“We embed best practice discipline in business so our clients can implement what they learn faster than the competition”

We've helped our clients create value for customers and shareholders on a continuous sustainable basis, through more effective delivery of strategy, processes and capabilities that satisfy stakeholder needs and contributions.

Q. What results can you expect from working with Design for Innovation?

A. We guarantee to make your strategic projects more effective.

This portfolio of success stories will give you a good sense of the kind of problems we work with, how we approach them and the kind of results we can get for you.

Product innovation and development training

Problem / Situation:

A local government economic development agency contracted us to provide workshops and one-on-one coaching and mentoring for product development and project management.

The work was required to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) belonging to two regional industry clusters: software and information communication technology (ICT), and electronics.

Solution:

Two stage-gate project management workshops were presented to groups of 15 to 20 SMEs, introducing new product development from product ideation through design and development, to manufacture and launch.

Follow-up coaching provided hands-on experience for SMEs desiring help selecting and using tools for product development and strategic planning.

Workshop attendees learnt how to utilize an effective stage-gate process to plan, manage, review and improve their own product development projects, using best practice tools for optimizing their systems and processes such as design for six sigma (DFSS).

Results:

New project management skills and tools were acquired by all participants to use within their respective organizations. Discipline, focus and an effective process for managing, prioritizing and achieving project objectives, were some of the benefits gained by attendees.

The most important outcome was the ability to deliver useful results to all kinds of organizations of different types and sizes with different levels of experience, expertise and need.

Technology company regaining traction after restructuring

Problem / Situation:

An IT company decided to amicably terminate their exclusive commercial-arrangement with a Publicly Listed Company (PLC) after a number of successful years in a specialist area.

The dissolution arrangement excluded the company from continuing to offer services in its particular niche market. The challenge was to reinvent the company based on the specialist IP they were able to retain.

In addition to this, the company had to learn to live and operate outside the financial and administrative cushioning provided by the PLC.

Solution:

The solution lay within the knowledge-base of the CEO and the IP of the company; the challenge was to extract this information, redefine the service offering, and plot the company's new direction.

This was initially achieved though conducting one-on-one coaching and facilitating specific directional strategy sessions. The new company direction and offering were developed, energy and resources refocused, and the company rebranded.

Results:

The company now has a turnover in excess of NZ$1 Million and has expanded into Australia.

Ravensdown Fertiliser Cooperative

Information Management Perspective

Ravensdown’s Board of Directors required benchmarking of two of the companies documented Core Competencies – “Direct to Market” and “Information Base” against International Best Practise.

Iain undertook a comprehensive review of both competencies using a formal methodology. The process involved significant staff interviews across a large number of functional groups and management levels, group workshops and an online survey. Iain completed detailed analysis of the results from all sources and compiled a key findings report documenting the findings.

Iain was very thorough in his approach and ensured all aspects of the business were taken into account. He demonstrates a depth of understanding across many aspects of business process, Business Intelligence and Direct Marketing.

Iain gave Ravensdown an appreciation of our current positioning against international best practice and a strong insight into the next logical steps along a roadmap to progress to that ultimate target.

A project has commenced to undertake the first phase of what should develop into a significant change in the way Ravensdown leverages its information base to increase Customer Satisfaction and Company profitability.

Mr. Mark McAtamney, Chief Information Officer,

Ravensdown (http://www.ravensdown.co.nz/default.htm).


Strategic Management Perspective

At a strategy meeting with the board of directors, it was agreed management would re-assess how proficient Ravensdown was as an organisation on delivering on its core competencies.
 
Our discussions with Iain showed us that he could add some value in broadening Ravensdown's thinking about how effectively we were using our systems to deliver our core competencies.
 
As a result we engaged Iain to complete a review of our sales and information systems to see how closely we were aligned with best practice.
 
We appreciated the fact that Iain was very analytical and could put complex systems into a framework to better understand and assess.
 
Iain's work highlighted the fact that despite having a good system which was leading 5 years ago, Ravensdown was starting to get some slippage from best practice and there was more we could do with our selling and data collection system to enhance the business.
 
Consequently, we are assessing a larger project to make better use of our system so as to give field staff more powerful customer management tools.

Mr. Richard Christie, General Manager - Strategic Development,

Ravensdown (http://www.ravensdown.co.nz/default.htm).


Sales and Marketing Perspective

Initially Iain was contracted to complete a review of the core competencies of our sales and marketing functions. 

Iain conducted a significant review through a process of surveying our management and staff on a large number of standard practices against a best practice model. 

The review was conducted thoroughly and was presented back professionally to management with the outcome being that Ravensdown has initiated some projects to further develop our predictive marketing capability. 

Iain then provided some assistance in shaping how we might test various scenarios of predictive marketing and identify the benefits that these new approaches would bring to Ravensdown.

Overall we have found Iain to be very professional and thorough in his analytical approach.

Mr. Ross Aimer, General Manager - Sales,

Ravensdown (http://www.ravensdown.co.nz/default.htm).

