Work we have done
Case Studies
We have selected a few case studies to illustrate the breadth of our experience.
Implementing Scenario Planning Approach for Global IT and Technology Strategy
Establishing IT as a strategic enabler
Establishing a new venture to disrupt the mining industry
How to build a largest Iron Ore hub with an Integrated Team and Digital Technology
Case Study 1
Implementing Scenario Planning Approach for Global IT and Technology Strategy
Strategic Advisory
Management Consulting
Executive Engagement
Technology Strategy Development
Operating Model Design
Business Analysis
Strategic Planning & Roadmaps
Investment & Budget Planning
Introduction
Shell Australia initially contracted Action Twelve to develop an integrated IT strategy for its Australian assets. This work was successful and led to a subsequent engagement from Shell to develop an IT strategy scenario planning framework that could be used globally across all of Shell's assets.
The scenario planning framework was developed and piloted on the assets and has been widely adopted as a global approach for IT strategy development and alignment.
Challenges Faced
Shell operates two significant assets in Australia, one recently acquired (QGC in Queensland) and one recently completed (Prelude in Western Australia), with technology teams operating independently.
In light of a global restructuring of Shell's digital and technology capability, a new executive was strategically brought on board. This executive's mandate is to integrate teams, find efficiencies, and spearhead the digital transformation.
Action Twelve was given the task of designing an approach and strategy framework to deal with the initial challenges, which included:
- integrating teams operating at varied levels of maturity and capability,
- aligning Australian strategy with multiple global strategies and restructuring efforts being implemented by Shell and
- helping a transactional IT team shift their mindset from managing global and local initiatives to strategists who needed to develop strategies independently.
Following the successful development and implementation of the Integrated Australian IT strategy, the engagement shifted to the development of a scenario planning-based approach to strategy development that can be rolled out across Shell's global technology teams. This shift presented challenges such as:
- developing a scenario planning framework that possesses enough rigour to be reliable and simple enough to be implemented by teams of various maturity and capabilities,
- exploring scenarios that could be easily communicated to leadership for endorsement and alignment purposes
- and piloting the framework in Shell's QGC asset in Queensland, Australia, one of its most complex assets.
Approach
Action Twelve's approach to the development of the Australian IT strategy was based on engagement design principles such as:
- Holding regular, weekly working group meetings with IT leadership to foster strategic thinking and ensure the leadership team developed the resulting strategy,
- Ensuring members of the leadership team were constantly engaged with the broader organisation and,
- Use of strategic analysis of current and future states based on capability planning.
Once the work began piloting and developing the scenario-based framework, Action Twelve added engagement design principles such as allocating champions for various topics (e.g. Data, Automation, Cyber Security) and establishing a regular cadence to follow their process in describing how their topics would fit into scenarios being considered.
Champions served the purpose of people executing the strategy and plan being the ones who helped develop it. They also developed a light framework that others could adopt and change in their organisations while still aligning with global strategies and initiatives.
Implementation
Action Twelve was ultimately engaged in three distinct initiatives over two years, with ad-hoc advisory provided between initiatives to support the client through deploying strategies, frameworks, and approaches. These initiatives included:
- Initial Integrated Shell Australia IT Strategy development,
- Scenario planning framework pilot at Shell QGC and,
- Scenario planning framework generalisation and global support.
Action Twelve also supported the annual budget cycle, helped create a comprehensive budget aligned with the above strategies, and assisted with the employee value proposition initiative to articulate employee benefits and value proposition.
We also provided engagement support as various executives sought broader endorsement of the strategy and the scenario-based planning framework.
Results
Shell continues to engage Action Twelve on an ongoing advisory basis. The Australian IT Strategy was successfully developed and implemented with roadmaps currently in their third year of execution.
The scenario-based planning framework has been rolled out to many Shell businesses globally. Shell's digital and technology teams update their strategies and scenarios annually as part of the corporate planning cycle. It is important to note that the above was achieved with one consultant working part-time for two years.
Conclusion
Given Shell's pioneering concepts like scenario planning and the complexity of its businesses, it has been very rewarding to achieve positive feedback and results from our strategy and planning engagements.
Action Twelve's approach to building capability in our clients and not treating the engagement as an outcomes-based initiative or a standard project has proven critical in the adoption and success of our ideas and deliverables.
