Results

Following are three case studies and outcomes demonstrating the focus of our consulting work.

Plumbing

This company was struggling with overload on its processes and systems, so we assisted with streamlining operations, and as always, our top priority was to address existing critical inefficiencies. 

Stage One - Analysis and Process Mapping

Work with this company in the first 6 weeks included:

• Four hour business planning session to ascertain key primary areas for the ongoing consulting process
• Three hour session analysing the current ‘Value Stream’, in other words, the stream of value the company's process brings to the customer.
• Process mapping of the business,  incorporating relevant steps, documentation and methodology, always relating the company's process to their customer's experience.
• Three hour session proposing a new ‘Value Stream’.

Outcomes:

• 83 minutes per job of internal (office) time saved by the new process proposal, by streamlining one aspect of the company’s operations.  Due to the high work output of this company, this equates to a total saving of 51 hours per week in time efficiencies.
• A further $37,000.00 revenue was created by freeing up the plumbers for additional work
• Re-allocation of roles to further streamline business operations
• Re-working current under-utilised scheduling/estimating software into a new ‘Value stream’, linking the business processes to the customer's experience.

Stage Two - Implementation

After the completion of analysis and mapping, results achieved to date are:

• Reduction of job card to invoice from an average of 10.5 days to 1.5 days, with the fastest delivery in 1 hour.
• Reduction of completed job cards waiting to be invoiced from 125 to 14 with an end goal of 10. (Some job cards unable to be invoiced immediately due to awaiting further advice from tradesman or supplier)
• Increased cashflow
• Winning 1st place in a business award for their approach and application in process management
• Re-allocation of job roles in accordance with the process map
• Goals established for the next 12 month period
• Future planning through apprentice analysis, focusing on longevity and reason for departure (where applicable). 
• Job Role and Key Task definition

Current Focus

• Establishment of a recruitment process and defining staffing requirements for anticipated growth
• Personnel productivity
• Setting of Key Performance Indicators for 2011
• Outsourcing of financial work to free up the directors for implementation and management responsibilities
• Establishment of ‘error rate reduction’ goals.

Law Firm

• The principal of the business has increased his billable hours by 48% against the last quarter. This equates to an annual revenue increase of $90,720. The final month represented a 73% increase on the previous quarter’s average.
• Decreasing the principal's work day by 1.5 hours and work week by a half day.
• Tightening up on ‘time leakage’ with respect to billables and increased awareness of billing.
• Time management, interruption strategy and assistance
• Assisting the principal deal with de-motivating factors in the work place, making recommendations for action
• Clarifying staffing ratios and the actions needed to produce optimal outcomes
• Establishing a system where each contributor to income production stays on target with set budgets
• Assisting the principal ensure that staff are accountable to their budgets
• Implementation of performance reviews
• Increasing fees to fall in line with current market rates. This is estimated to bring a 6-7% increase in annual revenues.
• The establishment of a five year plan with a view to becoming a self-managed company, making the business owner redundant
• Focus on the principal's personal fitness which has flowed into more disciplined time use and greater personal satisfaction, thus increasing work performance

Accounting Firm

• Initial annualised profit increase of $80,600 from a simple tweak to an aspect of company charge out rates
• Focus on the principal's average hourly rate, and achieving a 194% increase 
• Directing ongoing activities through a better understanding of highest income generating work
• Increased focus and strategy around cashflow and outstanding debtors, significantly reducing outstandings
• Analysis of work flow and introducing streamlining implementation
• Gaining an understanding of their core business and the source of key economic drivers
• Implementing the grading of clients and where their focus needs to be as they move forward
• Strategic implementation of a customer service strategy based on the results of a client satisfaction survey 
• Team training in the DiSC behavioural profiling system; helping their team understand themselves, how to work together and how to better relate to their clients
• Team training in time management, focusing on converting time waste to billable hours
• Viewing the business as a system that ultimately won't be reliant on the principal's personal contribution
• Implementation of a weekly ‘actuals against budget’ graphing system for each contributor so that all stay fully informed and up-to-date

General Results from Other Companies

• 216% productivity increase in billable hours for a lawyer in a legal firm
• 149% profit increase and a 68% debtor balance decrease for an accounting firm
• Increased revenues in both a construction and electrical company through correcting hourly rates and mark-ups.
• Streamlining a builder's processes through the integration of an electronic pen
• Working on staffing efficiencies in a steel manufacturing company, saving $72,000 within the first 6 weeks
• After 6 weeks, a plumbing company now has a 5 day turnaround from job cards to invoices sent. At the start of the recent month, the principal stated: 'I have sent out all invoices and I now have money in the bank'.