Business solutions designed by Worksmiths incorporate perspective and innovation. We don’t think any of it is rocket science. Our financial strategies, our long term financial plans and our asset management plans are both disarmingly simple, yet robust. We believe that the simplicity of our methodology and tools comes from the strength of the conceptual basis upon which we build our solutions.

At Worksmiths, concepts are always developed in alignment with long-term organisational strategy, reducing risks and maximising value. Our approach to strategy encompasses not only its development but, as importantly, the implementation of strategy. Worksmiths is highly successful at bridging the gap between a great strategy, and the implementation of that strategy through the establishment and development of the necessary organisational capabilities.
Worksmiths uses well proven methods and principles that can be applied with success in a broad range of industry sectors and organisations.

Principal consultant Claude Baxter was until January 2005 the independent chairperson of the Mt Buller Management Board Audit Committee. Since June 2006 he has been an independent member of the Kingston City Council Audit Committee. He consults to various organisations in developing comprehensive and resilient risk management strategies and practices and integrates risk management into basic business approaches in a variety of settings. At Worksmiths we apply processes for review plus train organisations around systems for ongoing optimisation and maintenance of risk identification and management. We take a particular interest in the principles of ‘risk communication’, ie identifying risk as a product of hazard plus outrage. We also have particular expertise in business continuity planning and the anticipated effects of a pandemic. The Department of Human Services has used one of our conceptual models as a benchmark in the development of pandemic plans.

From major process reengineering to minor process reviews, we have extensive involvement (including sub-contracting to a diverse network of product and industry specialists) in business process improvement. Recent projects have included: organisational risk management, buildings management, subsidy allocation methodology, insurance management and financial systems (eg purchasing and accounts receivable) projects.

Worksmiths adopts a ‘whole of enterprise’ approach to these business reviews, identifying organisational risks, duplication of process and resource allocation, potential expenditure reduction and income generation opportunities, and non-alignment of policy and culture. We also apply market research to underpin business process reengineering, with the ultimate intent of identifying ways of changing the process and redesigning the service to meet customer expectations. Business process improvement is comprehensively documented with procedural manuals and documentation incorporating process flow diagrams (as needed).

Now recognised as bearing equal importance in local government to service provision, asset management needs to target effectiveness, economy and usage. Our models for understanding and maintaining assets in a condition fit for their purpose is behind some major cost-benefit analyses, option analysis and costing & pricing models. We employ a range of methodologies to determine the cost of asset provision and to determine a range of valuations for building rentals.

Worksmiths is relied upon for internal audit and direct consultancy to identify simple and efficient systems and practices for effective asset management. One of our strengths comes from our whole-of-organisation approach – linking asset management to risk management, operational service delivery and long term financial planning.

A fundamental input to establishing strategic direction and process improvement is positioning an in-depth awareness and understanding of customer needs. Worksmiths undertakes detailed market research and commercial information sourcing through numerous methodologies including face to face interviewing, large scale ‘quantitative’ interviewing, online surveys, and group discussions. It then links performance satisfaction customer perception with specific improvement goals and business process redesign, then following up to ensure that goals have been achieved.

Through strategic concept development and business process reengineering, Worksmiths is readily able to evaluate processes and services within the value chain that are appropriate to consider introducing an outsourced service partner.

Worksmiths specialises in developing specifications, designing performance measures and ensuring outcomes, and identifying key business objectives and translating into a tender. The drafting of tender submissions is a key attribute, together with providing tender management, selection methodology, and overseeing contract management.