Business
Managing and directing business in the current organisational climate can be challenging, with the need to balance strategic vision with operational delivery.
We understand that all too often, particularly for SME’s and not-for-profits, management can be easily bogged down in having to deal with day to day challenges that arise, making it difficult to pro-actively plan, implement and manage strategic directives. Alternatively, at times, you may simply want to hand over a project and just have it done to allow you to keep focussed on other priorities.
This is one of the key reasons we started AA Biz Solutions and Benchmark Management Consulting. We understand this – we’ve experienced it. It can be tiring, stressful and often feels like you are being pulled in many directions.
What sets us apart is that we have been in your shoes and worked in businesses like yours. Our experience from having been ‘on the ground’ in our early careers to working at senior management levels reporting to boards means we are able to see the complete picture and understand how any business management strategies and processes must be appropriate to your actual business activity to ensure benefits are realised.
Strategic and Operational Planning
Knowing why you do what you do (your mission), where you want to be (your vision) and how you will go about getting there (your values) are the glue that holds an organisation together and is an essential part in building the strategic foundation of your business.
A thorough strategic planning process ensures your business establishes clear objectives for its future – it serves to help the business enhance performance, establish targeted outcomes and becomes the basis of plans to focus the energy, resources and time of everyone in the organisation towards the same direction.
We work with you to:
- Consult and liaise with relevant stakeholders in the development or change to the business’ mission, vision, values and goals;
- Develop strategic plans and corresponding operational plans, including budgets;
- Develop key performance indicators and priorities against which delivery of your strategic and operational plans can be assessed; and
- Conduct reviews of current performance.
Business Management Frameworks
Some systems, policies and procedures are created to ensure an organisation is legislatively complaint – others because management recognise the importance of continuous improvement, growth and for laying the foundations for best practice business techniques.
Some people quiver at the thought of having to develop these frameworks. We thrive on it! We are highly adept at quickly working to identify ways to improve and strengthen your existing frameworks and adopt a holistic approach – encompassing governance, general business management and administration, financial and human resource. We know that without this integration some systems become unworkable.
We can:
- Undertake a review of your current systems, policies and procedures;
- Identify areas for improvements and gaps;
- Workshop what you need and what you aim to achieve in implementing new systems;
- Develop and write all policies and procedures, guidance templates and training manuals; and
- Deliver training to staff.
Workforce Planning and Development
Planning your workforce and ensuring you are appropriately resourced is vital to the achievement of your business’ vision and goals.
We can assist you to create a planned process to identify your future workforce needs, including the specific skill sets you will need to consider in developing your existing workforce and in future recruitment drives, to ensure you have the best people working with you.
We can also develop position descriptions, selection criteria and key performance indicators for identified roles.
Business Analysis/Review
It is good practice to regularly review your business against its strategic and operational plans and your competition.
We can independently conduct reviews of your entire business – top to bottom – including assessing your corporate and business structure, governance frameworks (including finance, human resource and business management and administration systems), your performance against your strategic and operational plans, your budgets and financial performance and conduct SWOT analyses.
A review is really only of use if you plan on making the necessary improvements. We can accompany our review with a clear and phased action plan to address recommendations and assist you in its implementation.
We can also assist you to respond to external review recommendations.
Change Management
Change – it’s never ending. And whilst some change is simple and requires minimal investment of energy, time and resources, others can be more complex or require you to make changes to the way in which you lead and manage your teams. By appointing us to assist, it also minimises the impact on internal working relationships, maintaining team cohesiveness during the change process.
We can assist you with a range of change management support strategies, including:
- Organisational restructuring, amalgamations or transfers between and of business units;
- Assist you to understand that change is a ‘process to be managed’ and that it is important that it is delivered over a reasonable time frame that ensure your team ‘come along for the ride’;
- Work with staff to get their ‘buy in’ and help alleviate the heat some employees can feel when faced with change;
- Monitoring the effectiveness of the change management process and making recommendations for modification with the intent that the initiative is ‘taken up’ by all.
Project Management
Sometimes you just want someone to take something and run with it – start to finish.
We have experienced this ourselves – you need something done and don’t have the time to do it, or you may have a resource, but they will require too much of your time and energy in guiding them to deliver what you expect anyway.
We love to get things done. We have successfully delivered numerous projects on time, within budget and minimal guidance.
We work with you to gain a thorough understanding of the deliverable/s you need and then set about:
- Creating a plan, including budgets and identifying resources required and milestones;
- Liaising with and managing any external service providers that may be required;
- Implementing the plan to deliver the project, including directing resources as required;
- Communicate status of the project, including any budget concerns or time delays;
- Provide a detailed hand over of the project.