Services - People + Process
People play a critical part in the success of most IT projects, both within the business and with the technology vendor that you’ve engaged. We help you to manage both sides of this process.
We work with business staff to ensure simple change management occurs, that processes are aligned with the new technology and that the end to end delivery is managed. At the same time, we make sure your technology vendor is speaking your language and providing what your business needs.
Our Services include Business Systems and Process Reviews, Ad Hoc Assistance for existing customers, Project Management, Vendor Management, and Change Assistance.
Business Systems and Process Review
"We've always done it like that" is one of the most dangerous phrases in a business.
Our Business Systems and Process Review is designed to help you efficiently and successfully deliver process and technology optimisation within your business. It's useful if you’re about to go through or have just been through a period of organisational or process change.
We’ve helped a lot of businesses who know that their processes and technology aren’t working for them, but have no idea how to navigate their way out of the mess. One of the most successful methods that we’ve used to help them is our Business Systems and Process Review.
Depending on the size of the business, we take some time to independently review their use of software. We then run process discovery sessions with key departments or users within the business. Our focus is on your Current Business State, including financial, technological and operational aspects. We also include your short and long-term business vision and strategy.
Our discussions and investigations are documented so that we can independently review, discuss and pull apart the information. We collate and record key findings and observations. This information forms the basis of our Recommendations Report.
Our Recommendations Report is designed for the business stakeholders. It clearly lays out the issues or challenges that we’ve found, as well as individual solution options or recommendations.
The information provided is evidence-based and actionable. It's designed to initially fix immediate problems but also provide pathways for future business strategy and growth. Our past clients have referred to this as their “Business Bible”. They use it as their roadmap to work through any required changes and then manage future projects.
The Recommendations Report puts the knowledge and control back into the hands of the business. Process owners can proactively target and fix issues, rather than continually fire-fighting problems.
And when you’re ready for process change we'll help you to successfully implement it. We'll assist with your internal project management, manage your vendors, or become a hands-on part of your project team.
If you’d like to talk to us about our Business Systems and Process Review Service, click here
Ad hoc Process, Technical or Software Advice
We’ve always been proud of the fact that so many of our clients are repeat customers. The benefit of having an ongoing relationship is that we understand the business and what it needs.
Our clients frequently get in touch with us with a "quick question", which is often related to projects we aren't involved in. What they're after is a sounding board, a sanity check, or some advice, from someone who understands the business.
It might be about new software that someone in the business is interested in, a process decision, or a "how-do-I...". It could be for some help with a business problem that's just happened. Our clients know that we’ll give them an honest answer based on their needs, not ours.
From our side, it’s a speedy little engagement - we review the information and then provide advice or options. Sometimes that’s all you need in order for the right decisions to be made.
And while we can't provide this service if we've never worked with you before, we're happy to help if we've at least done one prior project with you. If you ask us something that we don't know enough about your business to answer, or if it is a whole lot more than a "quick question", we'll let you know.
Process and Applications Project Management
Over 60% of IT Projects fail due to lack of effective Project Management. Don’t let your business become the latest statistic.
A 100% successful IT project is the Holy Grail.
It's easy to get caught up in all the tales from the trenches, detailing continual scope creep, budget blowouts and projects that never seem to end. There are so many project horror stories that seem to prove that it’s impossible to deliver an IT Project on time, on budget and with significant business gain.
If you’re a little short-staffed, or even just overloaded with the day to day, Business System Alchemy can work with your IT team to assist with project delivery. We’ll make sure your project is delivered on time, on budget and to the satisfaction of senior management.
We tailor and right-size our project delivery methods based on your business needs and your project needs. Too much project management can sometimes become a road block for small business. Too little can mean there isn’t enough control and direction.
Every project has a clear beginning, a defined duration and a clear end. We’ll work closely with and support your team during project delivery. We also make sure that the right knowledge transfer happens so that your business is self-supporting when we leave.
We have PMBOK, PRINCE2 or Agile Project Managers, who work on either small scale delivery or long term transformations. If your project needs more than just straight solution delivery, we can provide "Triple-threat" project managers who can help you with Business Process Reviews, Project Management and Change Management assistance.
Our specialities include ERP Upgrades or Implementations, Field Service Mobility rollout, Document Management (including AP Automation), App Delivery, Interface Management, Infrastructure changes and Business Process Change Delivery.
Click here to request your initial project assessment at no charge.
Vendor Management
IT software vendors and their customers often speak different languages. Both sides gravitate to what they know.
Businesses speak in functional business terms, while IT vendors speak technically, or in software solution terms.
Conversations with your vendor can be frustrating for them and for you. They can be counter-productive, or can never actually reach a satisfactory result.
We work as the translators between the IT software vendor and your business.
We'll help your business to phrase questions in a way that vendors can understand, as well as "translating" their response into something meaningful for you. Similarly, we'll work with your vendors to help them to understand what your business request means in terms of their software and how it's going to be used.
We cut through all the buzz-words and tech-speak, help you to understand confusing quotes and give you a clear understanding of what you are or aren’t being provided with.
Your IT vendors should function as though they are an extension of your business resources and like all organisational resources, better performance can be achieved with a level of management.
Once communication channels have been cleared, we'll also help you manage your vendor performance. We can assist your business with implementing vendor SLAs, performance reviews and risk management/control, helping you to further develop a strong, strategic relationship. The result? A happy, productive partnership between you and your vendor.
Need a Vendor Health Check or ongoing Vendor assistance? Click here to talk to us.
Change and People
IT projects are often victims of the assumption that the business side of the change doesn’t need to be managed.
We've frequently seen business management teams assume that staff will intuitively accept the change and easily integrate it into their daily workflow.
Unfortunately, business changes often create confusion and uncertainty for staff. They might question whether the change means that their job is no longer relevant.
We often underestimate the impact business change can have on people. Most people like stability in their daily working life. They thrive with routine and consistency. They want to be able to rely on the way things operate and where they fit in. When you introduce change to these people, it can be highly traumatic. In fact, in can often trigger the physiological response of Fight or Flight in people - read more about this here.
If you really want change to be successfully embraced in your business, it’s important to be aware of the different ways people can react to it.
We can help you develop simple or detailed Change Plans, identifying change strategies, tactics or tasks in order to help staff understand and accept the upcoming change. We’re not interested in giving you a complicated and generic Change Management checklist, but rather a working document that will assist you with effective and lasting business change.
If you’d like to talk to us about our Change Management services, click here
