How we work with you

No two organisations are identical.  While they may face similar problems and have many of the same characteristics, the detail and the people involved are always different.

That’s why we treat each assignment as unique and don’t believe in standard solutions.  Before entering into any agreement, we take time at our own expense to define a bespoke solution for each of our clients that - while built on proven principles and methods - is precisely tailored to their needs.

This means that you have confidence that you can achieve exactly the result you need with the minimum time and effort, supported by a guide you already know and trust.

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  • At our initial meeting we will take time to listen to you and to understand:

    • the unique nature of your business and its current situation

    • your current concerns and what you’d like to do about them

    • the results you’d like to achieve

    • your thinking on the sort of help you’re looking for

    • any constraints that exist – time, resources etc

  • We will prepare a Discussion Document that will:

    • Summarise our understanding of your situation and requirements

    • Map out what we see as the next steps in your journey to Operational Excellence

    • Identify options for an approach to moving forward, together with our views on the Pros and Cons of each one

    • Consider the right blend of consultancy, training and coaching to meet your needs

    • Define the benefits to be achieved for each option

    • Identify our role in helping you to achieve those benefits

    We will review this document with you to consider the suitability of our approach and work with you to refine the approach until we are both satisfied that we have a programme of work that will meet your needs.

  • Only when we have the right programme for you will we prepare a Proposal to reflect the agreed way forward.

    We work on a “no surprises” basis, so the proposal will define clearly the work to be carried out, the responsibilities of everyone involved and the level of investment required.

    We are happy to work on a “fixed fee” or “time and materials” basis as appropriate.

  • Only after this will we ask you to agree to a programme of work, and even then only for a defined initial phase.

    We hope that the effort we have put in thus far means that you will choose us as your guide for the journey ahead.

    However, if you decide to go it alone, we will part company happy in the knowledge that we have helped to prepare you for the journey ahead and in the hope that we might join you later.

    Far better that than take you somewhere you don’t want to go or be an unnecessary overhead on your journey.

  • Once we have reached agreement, we can set off confident in the knowledge that we are well-prepared for the journey ahead.

    Unless the agreed programme agreed is small and/or of short duration, we will typically define a programme in a series of stages, with a full review at the end of each stage.

    Normally only the first stage will be agreed in detail as we will typically gain greater understanding as we progress that will inform the detail of subsequent stages.

    We work according to the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Adjust) principle:

    • Plan the work to be carried out

    • Do – carry out the work according to the plan

    • Check what has been done to verify that it has achieved the intended outcome

    • Adjust based on what has been learned to close any gaps and optimise the next action(s)

    This approach helps us catch issues early and stay on track. Normally adjustments will be accommodated in the agreed programme scope; only occasionally will we see a need to revisit the original agreement.