Couch
& Associates Pty Ltd contributes the vital ingredients for success in
critical change management programs
We are a network of senior managers who have track records of success in
our individual skill areas and who are available to assist in achieving the
results required in your management projects
"Any firm contemplating significant improvement in the scope or
methods of their business should not overlook the opportunity of engaging
specialised, practical management services"
Whether you are
? consolidating
existing operations and improving profitability or efficiency
? developing
new areas of business - new facilities, activities, products or markets
? embarking
on strategic management, planning, production / operational improvement,
information systems, quality management, training programs
success
requires
ü access to the right people when
needed to assist
ü focusing always on bottom line
results and their achievement
ü cooperatively ensuring client
confidence at each step in the project and its planning
Each assignment that we undertake is carefully tailored to match the
requirements of the client in terms of:
! the task to be undertaken
! the person or people to provide the
service
! the result to be achieved
Our assistance best starts with the project in its earliest concept
phases and proceeds through to successful implementation and completion
Call Graeme Couch (0417-287-131) at any time, for an obligation-free discussion to show how we can
contribute to the achievement of your goals.
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Associated
Services
Project structuring - Designing
the management structure for complex, critical programs to ensure successful
outcomes at key points in their execution
Project management - Assisting
the client with project formation and management using sophisticated
scheduling and control tools, experienced former contractors and senior level
managers
Strategic Value Management ‑ Maximising the value and efficiency of each activity in an organisation
to eliminate overheads, strengthen core‑business functions and exploit
market potential
Executive enhancement - Helping
key executives to develop relevant skills and maximise their contribution to
the firm -using one-on-one training and drawing on the expertise needed to
maximise their contribution
Investigations - Independent,
expert appraisal of critical issues, and recommendation of priorities and
strategies for their practical resolution
Quality Management - Assistance
with Total Quality Management implementation, through to formal Quality
Systems and Quality Accreditation
Cultural Change - Facilitation
of major change processes in organisations using a range of tools such as
scenario planning, change program implementation, challenge and response
groups, strategic planning
Long term contracts - Contributing to the successful negotiation and conclusion of difficult
long term contracts for the supply and purchase of critical goods and services
Program implementation -
Providing experienced, capable management resources on short term
assignment to meet clients' peak workload demands, and to undertake special
projects
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Checklist
Do not read further if you agree with these myths
-
û "We
don't have any Change Programs for improving or developing our business
!"
û "Our
Change Program can't fail because we have all of the answers and resources
needed to ensure its success !"
û "We
don't need extra resources; we have plenty of sound people already and they
are not fully utilised !"
If your business is customer- and results-focused and
operating in a competitive environment you will want access to external
management resources. Why not try this useful checklist -
YES NO
o
o
When I engage outside help, do I know who is going to work on my
project and how capable they are?
o
o
Have I secured the most effective type of external services for my
project?
o
o
Do the people whom I am engaging really understand the special
circumstances applying to my project?
o
o
Have the managers undertaken this type of project before, successfully?
o
o
Will I secure the result that I really want?
o
o
Will the assistance suit my special requirements (and not just provide
a standard or proprietary solution)?
o
o
Have I obtained the best combination of advice and assistance for all
stages of the project?
o
o
Will the result be sound in practical implementation (and not just in
theory)?
o
o
Am I buying effective value (and not paying for extravagant overheads)?
o
o
Do I need to be able to answer "Yes"
to all of these questions? ‑ to be sure call Graeme Couch
0417-287-131 for an obligation‑free
discussion and see how Couch & Associates Pty Ltd can help you ensure that
your project is
ü soundly conceived and structured,
ü targeted for bottom line results
and success
ü managed by the right people from
concept through to completion
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How
we operate
COUCH & ASSOCIATES PTY LTD provides highly professional, wide-ranging,
strategically significant management services to a small number of clients.
Our resources come through engaging and managing independent
specialists from a wide range of disciplines for particular assignments. These
disciplines cover a spectrum from financial, engineering, computer systems,
quality management etc through to sales, marketing, client-survey and
journalism, and are drawn from a network of independent contract managers.
