Project 14490 completed 2004: A national body representing authorities in all states and terroritories of Australia and New Zealand requested our assistance in reviewing the formats, systems and technologies used to deliver information to their member organisations and to the public. The focus of the review was on the development of the website that is the primary "shopfront" of the organisation, and the backend systems that support it. Realisation interviewed individuals from the various stakeholder groups including administrators, IT, web service providers, business partners, member groups and external customers to develop a view of the functionality required. Our recommendations covered: * the mutual benefits to be gained from sharing resources with a sister organisation * redevelopment of some aspects of the system * a reorganisation of the material to provide easier access from a number of points of view * better use of existing applications to provide usable online documents.

Project 14472 completed 2004: A government Department required advice about how to prepare operational contingency plans to complement existing emergency planning. We devised a plan and methodology for preparing the material, mapping out milestones and resource needs.

Project 14346 completed 2003: A large national construction contractor recognised that the critical operational reference information held on its intranet was not supporting employee activity as well as it could. They asked us to conduct a detailed examination of this knowledge management issue and recommend ways to bring about improvements. We did this and provided a detailed analysis, recommendations, and system development requirements covering: - Presentation of information in structures and formats that are easier to browse, search, and use (the current structures and formats are complex and confusing) - Easier methods for information owners to maintain their information. - Facilities for knowledge-holders to freely deposit information in the system (knowledge capture). - Use of metadata to link a subject area to those who have associated expertise, in order to automatically maintain a 'corporate yellow pages'.

Project 14326 completed 2003: The client is a well-regarded provider of education services to the professional community, and is currently planning to expand its services to other States of Australia and to NZ. The client has undertaken major planning activities for the proposed expansion, but the planning documents prepared by other consultants proved to be too technical or complex for its Board members to readily comprehend. Realisation was asked to assist the client to confirm the planning undertaken to develop educational content for different markets, and to describe and summarise this material for presentation to the Board.

Project 14270 completed 2003: The client company required documentation of a new workflow application for approving expenditure on construction projects. We implemented a plan that integrated instructions for approving expenditure into user guides for existing budgeting, ordering and accounts payable applications, as well as for the set-up and configuration of the approval system. We also documented the system's installation in the IT environment. In addition, we produced an email with animated GIFs to introduce the new approvals process to the workforce. This item was subsequently converted to an HTML help file for the product.

Project 14255 completed 2003: An international provider of business training and coaching developed a modular software system to assist their trainers and managers in tracking contacts with clients, managing training courses and managing the activities and scheduling of trainers and resources. Realisation planned and created online help, directed at users of various levels of responsibility within the company, to assist the to understand the concepts involved in using the new system to manage both internal and external activities and to provide them with reference material and procedural guidance to allow them to learn about the system and use it efficiently.

Project 14245 completed 2003: An Australian development company requested Realisation's assistance with defining and documenting its product design and development processes. Realisation interviewed staff in three states to analyse existing work practices and develop a national best practice. The resulting document provides a framework for product development including definitions of roles and responsibilities, auditable processes and a set of tools to support staff both in complying with systems, and sharing knowledge across all groups. The manual complements and meshes with other materials developed simultaneously to promote quality in design.

Project 14232 completed 2003: Realisation prepared a plan to provide systems documentation (data dictionary etc) for a software system developed by a NSW State Government department.

Project 14229 completed 2003: The company has developed a strong market presence in the management of residential property. In a rapidly growing business, the company management has recognised that it is essential to ensure that operations run effectively and are capable of transfer between staff members. This will support rapid expansion in local markets. The client asked Realisation to plan out an operations manual to assist to build it processes and help make them consistent and standardised, The aim was to ensure full process accountability and to provide a firm basis for ongoign continual improvement. Realisation planned out how the operations manual for the organisation should be structured, produced, delivered to staff and maintained.