Case Study 2
Establishing IT as a strategic enabler
Management Consulting
Board / Director Engagement
Technology Strategy Development
Operating Model Design
Team Leadership
Introduction
In the complex landscape of not-for-profit organisations, challenges often extend beyond their core mission, encompassing operational complexities, technological deficiencies, and strategic transformations. Multiple Sclerosis WA (MSWA) grappled with these issues, including historical underinvestment in IT systems and disjointed management of IT needs across departments.
At a pivotal moment marked by a leadership restructure aimed at modernising and transforming the organisation, MSWA faced additional hurdles due to the absence of IT leadership. In response to this challenge, Action Twelve proposed assuming the role of Acting Chief Information Officer (CIO) to provide strategic direction and operational oversight.
Through a comprehensive engagement approach encompassing team management, executive education, and strategic planning, Action Twelve guided MSWA towards a more robust technological future. The successful endorsement of a new IT strategy and the recruitment of a permanent CIO highlight the effectiveness of this approach. Moreover, the relationships forged and the knowledge imparted during this engagement have positioned MSWA to embrace technology as a catalyst for its mission of supporting individuals with neurological conditions.
Challenges Faced
Like many not-for-profit organisations, MSWA has focused intensely on its core mission of supporting people with neurological conditions. Its reliance on software systems to manage care delivery has increased as it has grown. However, leadership needed to gain the skills and know-how to adequately invest in robust and safe systems to support its growing organisation.
Furthermore, MSWA has a lotteries division that generates funding for its core care activities and community engagement.
This reality has generated the following unique challenges:
- One of the critical challenges MSWA faces is a history of underinvestment in IT systems and capabilities. Underinvestment has led to separate departments managing their IT needs without a robust central IT capability, resulting in inefficiencies and potential risks.
- The IT landscape has a dual nature; one is tasked with providing care, and the other is focused on marketing and lotteries. Each landscape had distinct regulatory and IT needs.
- Just before Action Twelve was engaged, there was a leadership restructure focused on modernising and transforming the organisation. One of the main changes was introducing a new client management solution, which was a complex undertaking.
- Finally, the client was left without IT leadership at this critical time.
Approach
Given the critical timing of our engagement, with no IT leadership in place and a new client management system being embedded, we proposed acting as a CIO. At that time, the client did not have an official CIO role, and IT management reported to the CFO. Taking over as Acting CIO allowed us to engage directly with Executive Leadership and the Board and gave the IT team a much-needed voice in both forums, boosting their morale and productivity.
The overall engagement approach was as follows:
- Take over the management of the IT team,
- Join the Executive Team,
- Develop a new IT strategy for the organisation, and
- Oversee the critical projects.
Each of these high-level objectives had its own approach.
The IT teams had no routines or structured engagement with the rest of the organisation. We implemented a new set of routines to ensure IT teams communicate with each other. We organised deep dive workshops for each external team so IT teams could open a structured dialogue with other teams to understand their current and future needs.
The Executive Team has never had anyone with technology experience join their routines and meetings. We used the opportunity to inform and educate the Executive Leadership Team on the realities of their organisation they had yet to consider, especially regarding cybersecurity, privacy and IT capability in general, empowering them with new knowledge.
The organisation did not have an IT strategy. The client had an emerging business strategy, which made it easier to align IT's direction to enable and support the organisational vision and investments. Given that most of the goals being set out required robust IT functions and systems, we successfully put forward a case for the organisation to create a new CIO position and a new IT operating model.
The overall engagement was to immerse ourselves in the organisation's daily operations to understand the direction and needs of the organisation truly.
Implementation
Through the collaborative efforts of the IT teams and other departments within the organisation and continuous engagement with the Executive team, we have developed a robust Technology strategy that the Board endorsed.
As part of the strategy, we swiftly executed two key initiatives: recruiting a new CIO and an organisation-wide privacy risk assessment for the Board.
The overall engagement implementation had its challenges. The main challenge was our role as acting CIO. Given that we were not an employee, many executives felt we should not be able to handle HR-related aspects of the role. Eventually, HR-related work was handled by the CFO, making the cultural transformation hard to implement quickly. The cultural transformation would need to wait for the new, permanent CIO role to be filled.