Our services are intended to form the basis for Valued Partnerships with
our Clients, and are characterised by -
•
the Business Strategy relevance of our services
•
Anticipation of Client needs
•
Continuity of service
•
Timeliness of our contributions
•
Excellence and Cost‑effectiveness in resourcing for strategic
change projects
•
Productive, action oriented management assistance
•
A practical, "Pareto" approach
•
Continuous review to ensure the appropriateness of our work for the
client
•
Skills transfer to the client's own people
As organisations, both large and small, are having to streamline their
establishments and adapt to change, access to this type of highly focused,
responsive and flexible facility is being valued increasingly.
The business has not yet been devised that is totally self sufficient,
and which has no aspects requiring improvement or which has no potential to
benefit from outside skills practically and selectively applied.
Our clients benefit from -
• Our "Can
do" capability - covering all disciplines
• "Zero
fixed overheads" - which can be passed on to our clients
• "Action
orientation" - we are not in the "report writing business",
nor the business of telling clients their business; we emphasise
implementation of projects, rather than planning alone - indeed we often
contribute after the "consultants" have left.
• The "business
effectiveness" of our work - all assignments are based, at all times,
on their contribution to the client's business needs and bottom line
performance improvement.
The four principal factors in the "can do" success of
our assignments are -
1. strong people-relating
skills (facilitation, mediation, negotiation, skills-enhancement, one-on-one
training (mentoring), value management etc processes)
2. understanding of complex
"systems" (social, institutional, commercial as well as
technical) interactions, and business strategy
3. rigorous project
management emphasis (especially taking account of uncertainty)
4. our network of senior,
practical managers with sound track records across a wide range of
disciplines.
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Areas
of our work
Areas in which improvement can be managed typically include
•
Business development, marketing and sales management
•
Cost control
•
Quality improvement
•
Asset and resource management
•
Staff development, Enterprise bargaining
•
Organisation design
•
Productivity improvement
•
Planning and Management
•
Production augmentation
•
Facilities management, relocation and rationalisation
•
Outsourcing
•
Business reconstruction, mergers and acquisitions
Change Processes used in the course of our management work include -
•
Business Process Reengineering, Work Redesign
•
Cultural change
•
Negotiation, Bargaining, Facilitation and Mediation
•
Investigation, Evaluation
•
Strategic and Tactical Planning
•
Information and Communication programs
•
Project Configuration Design and Management
•
Contract and Pproject Management
•
O&M, and Logistics Establishment
•
Skills Transfer, Training and Development, OH&S, Environment
Impact
•
Risk Management
• Value
Analysis
•
Quality Systems and Procedures, Improvement Processes
Inherent in our approach is the belief that -
• The challenges facing
each organisation, and the programs most appropriate to managing change are
unique
• Practical,
"Pareto" planning will yield sound and timely strategy
• A practical,
implementation orientation is necessary to achieve business outcomes
• Success
flows from drawing on both Client and our own team resources
• Change
Management requires both the right Technical Skills, and the right People
Skills.
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A
Note on External
Management Services
External management services bring major client benefits for special
projects
• a broader
span of accelerated reform action is achieved
• fully
occupied existing managers' resources are supplemented
• skills
transfer to the clients' people takes place
• non-threatening
interaction occurs with the client's people through independent managers
and facilitators
• we take
full responsibility for labour on‑costs, insurances, taxation,
training and superannuation
Couch & Associates Pty Ltd services are distinguished from
traditional management consulting and agency hire services by our emphasis on
-
• Support of
and backup for the nominated Associate
• Project
and Quality Management throughout the assignment
• Emphasis
on achievement of program outcomes, as distinct from mere production of
deliverables (such as reports), or undertaking technical activity
• Cost-effectiveness
in bringing skilled managers to Clients' assignments without the
high level of fees and overheads that typically accompany such services.
Other special features of our service include -
• senior
level managers with proven performance records
• focused
and timely achievement of business outcomes
• improvements
closely identified with the client and client's people
• Readiness
to re-orient (or even terminate if circumstances change) the project at
any time as required by the Client
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