Project 14214 completed 2003: A power supply company that was bringing some IT services back in-house after a period of outsourcing requested our help in identifying and documenting the core IT processes. We carried out an analysis of the activities undertaken by IT and its relationships with the business. Our plan streamlined these activities into four core processes, and the ways in which IT accounts for these activities in reference to overall strategy and reporting requirements.

Project 14211 completed 2003: An international communication skills training and executive coaching consultancy developed a web-based system to manage relationships with their clients and the scheduling of resources to be delivered to clients. The system also handles internal consultant management tasks. Realisation developed a documentation plan for a user manual for the system.

Project 14195 completed 2003: A State Government Department retained Realisation to assist with developing a plan for introducing e-learning as a component of its Learning and Development program at multiple sites across NSW. We developed a strategy for building in-house knowledge, resources and infrastructure in a staged approach to an eventual e-learning implementation. This included identifying blended learning initiatives that could be taken without major infrastructural change or expenditure, and defining the user requirements for both a learning management system and an online learning content development tool. The work carried out by our consultants allowed the Department to progress rapidly to writing a Request for Tender for the necessary e-learning applications.

Project 14165 completed 2003: An Australian energy supplier was implementing a company-wide system of documentation and training materials based on a document management product called Mentor which is developed by Panviva. Realisation provided the technical writing resources to author and/or edit the materials in Mentor and to track progress.

Project 14163 completed 2003: A government department asked Realisation to review and evaluate existing documentation in their Operations area and to provide a plan and process for updating and managing this large volume of documentation. We assisted the client in planning a documentation structure for delivery via their intranet and a plan for resourcing the writing/rewriting of manuals and other documents to bring them up to date. We also, in consultation with the client, developed procdures for managing the set of controlled documents, including review cycles, authorisations and document standards. At handover we provided training in the use of a standard template to provide a common look and feel.

Project 14161 completed 2002: Conducted a knowledge management consulting project to analyse the information environment and knowledge use and development practices of a professional services government department. Looked at all operational areas and information programs, as well as knowledge needs, to determine the overall status and capacities of the organisation and developed a prioritised list of information and knowledge development programs to suit.

Project 14129 completed 2003: The client assists the New South Wales rail network to deliver safe and reliable passenger and freight services. Their Safety Manual has been developed in an ad-hoc way over a number of years. The Safety Manual contains procedures and work instructions that are based on the relevant Safety Standards. The client's management noted several problems with the Safety Manual, and asked Realisation to assist with overhauling the material to ensure its continuing effectiveness, including improving the organisation of the content, the language used and ensuring that all of the requirements of the Safety Standards are catered for in the Manual. Realisation planned and executed a project to upgrade and improve the content of the Safety Manual, including compiling a number of documents and guidelines into a simplified, easy to use set of procedures for use by management and frontline staff. The work involved integrating the (often varied) needs and imperatives of a number of stakeholders within the organisation. This initially caused some delays in the project proceeding as planned, but Realisation worked with the client to ensure that consensus was achieved and the work proceeded in a timely manner after the initial delays. Ensuring that safety standards are known and adhered to by staff is an essential part of meeting the client's objectives. The documentation delivered will ensure that accurate and up-to-date procedures and work instructions, that are consistent with the Safety Standards and Safety Management System, are made available to all staff.

Project 14109 completed 2002: We conducted a Knowledge Management consulting exercise focusing on the information environment of geographically and operationally diverse government department. This included analysing the nature of the information production and use across the organisation and proposed a number of information development projects aimed at securing information assets and ensuring quality in the development and management of information. The four key recommendations were to: (1) secure data in repositories through development of standards, processes and the formal documentation of data in data dictonaries, (2) develop a strategic framework for knowledge and information managrment, (3) create an inventory of information products and resources, with a view to underpinning effective records management and information production and use, (4) redesign the intranet to more effectively deliver information and knowledge the organisation.

Project 12914 completed 2003: A state government department wished to assign metadata to each page of their records to assist with discovery and to comply with the NSW Government's State Records Act. A Realisation consultant developed a Keyword AAA thesaurus for this project.