Consult Point provides more than your typical consulting service. We provide expertise, tools, process and templates as part of our standard service. We offer you dedicated business technology consultants that deliver on business needs. Our consultants have years of experience scoping, managing and supporting business technology projects.
People are the Key for successful Business Technology Projects. Many projects take a "inside out" approach. Requirements, plans, and project objectives tend to be focused on rolling out the technology rather than enabling the solution for the users. In the drive to deliver to plan and budget users can be sometimes over looked.
We take an "outside in" approach by focusing on the people dimensions of the project first. This ensures high degree of user take up and ultimately project success. Without users of the business technology there is no point to the project.
From strategy to support we focus on bringing people and business technology together. We work beyond just achieving a “Technical” implementation and incorporate people and systems to ensure project success.
Consult Point Gets IT Right, on-time and within budget, Contact us to get the most out of your business technology investment.
Without a Business Technology Strategy how can you be sure that you will achieve your organisations goals?
Getting the business technology strategy right is the most critical part of planning an investment in any information system or technology. Without a clear understanding of how business technology supports organisational goals, you risk wasting time and money on poorly chosen systems that could lead to technology dead ends.
At Consult Point we help organisations map, prioritise and align projects with organisational goals and objectives. We shift the focus from reacting to issues to planning for success.
We develop a three year strategic plan that takes into account stakeholder objectives, available resources, and changing technology directions. We apply our years of experience to help define reasonable measures which create accountability and mitigate risk.
Contact us to develop your business technology strategy.
Project Approach:
Fact finding interviews with key stakeholders and project leads.
Existing systems infrastructure and systems audit to determine baseline.
On-Line Survey Assessments of users to determine current satisfaction levels.
Collaborative planning exercises with stakeholders to prioritise projects and activities.
Final strategy preparation and costing review.
Final report presentation and sign-off.
Project Deliverables: C-Point Business Technology Strategy.
Executive Summary.
Business Technology Strategy.
Current Context and Limitations.
High Level Risk Assessment.
Business Technology Vision.
Implementation Recommendations and Plan.
Depending on the engagement some activities and report sections may be excluded. This report can be developed as a separate engagement or as part of the CP Technology Advisor Program.
Requirements - The Foundation of Successful Projects
How can expectations be met if nobody knows the requirements? Requirements gathering is more than documenting needs, it is the establishment and agreement of project goals and success criteria.
The most common mistake we see organisations make is to simply document what is currently being done, or make a wish list of individual wants based on a limited understanding of the capabilities of current business technology systems and platforms.
Consult Point does more than just gather requirements, we let you know what can and can't be reasonably achieved with your stated budget and resources.
When an organisation asks its users "what do you want" without regard to what is possible, it is our experience that the project will rarely achieve its full potential. Expectations will not be met and the project will fail to deliver on it's promises.
No matter how talented your project and change management teams, a project is doomed from the beginning if there is no awareness of context, the right questions are not asked, and expectations are not managed. Consult Point Gets IT Right.
Contact us to define your business technology requirements.
Project Approach:
Fact finding interviews with key stakeholders to define scope, expected outcomes and business needs.
Combination of workshops and on-line surveys to gather key business requirements.
Feedback is mapped against standard system requirements templates.
Draft requirements documentation issued for review and comment.
Final requirements document issued for sign-off.
Preparation of Request for Quotation / Tender.
Project Deliverables:
Project Scope and Context.
Business Process Documentation.
Detailed Business Requirements Documentation.
Evaluation Demonstration Scripts.
RFI / RFT / RFQ / RFP.
Requirements projects tend to be targeted to producing documentation for issues to external vendors. This service can be tailored for internal project requirements definition.
The information technology industry is a ever changing maze of options and variations. The real issue is that given enough budget and time we could build systems to do exactly what we need.
The key is to balance requirements with benefits and return on investment. The only way to do that is to a have a qualitative and quantitative evaluation model that takes the risk out of business technology selection.
