Business solutions
We provide practical support
We provide robust project management
We minimise resistance to change
Our consultants really add value by providing hands-on support in implementing changes and improvements to your business. All of our people have practical experience of managing projects and change management. We are able to offer an approach that ensures that we minimise resistance to change whilst robustly managing the achievement of project milestones.
Our experience in offering support includes the following:
- Developing and implementing management competencies
- Developing 'essencesucceed' software to allow for the online measurement, recording and reporting of competencies
- Developing corporate outcomes and cascading these throughout organisations
- Implementing effective workforce planning across organisations
- Establishing effective project management structures and integrating these with change management approaches
- Identifying corporate risks
- Identifying and implementing efficiency savings
- Producing self assessment reports for inspections (such as Use of Resources and Comprehensive Performance Assessment)
- Managing the preparation, process and response to the results of external inspection and/or assessment (such as Comprehensive Performance Assessment and European Foundation Quality Mark Excellence Model)
We focus on adding real value so that 80% of our business is through client referrals. We regularly receive recommendations such as the following:
Feedback from Dartford Borough Council
[The consultant] first become known to Dartford Borough Council when leading a Best Value inspection of our Street Scene Service. We were pleased to see him return to lead our [Comprehensive Performance Assessment] inspection two years later. Following a CPA inspection judgement of ‘Good’, Dartford Borough Council was anxious to drive forward its services and the processes that led to them, to produce positive outcomes. The Council recognised that step change in performance management needed some assistance from outside and we duly appointed [the consultant] to come in with specific reference to improving and essentially developing our performance management system from one geared to performance related pay, to a more focused target orientated system.
The high level stage one work, produced in co-operation with leading Councillors and Management, was the development of "smart" outcome focused strategic targets. Underpinning this he assisted and developed tools to enable us to cascade these priorities down to service level and beyond. He led an interactive workshop with managers to raise their awareness of the new strategic framework and introduced the tools and techniques to enable them to develop effective business plans. He then worked with managers to ensure the process was clearly understood and was useful in establishing clear targets and performance levels and embedding risk management within the target setting and work planning process.
This process has raised the ability of officers to effectively manage their performance within the resources available to them as well as identifying mismatches in targets and resources. There is now a wider understanding of the impact individual areas have on the achievement of the corporate goals. The careful choice of targets and outcomes allows a review process which ensures planned actions have the effects expected and/or desired. Changes in process can also be implemented where other actions are subsequently considered to be more effective.
The work that was undertaken has resulted not only in a high quality performance management system but an ownership of the system by managers and staff, coupled with a more focussed approach to achievement.
I would recommend [the consultant] as a thoroughly professional trainer and consultant who has produced everything and more that we asked for.
Graham HarrisManaging DirectorDartford Borough CouncilPlease contact us for further details of client recommendations or to discuss your requirements.
