Case Study: Transition planning for not-for-profit - BREAK consulting
449
page-template-default,page,page-id-449,qode-quick-links-1.0,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,qode_grid_1300,footer_responsive_adv,qode-content-sidebar-responsive,qode-child-theme-ver-1.0.0,qode-theme-ver-11.2,qode-theme-bridge,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-5.2.1,vc_responsive
 

Case Study: Transition planning for not-for-profit

 

A not-for-profit organisation works in partnership with health professionals and educators, researchers and healthcare providers to minimise the impact of disease on the Australian community. In collaboration with the Government and with state and territory organisations, they provide practical assistance, information and subsidised products to almost 1.1 million Australians, encouraging them to better understand and self-manage their condition.

 

The organisation administers a longstanding government supply and support contract with the Government which requires effective service delivery, value for money and good governance. The Government also requires assurance that systems, processes and sub-contracts could transition seamlessly to a new service provider should the contract be terminated. The challenge was to strike the balance between encouraging continuous improvement and investment by the incumbent while assuring that they had access to required documentation to mitigate any transition risk.

 

The project outcome was to develop an annual transition plan which addressed the full operating model of people, processes, and systems, with a detailed project plan and costing, sufficient to meet government reporting standards.

 

In achieving this outcome, it was crucial to engage with multiple stakeholders across the organisation to size the HR, IT, operational, financial and governance impacts of a transition.

 

We acted as the coordinator to facilitate and document the transition plan

 

We worked with key leaders and subject matter experts who understood the required changes to:

 

  • Understand the contractual deliverables and obligations.
  • Facilitate interviews for data gathering, questioning and strategic planning.
  • Assess the transition impacts on the different parts of the organisation focusing on the HR, IT, operational, financial and governance impacts.
  • Develop draft documents, Gantt charts and costing spreadsheets for review, validation and buy-in by the national organisation as well as the state and territory organisations.

 

The transition plan met the Government requirement and was accepted as a contract deliverable.

 

What we can learn from this project

 

  • Maintain line of sight to the objective to re-emphasise the ‘why’ not just the ‘how’ to focus first on the context before jumping into the content.
  • Deal with uncertainty through informed assumptions and monitor these assumptions for changes which may impact the plan.
  • Delivering the deliverable is necessary but not sufficient to build client confidence (take the opportunity to demonstrate commitment to client outcomes and continuous improvement).

 

What the client shared about the objective

 

National Manager Governance and Accountability: ‘We engaged BREAK consulting to undertake the development of a range of key transition documents to meet the requirements of a major contract held with the Commonwealth.  Against tight timeframes and the need to consult with multiple stakeholders, BREAK consulting was fast and the willingness to engage, take feedback and amend documents was excellent – highly recommended.’