Black Box Spatial

Trevor Johnston has been an important part of our business for some time. He has assisted us through a period of changing focus and drastically changing economic factors.

Having restructured the business and on-sold components we found ourselves in the position of essentially being a startup company with several strong clients but blurred direction and stretched focus. Trevor's input has brought a key focus back to the business and structured it to operate effectively in a new market environment.

I can thoroughly recommend Trevor in all regards. He is a clear thinker with an ability to understand both the business and personal impacts of key decisions - a primary factor in making him a unique asset to our business.

Without Trevor's support, assistance and expertise we would simply not have made the improvements that our business has seen over the last year.

Stuart Bell, Managing Director,

Black Box Spatial Ltd. (http://www.blackboxspatial.com).

Canterprise Limited

Canterprise Limited is the commercialization and knowledge transfer company of the University of Canterbury. We are the University’s commercial arm through which intellectual property commercialization and other commercial services are offered.

Iain has worked for Canterprise as a business development consultant supporting venture management activities evaluating and promoting University of Canterbury inventions to prospective investors. Iain has demonstrated high competency levels in the areas of venture management and technology commercialization. Furthermore, Iain has added value in the process of commercializing novel technologies within the projects he has worked on at Canterprise.

Iain is extremely hard working, professional, eager to learn, honest and prepared to go the extra mile in order to get the job done. It has been a pleasure working with Iain and I hope we will establish new opportunities to avail of his services and expertise.

Dr. John Chang, (former) Chief Executive,

Canterprise Limited (http://www.canterprise.ac.nz).

NDVER

As a business coach Trevor has helped me embrace the fact that I can do anything if I set my mind to it and value myself.

He has shown me where my strengths lie, pushing me when I needed to be pushed and done all of this with humour and patience.
 
As I have gained greater confidence, this has created subsequent benefits; improved my decision making, instead of being concerned with what I should or not say allowed me to be more objective and now have greater understanding and appreciation for my fellow directors position and improved our board room discussions and resulting actions.

Maureen Gunn, Director,

Ndevr Pty Ltd (http://www.ndevr.co.nz).

Canterbury Development Corporation (CDC)

Canterbury Development Corporation, the economic development arm of the Christchurch City Council provide a wide range of business services to the Christchurch and Canterbury areas. A core part of these services are Business Training programmes and Business Mentoring services to increase the management capability of local SME business owners.

Iain commenced as a Business Mentor with Business Mentors New Zealand in March this year (2007) and has undertaken several voluntary mentoring assignments in this time.

Iain has also been recently accepted as a presenter to our Business Training Programmes. Since May 2007 he has delivered two workshops to our ICT Sector group; “Excellence in Product Development” - 15th May 2007 and “Product Development for Success” – 15 November 2007. In addition to the presentations he has undertaken workshop follow up coaching with interested parties.

On a personal level I have found Iain to be very professional with a great ability to relate to small businesses and young technology entrepreneurs.

John Hamilton, Manager, Business Support Services,

Canterbury Development Corporation Ltd (http://www.cdc.org.nz).

theRESEARCHBroker

Trevor Johnston helped theRESEARCHbroker move from being a sole operator to a business which was able to put systems and processes in place so that “licenses” could be sold in order that we leverage the business potential that is there.

I found Trevor excellent to deal with. He has very good communication skills and business acumen. We were able to critique the business model that I was running and identify areas that needed focus in order to establish a business that could be licensed.

We worked on those areas, developed documentation and legal contracts that could be used. As an example, we discussed what would happen when I got my first enquiry, what
processes should we follow, what documentation is required etc.

With his general business knowledge coupled with franchise experience we developed a three step process which would convert an inquiry into a sale. The most exciting thing was that it worked and the very first inquiry resulted in a sale of a license.

Trevor has become a trusted and respected friend as a result of the professional relationship that we had. I often use him as a sounding board for new ventures or modifications to existing business practices.

I have recommended him to several other people that have an interest in business and looking to maximise their business potential.

I am happy to be contacted directly – 021 336 837.

Mr. Barry van Beurten, Director,

theRESEARCHBroker (http://www.theRESEARCHbroker.com).

Industrial Research Limited

We have worked with Iain on a number of projects and have had very good value from his contributions. He has a strong background in energy systems research and has been able to apply this experience to deliver innovative thinking and detailed analytical results to our projects.

We also value the honesty, courtesy and integrity with which Iain conducts his business relationships.

Alister Gardiner, Manager, Hydrogen and Distributed Energy Group,

Industrial Research Limited (http://www.irl.cri.nz)

Also:

Industrial Research Limited is a Crown Research Institute. Its role is to conduct basic and applied research and to transfer the results into new technologies taken up by industry. Iain has worked with Industrial Research since May 1997, and continues to do so on a regular contractual basis.

Iain’s work has involved a considerable degree of strategic analysis, evaluation of options, and interaction with industry and government players. As part of his role, Iain has had to supervise staff in his project areas, and also to work in a team as part of a multi-million programme of electrotechnology research.

