Ackama now on the NZ All of Government Consultancy Panel

Ackama are delighted to announce that we are listed on the AOG consultancy panel. You can see our listing in the Online Panel Directory! We are a tier 2 provider offering services in the Business Change and Operations Management & Risk categories.  Check us out here

Having launched a range of consulting services over the past years and expanded the company to incorporate the Squareweave Australian expertise we are pleased to offer a capable and flexible team who are really committed to supporting NZ public sector organisations in practical ways.

We apply our values to each engagement and as an independent company are excited to see the ways we help government clients deliver better services, and ultimately better outcomes and broader social wellbeing. As an active contributor to our communities, we like to think we line up well against government broader procurement outcomes, and we’d love to walk you through our track record as well as our vision for the future.

Although Ackama’s unique expertise is in delivery, we have developed a range of smaller engagements, to help you with your service delivery and strategy needs. You don’t need to wait until a project needs ‘web’ to get help understanding your audience, or empowering your internal experts with our experienced implementation teams.

Here’s an overview of the offerings we promote on the panel, but if you think we might be the team you are looking to collaborate with, we would encourage you to get in touch for a chat. We’re also really happy to give advice, guidance or suggestions with no obligation.

Also, stay tuned for a refreshed website and an exciting platform to share some of our most exciting work on an international, and New Zealand stage. We also have been planning responses to Australian government panels so hope to announce new opportunities throughout 2021.

Josh Forde – Head of Business Development and co-founder.

Our services on the panel follow:

Business Change Focus Areas

  • Business change implementation
  • Business change strategy – advice, development, review
  • Business disruption planning (new)
  • Customer Service Improvement
  • Programme and project management

Ackama is known for helping organisations become more effective with their use of technology to enable the achievement of strategy and the realisation of customer needs. We offer a wide range of change management services to support digital transformation.

Within our user-focused approach, this spans internal and external engagement and alignment efforts, for both process change and identifying future opportunities or determining requirements ahead of a project.

Customer Discovery Services

Ackama offers project and customer discovery engagements. Discovery engagements add value through adopting a practical, iterative approach to deliver value within the context of your organisation.

The approach we adopt is centred around genuine engagement with our client and their customers, acknowledging their insights and exploring the case for improvements with context and understanding.

Innovation Services

Ackama supports a range of organisations to innovate. Ackama specialise in identifying meaningful project needs and executing those, using a range of tools. These can encompass; design sprints, service prototyping and working in rapid delivery teams.

Ackama is experienced in working directly with business decision makers, with innovation managers, service designers or digital transformation team members.

Ackama also supports the management of your programme or project, while being flexible and independent in our advice.

Operations Management & Risk

  • Operations management programme and project management
  • Transaction and data processing
  • Reporting and monitoring frameworks

Ackama provides a range of operations programme services. Our preferred model is to engage to support existing teams to raise capability, or transition to new ways of working. We are also available to support strategic project delivery. Ackama leverages our service delivery expertise to understand key milestones and provide deliverables that are transparent and subject to ongoing change or complexity.

Innovation Consulting and Service Prototypes and Scaling Delivery

Ackama has worked with a range of teams providing support to innovation programmes. For example Stats NZ Data Ventures and DIA’s Service Innovation Lab At the Service Innovation Lab, Ackama worked in cross-agency teams including DIA staff and partner agency experts adopting a range of rapid innovation approaches to identified opportunities. Some of the tools we’ve looked at include calculating citizenship eligibility and modelling regulatory frameworks.

Reporting: Understanding Data, Developing Metrics, and Establishing Long Term Systems for Accountability

Ackama have longstanding expertise assisting agencies to identify meaningful measures, develop an operating understanding of performance and determine targets for change. We have a range of engagements and tools that support the implementation of change programmes within a sector. These tools provide digital access to capability guidance and create a workflow for change to be communicated, action committed to, and holistic programmes in industry implemented.

Capability Improvement, Sector Performance Framework, and Self-Assessment Expertise

Ackama has developed the Feather platform, an online tool providing maturity frameworks to end-users in a relevant and practical service. This has been implemented in a wide range of environments, including the Worksafe New Zealand, NZ Navigator and leveraging long term data collection projects across major Australian social services providers. Ackama have the experience to integrate system quality frameworks into a dedicated organisation environment and context – for example headspace the Youth Mental Health Foundation and the Alcohol & Drug Foundation Australia Good Sports programme – a nationwide substance responsibility programme within sports. Meaningful sector change is most effective when implemented into the field. Feather enables every participant to have personalised, accessible development support, combined with the data to measure progress over time.

Data & Insights, Performance measurement and Change

Ackama supports organisations to maximise the value of data sources spanning; voice of the customer, operational KPIS, risk management, resource planning and provide analysis expertise – such as text analysis, management reporting, dashboard design and enhancement. We enable and empower agencies by establishing clear reporting frameworks, and developing maturity of metrics to be used. Ackama works to transfer capability to our client teams and design engagements for long term sustainable management. We also assist with data sharing and data transparency, enabling clients to measure progress in real time and combining with open data sets. Additional Focus Areas of the Operations Management & Risk

Enterprise Platform and Technology Assessments

We also can provide practical reviews of an early stage programme, taking a clear view of appropriate solutions relevant to your organisation’s budget and developing clarity around priorities and tradeoffs. Ackama have the capability to engage with both management and technical teams, monitoring industry standards and making practical, achievable recommendations. Assessments can be delivered alongside customer research studies to gather an informed perspective on your strategy and breaking down high level principles into achievable roadmaps, with available mentorship or collaborative working to put in place a plan to grow capability.

‘Rules as Code’ Processes for government service delivery

Rules as code, is an ambitious approach to better government services. With an enthusiastic global movement, Rules as Code has radically enhanced the value of digital transformations through new perspectives and ways of working within government. Ackama has experience advising clients through and delivering proposed services that adhere to a rules as code convention. We can advise you on emerging best practice and participate in a global community of practice. For full background, see: “Rules-as-Code: The Next Step for Policy Development in a Digital World”