Coaching►►►►

+ Problem identification
+ Issue analysis
+ Facilitated discussions
+ Action planning

An international nonprofit supports rural prosperity by investing in small and growing agricultural businesses that build sustainable livelihoods.  This organization needed major enhancements in its processes to support explosive growth.  Chait and Associates was asked to help the organization work with teams from across the firm to analyze its processes and translate those processes into new designs for its supporting technology infrastructure.

Benefits: When implemented, the new processes and technology allowed the organization to successfully deal with its growth and positioned it for yet more expansion in the ensuing years.  ►►►►

Knowledge
Management ►►►►

+ Knowledge audits & taxonomy development
+ KM process design
+ Repositories, access portals, collaboration tools, expertise locators, & intranets
+ Physical and virtual communities of practice, knowledge networks/sharing events, and intermediaries

The CEO of a growing, global, supply-chain intermediary recognized that a significant opportunity existed to leverage knowledge more effectively across the organization.  Chait and Associates was asked to help the organization develop a KM strategy and a set of focused pilot efforts.

The work began with an evaluation of the nature of knowledge sharing in the organization, management's mindset, and the firm's change-readiness.  Through interviews and workshops, a set of pilot opportunities was developed and the objectives and scope of the overall KM initiative were set.  KM success factors were identified and communicated across the organization.  Chait also coached the CEO and his team on their required involvement in and responsibilities for KM.

Benefits:  Maintained drive to share information; leveraged knowledge to drive strategic decisions; controlled costs and maintained delivery dates by reusing knowledge.  ►►►►

Knowledge
Management ►►►►

When the CEO of an international management consulting firm recognized the need to leverage the company's extensive intellectual capital more effectively, he asked Chait to take on that mission. 

Leading a core team of eight KM specialists, Chait built a virtual organization of over 150 people that collected and organized 12,000 key documents focused on re-usable methodologies, products, tools, and "learnings," as well as detailed information on more than 4,000 employees and 16,000 client assignments.  The team deployed a Web-enabled application that provided instant access to all of this data using free text, key word, "more like this," and other search mechanisms.  At the same time, the team established a network of over 100 "Knowledge Stewards" to tailor and drive utilization of KM processes within each practice and business unit.

Benefits:  50%-75% time saving on regularly performed sales and service delivery tasks; projected $50M to the bottom line from improved sales conversion, reduced sales costs, more efficient service delivery, and more rapid assimilation of new staff.  ►►►►

Nonprofit Planning and Coaching ►►►►

+ Strategies for growth and sustainability
+ Board process and structure
+ Financial modeling
+ Team, skills, and staffing

A national nonprofit that focuses on the challenges of the elderly had been financially challenged for several years, which severely impacted its ability to revamp its programs in response to major changes in its marketplace.

Leading a team of consultants from C&A and a sister organization, Chait undertook an eight-month planning effort to develop a business plan for growth, financial sustainability, and greater influence that was designed to refine the organization's strategic goals, objectives, and planned activities, and to develop a model to ensure the organization's long-term financial sustainability.

Chait and his team help the organization develop a mission and vision that reflected marketplace realities, and a set of strategies and action plan to achieve that mission and vision.  They helped the organization restructure its governance structure, dividing the Board of Directors into two separate groups, one focused on fiduciary and funding issues, and the other on developing and supporting the policy and program agendas of the organization.  Chait also coached the Executive Director in how she could best advance the plan, mission, and vision.

Benefits:  A re-energized governance structure with Board members refocused and prepared to fill their newly defined roles; an internal team fully committed to implementing the plan; and a new funding process that immediately began to generate positive results.  ►►►►

Coaching and
Project Oversight ►►►►

Health Check
Action Programs
Ongoing Oversight

A regional transportation authority had undertaken the largest, most complex, and farthest-reaching project in its history.  The project involved the design, development, and installation of new technology; new concepts for operations management, including changes in the roles of hundreds of employees; and an aggressive timetable for completion.

As is all too common on projects of this size and scope, progress was slow and delays piled on top of delays.  While the staff members were expert in running a transportation system, they simply did not have the skills or experience to manage a transformational project of this magnitude.

Senior Management called in Chait and Associates to perform a Health Check of the project, to coach management and staff through the project, and to oversee and support its progress.

We provided an independent and uniquely skilled set of eyes, ears, and hands to help ensure the success of the project.  And we transferred the knowledge we had gained from decades of project-support experience about important and valuable tools and techniques that help ensure success.  We served in these capacities during the most intensive and difficult portion of the project.

Benefits:  The staff learned and practiced new skills, project management moved from casual to professional, a new governance structure was put into place, and barriers to progress were eliminated.  The financial overruns stopped and the initial roll-out was  expedited by several months.  ►►►►

Process
Improvement ►►►►

+ Needs assessment & stakeholder analysis
+ Future visioning
+ Process analysis
+ Implementation strategy
+ Pilot planning/rollout

After decades of stability, major changes in the competitive, regulatory, and IS environments forced a $2B Australian financial services company to redesign its administrative/delivery processes and systems.

Focusing on the core call center processes, Chait and his project team developed a one-stop service concept; designed a fully automated, client/server-based customer service system; and shifted the organization from a hierarchical to a "flat" structure.

Benefits:  33% reduction in headcount and a reduction from twenty days to one hour in elapsed time to solve typical customer problems.  ►►►►