The client
Archway Green, originally established in 1969, had recently been bought by a new management team with experience of scaling up businesses to provide national coverage. The core business is the strategic landscaping of construction sites with 200 to 2000 homes.
The problem
The management team have a rapid and ambitious expansion plan, and given the target market, the need for change is driven by both:
• The desire to embed robust processes at an early stage …“I want to get ISO embedded so it grows with the company …if I’d have put it in earlier (in other ventures) it would have been easier”
The need to jump through various PQQ hoops that will make registration a requirement and the loss, or delay, of just one tender listing / framework agreement, would more than offset the investment required.
The approach and the project
The company has never had a formal management system before, therefore the system had to be created from humble beginnings, the problem was two-fold; first there was the need to unravel from each department what they actually did on a day-to-day basis and secondly, present and nurture a system which was harmonious to their prestige and working practices.
The key objective was to work with Archway Green to develop a management system they were comfortable with and which reflected their values and working practices
There were regular top-level meetings held from the start of our involvement. This approach reaped many dividends, the major outcome was all the senior decision makers were simultaneously contributing to and developing processes that will become scalable.
Key objectives were forged in line with their existing plans, objectives, targets, vision, mission and values statements. As anticipated, when the first few processes were drafted, they created an inertia for the rest and a ‘feel’ for the remainder of the programme which resulted in
an easy to follow index charting key touchpoints such as:
• Developing plan and strategies.
• Acquiring customers (marketing)
• Securing new work (managing tenders)
• Delivering project and maintenance work
• Client feedback
The Outcome
These key issues were supported and supplemented by fluent processes which are clear to users and observers.
• Archway Green now have a system which provides a singular point of reference for all.
• This ISO ‘journey’ has provided a unique opportunity for Archway Green to evaluate, future-proof and modify, where necessary, their complete managerial system.
• The company can now access previously closed opportunities