As part of the approach, we have completed a few analyses; here are some:
- Organisation-wide IT capability maturity assessment,
- Organisation-wide IT architecture assessment,
- Organisation-wide IT contracts and outsourcing assessment,
- Cybersecurity assessment,
- Data Privacy assessment
The engagement was the first time we had taken an actual role (albeit temporary) within the company. We have been planning to pilot a CxO as a service to implement new management ideas within the organisations.
Results
We have completed all our objectives. Our client's Board endorsed a new Executive role critical for IT leadership and the IT strategy we developed for the organisation.
Subsequently, the new executive role was filled. Our engagement ended once the new leader started with the organisation.
During our time with the client, we have created new relationships between IT teams and the broader organisation. Furthermore, the executive leadership team has been exposed to technology topics they do not usually engage with. Our approach has resulted in a steady improvement in how the organisation sees and values technology.
Internally, we have learned much about our plans to offer CxO as a service. While many firms do it, this approach should be temporary and not applied during heavy transformation or disruption. We will continue to explore the new service area.
Conclusion
By addressing historical underinvestment in IT systems, fostering cohesion between disparate departments, and advocating for technology integration into the organization's strategic vision, Action Twelve facilitated tangible progress toward a more robust technological future for MSWA.
Through the successful endorsement of a new IT strategy, the recruitment of a permanent CIO, and the establishment of crucial relationships between IT teams and the broader organization, Action Twelve's impact extends beyond immediate objectives. MSWA is now better positioned to leverage technology as a catalyst for its mission of supporting individuals with neurological conditions.
Furthermore, the insights gained from this engagement have informed Action Twelve's approach to offering strategic services such as CxO as a service, highlighting the potential for innovative solutions in navigating organizational transformations.
Case Study 3
Establishing a new venture to disrupt the mining industry
Strategic Advisor
Management Consulting
Board / Director Engagement
Business Strategy Development
Technology Strategy Development
Operating Model Design
Business Analysis
Strategic Planning & Roadmaps
Investment & Budget Planning
Product Management
Introduction
Perenti Group, a global mining services provider, embarked on a transformative journey to establish a digital technology venture to revolutionise the mining services industry. The venture was seeded with the acquisition of Sandpit Innovation.
Action Twelve was engaged following the initial acquisition to provide out-of-the-box thinking and challenge the existing Sandpit Innovation and Perenti Global teams to expand their ideas to genuinely transformative and disruptive concepts. Our many years of experience in mining and digital transformation meant we could develop a portfolio of new business venture concepts the Perenti Board endorsed as the beginning of a business strategy for the new venture.
Following the initial engagement, Action Twelve continued to help the new venture (eventually called Idoba) acquire a data analytics firm and establish Idoba's first business strategy.
Challenges Faced
Perenti Group needed to gain in-depth experience with innovation and digital technology. The Board established an external venture to explore and create new, innovative and disruptive mining services. The initial strategy was to establish a new entity by acquiring Sandpit Innovation, a well-established mining management and continuous improvement consulting firm.
Our engagement with the new entity as strategic advisors had challenges across three main initiatives, each presenting unique challenges.
Out-of-the-box Strategy was the first initiative to provide a fresh and unorthodox view of the mining value chain to foster new thinking and identify new potential business ventures that the incumbent industry players are not pursuing.
Here are some of the challenges we faced:
- "The thought they can't think" challenge meant we had to translate our findings into carefully described narratives that could be endorsed by the Perenti Board and Idoba teams for further analysis and investment.
- Most people involved did not have deep experience in the IT sector, digital technology, or software industry.
- New venture ideas had to be transformative but not threaten existing Perenti business models to be accepted and endorsed.
Following the successful development of the new venture strategy, we were asked to lead the product due diligence of their subsequent acquisition, Optika Solutions.
- Optika Solutions had a high-potential product, but their future product strategy was hard to quantify.
- Perenti Group or the broader Idoba team have had no experience evaluating data and IT-based ventures.
After establishing Idoba and successfully acquiring Optika Solutions, Action Twelve was asked to help develop and structure a business strategy for the new venture, which had its own set of challenges:
- The new Idoba team comprised two companies with multiple teams: consulting, software engineering, mine planning, etc. These teams and cultures were actively integrating while the strategy was being established.