Consult Point helps avoid business technology procurement dead ends. We take the risk out of solution and vendor selection.
With a proven method for selecting the most appropriate solution to meet your competing business needs, a Consult Point evaluation project Gets IT right so that you avoid the potential disaster and cost of a failed project.
Contact us to conduct your business technology evaluation.
Project Approach:
Issue RFI / RFQ / RFT / RFP.
Conduct pre-demonstration vendor workshops to clarify questions and demonstration scripts.
Review and shortlist vendor responses.
Shortlisted vendor demonstrations and quality control scoring.
Evaluate and facilitate vendor selection.
Project Deliverables:
List of suitable vendors for RFI / RFQ / RFT / RFP issue.
Developing a business case for undertaking a project is one of the most under utilised steps in effective business technology management.
Typically it is considered a finance department exercise and dealt with as a hurdle to be jumped over rather than a critical objective assessment of the value and merits of a project.
A good business case deals with the both the tangible and intangible aspects of a project. It also clearly defines costs, funding arrangements, expected returns and quantified risks. A good business case will allow an independent qualitative assessment of the merits of a project.
Consult Point helps organisations develop realistic business cases that define costs, return on investment and project measures.
Business case development is a critical part of successful business technology projects. It promotes interdepartmental cooperation, manages expectations, and defines expected returns on investment.
Contact us for business technology business case development.
Project Approach:
Agree business case format and incorporate any compliance requirements.
Interview key stakeholders and determine key success factors.
Develop draft business case for circulation and comment.
Finalise business case and present for submission.
Project Management - Delivering Outcomes on Time and in Budget
Understanding the relationship between time, money and quality is the cornerstone of effective project management.
Project plans rarely survive past the first month before variations are raised, dates are moved and scope creep occurs. Project management is more than process and reporting, it involves experience and knowledge to mitigate the risk and manage expectations.
The skills required to run an effective business technology project are not that same as running general business activities. Understanding system dependencies, third party vendor relationships mixed with a high degree of business acumen are critical elements to running a successful project.
Consult Point runs business technology projects every day. Our project managers have years of business experience, understand the complex dependencies of technology and make he hard calls to bring a project in on time within budget.
Managing a business technology project so that it is on-time and within budget is a difficult job and potentially disastrous if done wrong. Take the complexity and risk out of your projects by engaging with Consult Point our business is to Get IT Right.
Contact us for business technology project management services.
Project Approach:
Interview stakeholder for development of project deliverables.
Define project success criteria and milestones.
Blend client and third party plans and activities into a single master project plan with critical path dependencies.
Document Risks and issues log with mitigation plans.
Initiate project governance, resource allocation, and activity planning.
Project Deliverables:
Project Charter.
Master Project Plan.
Risks and Issues Log.
Change Request Variations.
Milestone Sign Offs.
By blending all project party tasks, resource constraints and critical path activities Consult Point ensures successful project outcomes.
Change Management - Managing the People-Side of Your Project to Achieve Results
The ultimate success of a project or business initiative is dependent on your people embracing the new initiative and being competent in using any associated business technology and following business processes.
Implementing a structured change management approach significantly increases the overall success of projects and initiatives including meeting objectives, adhering to time frames and realising the expected return on investment.
Managing desired change involves having a clearly defined future state and a passion for enabling and empowering people to transition to the new way of doing things. It is not organisations that change - it is the individuals within an organisation that change, one person at a time.
Consult Point will help you achieve your desired change, improve productivity and increase performance through a structured change management approach.
Large scale change programs are about transforming your organisation. You need to support management, engage key stakeholders, identify the business benefits and WIIFMS (what's in it for me), actively manage resistance and develop ongoing reinforcement activities. These activities must also combine with communications and training targeted at all levels to achieve the desired transformation.
Smaller scale change programs are about doing things different in a discreet area of the business and the level of change management required will need to be tailored to suit.
Contact us to support you to achieve your desired change.
