Description

Founded in 2006, Resource Futures are employee-owned and non-profit-distributing with a 30-year heritage in the waste and resources industry. Their vision is a world where everyone uses resources sustainably. They’re working to achieve this through their mission: enabling their clients to manage material resources sustainably for positive social, environmental and economic benefits.

Like Resource Futures, Perform Green are a certified B Corporation (http://bcorporation.uk); a B Corporation is a for-profit company that has a positive impact on people, the environment or both. We were really delighted to be approached by a fellow B Corp organisation and to work together in line with the principles of certified B Corporations.

 

The challenge

Common to many growing businesses, the organisation operates its core operations through a multitude of bespoke, non-cloud based software systems, spreadsheets and manual processes. Not all systems and processes are consistently used, and there was much replicating of data entry. Few of the systems can be accessed offline or from mobile phones. Some systems can be integrated but they are not currently linked. This has resulted in productivity losses and disengagement with core processes across the business.

The outcomes sought by the Resource Futures executive team included;

  • the need for more effective project estimates based on a better understanding of project profitability, capacity and workstream management,
  • a consistent and simple way to produce and report data, with analytics and KPI’s,
  • and having one place for data entry, improving compliance rates, employee engagement and personal productivity.

Perform Green were engaged to deliver recommendations on the most appropriate PSA software to use and the business process change required to enhance productivity and the availability and accuracy of management information at Resource Futures.

 

What did Perform Green deliver?

We deployed our proprietary “double-diamond” method as a way of structuring our work:

Discovery

Our team spent time in the business understanding in detail the systems, data, data flows and business processes via:

  • stakeholder interviews.
  • process observations and the use of “brown-paper” process mapping: stepping through each process and testing our observations with the team/individuals.
  • understand reporting and operational management requirements.
  • And will deepen our understanding of any budget, people-related and technical constraints.

We established and agreed what problems they were trying to fix and a definitive outcome statement.

Outcome: know exactly what the problem looks like.

Define

Through sense-making and in-depth business analysis: we played back a systems overview, process map and data and information flows, checking and providing feedback and observations on current business processes reaching: 

  • agreement on what systems and processes will be improved, and in what order.
  • agreement on the essential and desirable features for the PSA software.

Outcome: agreement on what’s in scope.

Develop

We performed a thorough horizon scan of the market, matching requirements to potential software solutions and meeting vendors to confirm suitability.

  • Cost and features comparison.
  • Analysis of the technical requirements and trouble-shoot potential risks and issues.

Outcome: options appraisal of available solutions and preparation of shortlist.

Deliver

We presented a short-list of recommended PSA solution(s) including;

  • Risk analysis of implementation of recommended solutions.
  • Overview of implementation process, time and cost required.

Outcome: understanding the risks, cost and implementation process for each recommended solution.

 

Why Perform Green?

The short-list we produced presents an opportunity for Resource Futures to identify a PSA solution that will result in the production of accurate, real-time management information to support executive decision-making. Properly procured and effectively implemented, the new solution will also reduce inefficiencies in business processes, improve personal productivity be “always on” and de-duplicate data entry. Perform Green help our clients identify business problems, innovate and implement the digitally inspired solutions that will help transform their business. Perform Green have expertise in digital transformation and change management, business and systems analysis, process improvement, and behaviour and culture change.