organisational pressures.

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Case Study: A major home products manufacturer

The problem for the executive was that although highly qualified he was young and inexperienced in the general rough and tumble of business life. In addition, he did not want to expose himself to the rest of the department as being inexperienced, so he looked for outside help. At a series of one to one sessions, our specialist was not only able to help with some technical aspects on subjects like change management, but also advised on the personal approach to take. Advice on the personal approach hinged on the necessity to understand and empathise with all levels from the shop floor to senior management. In addition, our specialist also helped him to improve the way he presented his ideas to senior management. These sessions began in a very free wheeling way and then developed into a more focused working relationship.