Iain has demonstrated strong ability both as a systems thinker and as a networker. Much of his work has involved modelling the impact of energy systems or technologies. These findings have been built in to business planning activities and strategic plans. He has specialised in developing frameworks that facilitate the uptake of renewable energy technologies. As part of this work, he has networked with key industry and government organisations, including presenting findings to the NZ Government’s ministerial enquiry into the electricity market.

Iain has a global holistic view of issues, and has built a good network of relationships with researchers and advisers offshore. His background of research in various countries has enabled him to understand issues from a variety of perspectives.

Dr. Howard Nicholls, Senior Business Analyst and Project Manager,

Alchemy (http://www.alchemy.co.nz), and

formerly General Manager,

Industrial Research – Christchurch site (http://www.irl.cri.nz).

Chong Newztel

I was fortunate enough to participate in a workshop run by Trevor Johnston. I personally found his philosophy very rewarding and am in the early stages of implementing the strategies I learned there in my place of business.

On top of that, I found Trevor himself to be a highly astute person who was able to inject his considerable experience and expertise into his coaching which was even more invaluable.

On a more personal level Trevor has mentored me through some very difficult issues around my role as a CEO, and I have been very fortunate to have his counsel because he listens and is able to be both supportive and guiding.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require more information.

Jason George, Chief Executive Officer,

Chong Newztel (http://www.chong.co.nz).

General Cable New Zealand

Our first contact with Iain was as the NZ agent for PD-TRAK (http://www.pd-trak.com), he assisted and guided us through the installation of the software on our company wide network. We subsequently engaged Iain to prepare and deliver a number of one day training courses which covered the use of PD-TRAK and also introduced the delegates to the benefits of using a stage-gate process for product development.

These sessions were of great benefit to our roll out of PD-TRAK, Iain’s knowledge and expertise have been of great value to General Cable NZ.

Paul Naylor, Product Development Manager,

General Cable New Zealand (http://www.generalcable.co.nz/NewZealand/default.aspx).

 Also:

We engaged Iain to assist us because his in-depth knowledge of PD-Trak and expertise in the fields of new product development and innovation management meant that General Cable New Zealand (GCNZ) considered Iain’s skills and knowledge to be critical to achieving its goal of implementing a cost-effective system for managing its new product development projects and associated project portfolio.

Iain consulted GCNZ management and staff on innovation management as well as the associated software customization and implementation requirements. He also assisted in testing and validation of the software and subsequently conducted full training services.

We appreciated Iain’s experience, knowledge and expertise of the PD-Trak software, its functions and features, as well as the subject areas of process improvement and innovation,  meaning that he could quickly orient himself within the company’s technology, process and culture. Amicable, a good communicator and obviously customer service orientated, Iain was always readily available and went out of his way to ensure that GCNZ received the most appropriate solution to meet its specific needs and capabilities.

Through Iain’s expert direction and advice, the evaluation and implementation team at GCNZ maintained a continued focus. His skills and knowledge ensured that the process was comprehensive, with no gaps or omissions and the systems functionality was as specified. Through his advice, coaching and mentoring skills, Iain provided the sense of assurance required to complete the work in a timely manner and the means to ensure the delivery of sustainable change.

Thomas Stroud, (former) Product Development Manager,

General Cable New Zealand (http://www.generalcable.co.nz/NewZealand/default.aspx).

Nightside Test Design Limited

I began discussing my needs for a new level of business mentoring assistance with some trusted friends. One of those friends suggested Trevor Johnston as an option to consider.

After an initial meeting with Trevor and evaluating other options I decided to go with Trevor as he was open, personable and structured in his approach. I also found the one-to-one meeting approach much better that some of the other options which were purely phone calls and emails.

The regular meetings, evaluation tasks and assessments enabled me to review my current ‘cross roads’ position from a new perspective. This enabled me to work through alternatives and clarify my direction and heading for the business.

It was refreshing to find that any subject could be discussed without judgment, as business, personal and ideological issues are often intertwined.

Although the structure was present, Trevor was able to adjust to new information and situations quickly. He was also very good at cutting through to the key issues for discussion and evaluation – focusing on what was important.

I am very happy with my decision to work with Trevor and the outcome and direction chosen. We have also kept in touch since.

Peter Brown, Managing Director,

Nightside Test Design Ltd. (http://www.nightside.co.nz).

EcoBob

We were introduced to Iain through the Canterbury Development Corporation High Tech Launch Programme during early 2007, where he became our business mentor through the duration of the programme.

Using Iain’s scientific and structured approach we were able to identify key areas of our business that needed to be addressed and work out strategies to address those issues. During our meetings Iain helped give us direction for our business to go forward with and provided methodologies and tools to help achieve our direction.

With Iain’s input we were able to put together a revenue strategy for Ecobob which has helped take the business to the next level.

We found Iain to be extremely knowledgeable and personable and always looked forward to our time spent with him.

Carlin Archer, Web Consultant and Director,

Ecobob (http://www.ecobob.co.nz/) and
Redweb (http://www.redweb.co.nz).