Our Approach:
Interview stakeholders for development of change management scope and activities.
Complete relevant assessments and diagnostics appropriate for the project.
Conduct a skills gap analysis.
Define a learning and development program.
Develop and implement a project communications strategy.
Integrate change management activities into the master project plan.
Change Management Deliverables:
Change Management Strategy.
Stakeholders Analysis.
Skills gap analysis survey and report.
Change Management Plan
Communication strategy.
Updates, Feedback, and Change Assessments including e-Tools.
Post Project Review - Learn for your Projects, Adapt and Improve
After the celebrations of project success are over it is important to pause and take stock of the situation with a post project review.
A post project review is critical step for any organisation that has a continuous improvement philosophy. It verifies project outcomes and connects all the outstanding dots to identify opportunities and ongoing process improvements.
Many projects accumulate a list of minor compromises and scope variations in an effort to achieve budget and time-lines. Left unresolved, what seemed minor at the time could become a critical issue.
A Consult Point Post Project Review validates the project outcomes against the strategic plan and is a platform from which to launch the next project phase or business process improvement.
An effective post project review will document project wins, recommend process improvements, and capture all outstanding tasks and activities. It can be used as a scoping document for initiating the next project phase or as a debrief on systems and team performance.
Contact us for business technology post implementation review services.
Project Approach:
Interview stakeholders to define scope and purpose of the post project review.
Conduct project team and user surveys and interviews.
Present preliminary findings and initial recommendations.
CP Technology Advisor, ideal for growing organisations
Most business have strategic technology goals however, on a daily basis internal IT resources are confronted with lists of issues, urgent problems and generally dissatisfied user community. Dealing with daily issues prevents organisations from working towards their strategic goals and more importantly, identify and correct the root cause of issues and user dissatisfaction.
This is where Consult Point can help. Our unique CP Technology Advisor service provides an experienced Business Technology Advisor to get the technology back on the strategic pathway and eliminate the break-fix cycle which causes so much end user pain. The benefits are that you get this service without paying for an expensive full time resource.
Specifically the CP Technology Advisor will be engaged 1 – 3 days per week and immediately take ownership of the technology function within your organisation. This includes:
Taking ownership and control of the technology function;
Establishment of an all inclusive technology governance group with key user representation;
Analysis of current issue management process & implementation of a Service Desk process with root cause analysis;
Service Desk monthly reporting;
Implementation of root cause rectification training;
Budget review and management;
Implement strategic technology procurement;
Engage the user community;
Implement quality and change controls;
Motivate technology and lead staff;
Champion strategic objectives and initiatives; and
Identify deficiencies and strategic opportunities.
Business technology, today is challenging, it spans a wide area covering communications, infrastructure, networks, business applications, control devices, personal devices of various types and business resilience to disaster. To be effective, an organisation needs to manage all of these components, ensure active adoption by all staff plus keep abreast of new technology developments and enhancements.
Consult Point is your most cost effective option in managing technology and organisational IT resources effectively. The CP Technology Advisor and other Consult Point resources are ready to help you maximise your investment in technology.
The Consult Point Technology Advisor program can be used as a progressive engagement to undertake the full range of Consult Point services. Contact us for more information.
Approach:
Establish business technology steering committee.
Agree level of involvement.
Participate in recurring business technology meetings.
Facilitate business technology decision making processes.
Provide area expertise as needed.
Conduct surveys and audits to access compliance and user satisfaction.
Deliverables:
Regular business technology performance reports.
Ongoing business technology direction decisions.
Vendor Independence.
Agreed level of involvement can range from short term project engagement to weekly or monthly meetings or workshops.
Business Technology is a critical part of every organisation. A disaster recovery plan (DRP) is like an insurance policy that protects your organisation from a business technology failure.
A disaster can be anything which prevents an organisation from being able to continue with operations. Natural disasters, infrastructure failure, or a breach of virtual or physical security can all cause operations to cease.