- Navigating Perenti Group's investment culture, which itself needed to be prepared for the disruptive investments Idoba was proposing and working on.
- Idoba was planning and actively pursuing further acquisitions.
Approach
Our approach to this engagement had to change several times to respond to the changing scope and change of people involved with the venture.
To successfully create an out-of-the-box vision, we had to establish an approach that had the following characteristics:
- We employed the first-principles approach to analysing the mining value chain and ecosystem to liberate ourselves from conventional mining industry thinking.
- To avoid creating a set of out-there ideas and visions and to ground the results of our analysis in reality, we framed them as businesses we could start and pitched each business on its own merits.
The approach to the out-of-the-box thinking engagement was a pitch workshop with the Perenti Board.
The acquisition due diligence that followed required a different set of approaches. Our role was to lead the analysis and strategy for the data analysis product the target company was developing. The approach included:
- Model the entire financial runway for the target's existing product strategy based on their thinking and assumptions.
- Develop an investment-positive scenario and product strategy the Perenti Board could invest in.
- Establish a post-acquisition investment and product strategy.
Finally, assisting Idoba in developing its business strategy required a whole different set of approaches.
- Idoba business was envisioned as an ecosystem of businesses and investments, some providing services and others creating products. The ecosystem comprised exiting Idoba businesses, future acquisition targets, and new ventures outlined during our previous work. Ecosystem-based models are poorly understood in the mining sector, so the approach requires continuous education.
- The business strategy had to target and support existing Perenti projects and businesses and push beyond the group's current service offerings. We developed a strategy supporting continuous improvement / incremental value and disruptive new ventures.
Implementation
Perenti, Sandpit, and eventually, Idoba teams established a core team of internal and external experts to guide the establishment and execution of bringing the new venture to life. Action Twelve was part of this coalition. Our role was to provide strong strategy and technical advisory.
We implemented our approach by embedding ourselves within this multi-organisational team and collaborating to establish the new corporate culture. We worked based on a dynamic scope and set of outcomes. The vision behind the Idoba was that of an ecosystem; Action Twelve took the opportunity to establish ourselves as part of that ecosystem.
Over 12 months of our engagement, we were not involved full-time but very much part-time, with periods of intense work (e.g. acquisition due diligence) and periods of slow and methodical work (e.g. strategy development).
Results
Each initiative we undertook as part of the engagement has been very successful.
The Perenti Board has successfully endorsed our unique and innovative out-of-the-box strategy, which has led to the conceptual basis for the products currently being offered and developed by Idoba.
Our acquisition due diligence work and post-acquisition product strategy have been pivotal in the Perenti Board approving the acquisition and securing post-acquisition investment into those products.
The business strategy has been embedded into the organisation, and its core principles are still evolving based on the original foundation we helped develop.
Unfortunately, the ecosystem approach has not been fully realised due to market conditions and Perenti Group's appetite for risk, resulting in Idoba reverting to a more traditional business structure and integration into the broader Perenti Group of companies.
This is a positive development as it means we have pushed the organisation to consider concepts well outside its comfort zone and eventually land somewhere new products are gaining investment within its established risk appetite while still true to their original intent to transform mining services.
Conclusion
The collaborative journey between Perenti Group, Sandpit Innovation, and Action Twelve has been a testament to the power of strategic vision, innovative thinking, and adaptability in navigating the complexities of the mining services industry. From the inception of the digital technology venture to the establishment of Idoba, our engagement has been marked by a commitment to pushing boundaries and exploring new frontiers.
Despite challenges, such as translating unconventional ideas into actionable strategies and integrating diverse teams and cultures, our collective efforts have yielded significant successes. For instance, the endorsement of our out-of-the-box strategy by the Perenti Board paved the way for the development of transformative products and services that are reshaping the landscape of mining services.
Moreover, our involvement in the acquisition due diligence process and the subsequent formulation of post-acquisition product strategies have proven instrumental in securing investments and driving growth within the organisation. By leveraging our expertise in mining, digital transformation, and strategic advisory, we have laid a solid foundation for the continued evolution of Idoba and its offerings.
While market conditions and risk considerations may have tempered the full realisation of the ecosystem approach, the fact that Idoba has embraced new products within its established risk appetite signifies a significant achievement. Our work has expanded Perenti Group's horizons and positioned it to thrive in an ever-changing industry landscape.
