OUR STORY
The Change Tank is the entity responsible for conducting consulting operations by Matthew Johnston. For the last two decades he has been involved in consulting projects largely to Tier 1 companies in Mining, Rail, Utilities, Health, Ports and Explosives – typically sub-contracting through boutique management consulting companies.
He has specialised in getting his “hands dirty”, embedded in the client company not simply writing reports, but making (and being held accountable for) significant organisational change right there on the ground. Matthew has a substantial toolkit of consulting tools and experience across numerous industries & levels. He has well demonstrated results and a keen eye for what is actually required to make a business succeed. Matthew has extensive project management experience which has been demonstrated in projects of all sizes.
The Change Tank continues to accept projects on behalf of 3rd party consulting companies but as of FY2023 is also looking to focus also on more of a local strategy, working with companies in the local Byron area that are probably not Tier 1 in size, but who would benefit from some of the same processes and rigours as used by the big guys.
CAPABILITIES
“Complexity made understandable”
The modern organisation is increasingly complex. With specialist departments, enterprise IT systems and small bespoke systems, B2B & 3rd party supply chain, divergent departments, mullti-site operations and dotted lines of authority, it can be hard for business leaders to remain 100% aware of exactly how all the cogs fit together. While there is often a sense that things could be better, it can be hard to know where to focus.
The Change Tank specialise in working with you & your staff, to discover whats actually happening – not just what’ supposed to be happening. We then workshop with your staff to discover the friction points. It is important to note that this review process can not be run with a purely system/IT hat – because then you never capture the “off-system” interactions (the phone calls, the informal escalation points, the locally created spreadsheets and “appointment books”). Also a key aspect of a Change Tank review is the intersection of the activities with the humans/management behaviours and actions.
We are yet to see a situation in which process mapping hasn’t led to a veritable campaign of identified improvements. Need step-change but don’t know where to focus? Let the Change Tank run a process mapping exercise and have all the improvement insights you could want.
“No longer a luxury. Now a recurring necessity”
Process Improvement is the active task of improving existing business processes – and business results. It often follows a process mapping exercise.
Process improvement used to be done to squeeze out competitive advantage, but in the fast-faced modern environment, you need to be constantly reinventing yourself just to stay-up-to-date.
We have been in the process improvement field since the early 2000’s and have a toolbox of methodologies with which to achieve this task. More importantly we also have a track record of success. For assistance in this mandatory field of business renewal – call the Change Tank.
“Harness floor-led initiatives”
Inefficiencies are typically recognised by those “on-the-floor”. Frustratingly for management, often despite this keen awareness, nothing changes. The problems/opportunities spotted (by some) are never meaningfully addressed.
And in the worst case, once an idea has been raised once or twice & nothing has happened, it is rarely raised again (except perhaps in after-work bitch sessions). That sucking sound you hear is the sound of morale and can-do spirit leaving the building!!
The Change Tank has implemented Continuous Improvement Systems in many businesses & can do the same for you. These systems empower staff, capture the gems, respectfully discard the chaff, add to a shared sense of ownership and… if managed judiciously – improve profitability and competitiveness.
“The organisational lifeblood”
In simplicity, planning is the broad brushstrokes, scheduling the fine touches.
Plan & schedule effectively and you set a path for operational performance. Do either of these wrong, and you no longer control your future. Too many organisations fail at this.
There is another level though. And this is not just the preparing of the plans . It is embedding, at an organisational level, a culture of constant striving for attainment to the plan.
The Change Tank has extensive experience in working with the planning & scheduling areas of organisations to improve the planning processes, the operational areas of organisations to embed day of operations attainment culture and the management to ensure the review cycle supports & drives the whole process. Typically, if you want to consistently enhance your results, turn this rock over !!
“Management Operating Systems – the forgotten art!”
There was a time in the “not so distant past” where MOS consulting reigned supreme. This era was started by Alexander Proudfoot, swept the consulting world, although it is rarely mentioned now. But what is MOS? And why did it die away? And why is it still relevant?
MOS (Management Operating Systems) involved installing an integrated set of reports to provide all the information managers needed for good daily based decision making. There are 8 elements, and typically all 8 elements were required to ensure the system worked as a whole.These systems were traditionally collected & compiled manually.
Since the 90’s MOS based consulting jobs have fallen away, as many of the hallmarks were copy/pasted into modern day analytics /dashboard/reporting systems of the modern ERPs. However, without the theoretical underpinning, over time the true value of this integrated system has been lost amongst a hunger for “more & more” reports prepared by sales focused tech companies. The modern manager is often back where it all began, with difficulty finding the right data to make decisions (now as a result of too much data).
The Change Tank Director (Matthew) was trained by original MOS lineage consultants and whilst he understands the modern environment – he also understands the underpinnings of this soon to re-emerge management art. You should Consider MOS based consulting with the Change Tank especially if your:
– bogged down in data from a big box ERP and need assistance sorting the wheat from the chaff
– running fragmented IT systems and need help integrating data into a simple useful management tool.
– involved in a startup and want to set things up correctly from the start
“Structure maketh what you become”
Organisational structure determines everything. It houses or removes named incumbents, determines task accountabilities, focuses strategic alignment, allocates cost structures, drives headcount (+ many more).
If a restructure is handled badly, it’s hostage to shifting power structures of top executives & can fail to focus on the required trait – which is organisational imperative & long term competitiveness. Culturally it is often best run & managed by someone from “outside”, who is seen as having no vested interest in the shifting power structures often associated. Matthew has been involved in restructures from single business units of 30 people – through to a corporate restructures of 16,000 people. The Change Tank has the specific tools & experience to assist in the process.