Prevention is always better than a cure. The risk of an interruption to operations by a business technology failure needs to be assessed, measured and reduced with the implementation of practical and easy to follow policies and procedures.
Consult Point Disaster Recovery Planning involves the identification, measurement, assessment, and recommendation of both preventative and recovery policies and procedures. We help business agree, implement and test disaster recovery plans free of influence from hardware and software vendors.
Our approach to disaster recovery planning is always to prevent first. We make practical cost effective recommendations that takes into account first and foremost your organisational needs budgets, and capabilities.
Protect your organisation today from a failure in business technology. Contact Us for more information.
Approach:
Define geographical, organisational and operational scope of disaster recovery plan.
Business recovery requirements assessment.
Risk and scenario analysis.
Baseline existing DRP and environment.
Document interim recommendations and incident planning.
Final Disaster Recovery report incident response plans.
Deliverables:
Initial DRP Scope.
Interim Report.
Threat assessment and reporting.
Final DRP.
Simulation plan walk though.
Rapid disaster recovery plan development is available for small to medium sized organisations.
Technology Audit - Independent Review with Practical Recommendations
Conducting an audit of the use of business technology, governance, procurement guidelines and achievement of strategic objectives is good business practice.
Having an independent organisation quantify strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats is must for any organisation wanting to fully realize the benefits and return on investment in business technology.
A technology audit can be used to baseline current technology use, determine critical points of failure, access the strength of security, ensure governance is aligned with business practice, or even simply stock take infrastructure and software licenses.
A Consult Point Technology Audit will check compliance, make recommendations for improvement, determine levels of user satisfaction and provide a blueprint of the current state and use of business technology in the organisation.
Our approach tailor the audit to meet your organisational objectives. Our years of experience and team of experts allow us to make practical recommendations based on the current state and use of business technology in your organisation.
Contact us for more information on Consult Point conducting a Technology Audit for your organisation today.
Approach:
Agree scope of Audit.
Conduct user and infrastructure survey, threat assessments as needed.
Draft report with baseline systems, practices and procedures.
Final Technology Audit Report and presentation of recommendations.
Deliverables:
Initial Scope.
Draft Report.
Final Report and Presentation.
Technology audits are tailored to meet specific organisational objectives.
Organisational leaders are being told they need to be in the cloud, but what is it and how will it make a difference for your organisation? Where should your investment be?
Cloud is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (such as networks, servers, and applications) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.
Cloud computing is changing in the business landscape and represents a delicate balance of risk and technology for many. It changes your operating model and cost of ownership. However, there are a staggering array of options available and access to independent advice is rare. Consult Point provides you with experience, independence and knowledge to assist you make the right choice.
Cloud computing holds enormous potential to assist you drive growth in your organisation by achieving significant savings in operating costs, reducing complexity and increasing agility. The critical factor to harnessing this potential is the right advice to map a strategic direction and choose the best fit for your enterprise.
Consult Point are highly skilled in devising migration strategies harnessing public, private and hybrid models for your cloud computing enterprise needs.
Contact us for business technology cloud computing strategic advice and insight.
Approach:
Understanding your risk and technology profile and total cost of ownership to identify cloud-worthy applications
Assess your ability to adapt to a cloud computing model that best fits your business needs
Gain an insight into your people, process, service and governance that allows for cloud computing
Construct an architecture that maps the path from existing applications and infrastructure to the cloud
Identify best practice methodology and align to your business strategy
Conduct surveys and audits to access compliance and user satisfaction
Deliverables:
Consult Point cloud computing readiness assessment
Assessment of gap analysis for cloud computing
Cloud computing application and infrastructure roadmap
Vendor analysis and recommendations to suit your business
Social media and online presence advice
Disaster recovery and business resilience planning
After the celebrations of project success are over it is important to pause and take stock of the situation with a post project review. 
Conducting an audit of the use of business technology, governance, procurement guidelines and achievement of strategic objectives is good business practice. 