Case Study 4
How to build a largest Iron Ore hub with an Integrated Team and Digital Technology
Management Consulting
Senior Management Engagement
Technology Strategy Development
Operating Model Design
Transformation Management
Strategic Planning & Roadmaps
Investment & Budget Planning
Introduction
Embarking on the development of South Flank, one of the most significant integrated mining projects in recent memory, BHP faced many challenges intrinsic to the project's scale and complexity. Action Twelve was called upon to lend expertise in navigating these challenges and optimizing project execution through innovative solutions. This case study delves into the collaboration between Action Twelve and the South Flank leadership team, highlighting the challenges faced, the approaches taken, and the transformative results achieved.
Among the critical hurdles encountered were seamless integration with broader BHP operations, clarifying project scope for various stakeholders, and leveraging digital technology for enhanced project execution. Through a dynamic and adaptive approach, Action Twelve worked hand-in-hand with the South Flank team to devise strategies that would address these challenges and lay the groundwork for sustainable success.
Challenges Faced
South Flank posed several critical challenges, driven by the sheer scale of the project and the integrated nature of the team's execution strategy. Action Twelve has been involved in helping South Flank leadership solve the following challenges, coloured by the nature of the project itself:
- How does the project team integrate with the broader BHP operational and functional teams and co-deliver the project scope?
- How do the individual teams within the project and stakeholders outside the integrated project team understand the project's true scope?
- How does the integrated project team leverage digital technology to optimise and transform project execution?
Approach
Our approach to helping the South Flank integrated project team changed for each challenge we tackled.
Addressing the integration of the project team with broader BHP operations and functions involved establishing a co-commitment framework. We developed a framework that classified the project scope into the following:
- Scope the project directly funded and delivered.
- Scope the project funded, but was delivered by another BHP team.
- Scope that was funded elsewhere and delivered by a service from a BHP function.
- Scope that was funded elsewhere but was managed as a direct co-commitment with another BHP initiative.
Using the above classification, we could translate the Project Execution Plan into a clear set of accountability and process designs to ensure the project was delivered on time and within budget.
Our second challenge was translating thousands of pages of the project execution plan into something digestible to internal and external stakeholders. We developed an Integrated Execution Plan, summarising the scope, work areas, budgets, governance structure and roadmap into a cohesive document that formed the basis for all communication and discussion about the South Flank project.
Finally, we analysed and developed all the digital technology investments across the capital project into a cohesive digital strategy, roadmap and plan.
Our approach to digital strategy was:
- Development of enterprise architecture for the project execution, outlining all key processes, systems, data and users.
- Development of platform architecture for all key platforms, including Engineering Information Management Systems, Inventory and Progress Tracking, etc.
- An integrated roadmap for all digital investments.
Implementation
The implementation of our engagement was straightforward due to the close working relationship with the Sound Flank leadership team and their collaborative approach.
The operating model work to integrate South Flank with broader BHP was executed relatively quickly once we developed a working view of the BHP operating model and scope of the project and established a relationship between the two.
The South Flank leadership team translated our recommendations into changes to their operating model. Fundamentally, our recommendations were developed collaboratively, and the leadership team established roles and teams to embed those recommendations. For example:
- A newly created integration management role co-ordinated co-commitments and external stakeholder management.
- The dedicated digital transformation manager and team managed digital strategy.
- The project's PMO took responsibility for the Integrated Project Team.
In retrospect, our approach overall was to help the leadership team with critical challenges, and it took the form of analysis, development, support, and handover.
Results
The result of our engagement was a contribution to the successful delivery of a mega capital project. The integrated team approach to capital projects was adopted across BHP.
Action Twelve was subsequently engaged to assist BHP global PMO in establishing a framework for capital projects based on lessons learned from our experience on the South Flank project.
South Flank engagement was one of the first Action Twelve client engagements. We established our reputation as an innovative and responsive consultancy that can tackle various management challenges.
Conculusion
The South Flank engagement is a testament to Action Twelve's ability to drive meaningful change and deliver tangible results in the face of formidable challenges. As an innovative and responsive consultancy, Action Twelve continues to pioneer new frontiers in management, leaving a lasting impact on the organisations we work with.