“A fresh set of eyes leading to a plan of action”
Sometimes you know your business is not evolving, but what do you concentrate on, and in what order? Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. Or you unconsciously accept the “always been done” mantra. Or you’ve looked at it so long you start to see things in a certain way. Or there’s so much data to wade through, it takes a team of skilled professionals to work out what it really says.
A thorough business review from a skilled proponent is certain to uncover a range of actions that improve the business substantially, and pinpoint a campaign or action.
The Change Tank has completed reviews in numerous organisations and has never failed to find substantial areas of business improvement – usually starting in at no less than 25%. Improvements can focus on profitability, headcount, turnaround time, waste elimination, customer satisfaction – or whatever key issues are facing the the business.
“Deliver the plan”
“Operations” is the day to day running of your existing workflow. Over and over and over again. Delivered precisely & consistently. Your ability to deliver operationally will drive your success.
Your ability to deliver operationally is largely driven by
– people (attitudes & behaviours)
– systems (contribution to key outcomes)
The Change Tank has supported operational success at mid size maintenance operations through to control rooms at high pressure rail, port & health environments.
“Safe hands when required”
Even key executives require breaks from time to time. Childbirth, holidays, medical issues, family reasons and more.
Often the solution is to place subordinates “acting” in their role. Frequently this is a great solution, as it exposes other staff to the next layer of business thinking & adds to their overall training.
Sometimes however this is not a viable solution. The subordinate doesn’t have the skills or attitude, or the demands of their regular tasks are simply too mission critical and hard to divulge for them to devote sufficient time to take on this role on in any meaningful sense. In these situations a suitable temporary executive is often the solution.
The Change Tank has the experience of entering companies from all industries cold, and then getting up to speed within days, to work with top executives implementing fundamental change . We could certainly do this in your business – with or without a change mandate. The Change Tank has an extensive range of known & trusted executives across most skillsets
“Making things happen”
Time, budget, quality & scope. The interlocking parameters for project delivery. Tested & true.
PMBOK, Prince2. Methodologies. Professional qualifications.
All well known. Nothing new.
Q: Why do so many projects fail to deliver anticipated value?
Beyond the road well known, there is something more. Experience, a bigger picture understanding of organisational imperatives and the ability to talk, speak & think the language of senior executives ensure projects remain aligned with what the sponsors have not only said they want, but continue wanting as the project progresses through an ever-changing business environment.
Matthew has been operating in a project environment for 15 years and has experience in all levels of project management. Whether the Change Tank runs a consulting project working on your business as an external, is embedded to run internal projects or assists in governance of your projects – adding the Change Tank within the mix will drastically improve the success rate of your projects.
“To manage multiple projects you’d best be using program management principles !!”
Program Management is using a uniform framework to manage multiple projects. This is important irrespectively of whether the multiple projects simultaneously or across time, and whether they have clearly linked inter-dependencies or not. Standard program methodologies benefit individual projects but also, more importantly, benefit the entire program of work.
Matthew has established & run & PMO’s (Project Management Offices) and has existing toolsets & experience to establish a PMO for your business.
“The key path to successful project delivery”
Q: How do you maximise the chance a project succeeds?
A: Encase the project in good governance
In the end, it is not the project manager who determines the success of the project – but the governance structure around the project. It is the governance structure that seats or unseats the project manager, that determines the project brief & the organisational need, that champions the project across departments, that calls a stop to unsuccessful projects, that allows (or denies) budget overruns, that permits a culture of missed milestones or budget over-runs. Despite all of this, many organisations don’t know how to run a project and often executives are picked to serve on project boards that don’t have the skills, time or even project advocacy required to effectively oversee the project.
Matthew has operated in a project environment for 15 years, often in a program capacity (multiple simultaneous & aligned projects) and has a network of people equally immersed in a lifetime of project work. Let the Change Tank either advise you on the Governance structure you should be using, or else sit on your project board to maximize your project opportunities.
“Supporting you do what you already know needs doing”
As a small business owner you already know your business better than anyone. You know every transaction, every process, every step. As a business person you consider yourself an entrepreneur, you’ve read countless business motivation books & you attend an industry forum. You already know what you should be doing,
Q: But why aren’t you doing it? Why hasn’t your plan to step back from the business & get it ready for sale (or whatever your goal) progressed?
A: It’s that tired old answer you’ve heard 100 times before. Your busy working “in” your business not “on” your business
For small business coaching, the approach is not so much how can I help you with expertise & knowledge – but more how can I help you hold yourself accountable for achieving the bigger picture goals. I’ll treat you as an equal & we’ll get your business to the next level together.
“Not really our thing”
The Change Tank, despite being a consulting company, isn’t really interested in report writing. We’re happy to write a report (after a business analysis for example) on potential improvements, but on the whole we’d prefer to get in there and fix it with you, rather than just write a report & then go away and say we identified $1million of savings (that no one could ever feasibly deliver).
This strategy ties us to realistic & achievable recommendations and anchors us in down-t-o-earth & achievable thinking.
“Fomative Venture Assistance”
This is an area the Change Tank has less experience with than everything else sitting in our services list but is is area Matthew has been enjoying operating within over the last few years for a couple of local contacts. Specific services are:
– Niche identification
– Company Name Selection
– Byline Selection
– URL strategy
– Website Development management
As this is an emerging area for the Change Tank, daily billing rates are reduced (in accordance with demonstrated skills). The hope here is that some of these businesses will go on to become big enough to require Change Tank services.
OUR PEOPLE
Matthew Johnston is the owner & founder of the Change Tank.
Matthew primarily subcontracts his services to other consulting companies but has the ability to run projects under the Change Tank banner as well.
Matthew has 15 years of delivering successful projects – as a business improvement focused management consultant.
Explore the website to learn more – but above all contact us if your in need of business assistance. Odds are we’ll find a way to assist & we’re always more than happy for a completely obligation free chat.