The principals at CKMCI have a combined experience of over forty years between them in Alberta’s public sector. We understand the business and technology environments in Government of Alberta very well. We know the complexities and the interconnected nature of many of the issues that you face.

We bring value to you with our ability to bring clarity in problem definition, comprehensiveness in analysis and synthesis, and in finding solutions that are implementable and effective. With our innovative thinking and leading edge methods and tools we get to the root of your problems and simplify it to bring clarity. A complex problem often requires a complex solution and we know how to get to it. We have the ability to see through the complexity. Our solutions are made to work.

We are different. We do not pretend to know your problems better than you do. But we have the tools and methods that help us analyze your problem and develop an understanding with a perspective that is holistic and unique. We analyze your business problems so that all its impacts and dependencies are understood with clarity. Only then do we find solutions that address the real issues. We adopt consultative approaches to our engagement and we create solutions that have the support of all stakeholders and a distinctly better chance to succeed.

We present the depth and expertise of experienced advisors and the responsiveness of a small firm. We are a professional consulting firm and adhere to the highest standards of professional integrity. We place our clients first and believe that you are best served when we keep our professional skills updated, which is why our consultants must complete professional training every year.

But first we should describe the nature of change itself. Change can be transformational or transactional based on what triggers the change and how the organization is impacted. Organizations undertake transformational change in response to threats and opportunities triggered by external environmental factors. These transformations are addressed through changes in organization’s strategy, leadership and culture. Transactional changes are triggered by internal factors such as weaknesses and strengths. These types of changes are required for reasons such as to improve business performance or to align organizational factors with each other or with business strategy. Transactional changes are addressed through changes to structures, processes, management practices and systems. Quite often transactional changes follow transformational changes but not necessarily.

‘Traditional’ consulting approaches have ignored these differences by clubbing all change as strategic and by applying a broad brush approach to all kinds of change.

We believe that successful change management requires a level of thinking that should be strategic but an execution that is operational. Small incremental improvements towards the vision make change more sustainable and more effective. Only when all the stakeholders have adapted to a new way of thinking and new way of doing business does it become real. So if real change happens at the lowest level of the organization how can change management be only strategic? Can a broad brush approach ever create a new picture on the organizational fabric? Can you imagine if Michelangelo had used a broad brush (or may be a roller!) for his frescos of Sistine Chapel? Michelangelo took more than four years to create his masterful work. For all of them he used specialized brushes. He used bold strokes and he created all of these paintings while the plaster was still wet. Our approach to change management is similar. We have the big picture in our vision but we execute one stroke at a time. We manage change from the bottom up and in small but bold strokes. And we do this only after we have created the right conditions for change.

So what are the right conditions for successful change? Our change management methodology is based on fulfilling three conditions for successful change. Firstly, there should be a compelling reason for change such as dissatisfaction with the status quo. These reasons should be commonly understood and agreed throughout the organization. As a change catalyst one needs to create a sense of urgency to change for these reasons. Secondly, there should be a clear vision of the future state. The vision should be well articulated, well communicated and generally agreeable to everyone. The vision should be defined in terms of the future state of all the organizational factors and stakeholders that are affected. If the vision is not well defined then you will never get there. Thirdly, there should be a convincing and achievable first step. The initial milestones in the change process are extremely important for gaining the support and for motivating the stakeholders. So they should be picked carefully and planned meticulously. By focusing on these three fundamental conditions we can achieve sustainable change.

CKMCI is a leading practitioner of capabilities required for business transformation and change management including:

• Business Vision and Strategy
• Business Case / Feasibility Study
• Program / Service Alignment
• Business Process Improvement
• Program Review and Performance Assessment
• IT Enabled Business Transformation
• Change and Transition Management
• Project Management

For more information please contact us at info@ckmci.com

• Business Transformation
• Business Strategy and Roadmap Development
• Program and Service Reviews
• Service Delivery and Service Level Reviews
• Organization Design
• Enterprise Knowledge
• Human Resource Management
• Program and Service Budgeting
• Asset Management Improvements
• Financial Management Improvements
• Architectures and Standards
• Strategic Information and IT Planning

CKMCI approaches include:

• Defining a public sector business architecture or business context using the Municipal Reference Model (MRM) or the Governments of Canada Strategic Reference Model (GSRM – CGRM)
• Defining a private sector business architecture or business context using the Private Sector Reference Model (PRIVRM)
• Defining a not-for-profit sector business architecture or business context using the Non-Profit Sector Reference Model (NPRM)
• Defining Business Models using the Business Model Canvas.
• Defining all business strategic and tactical elements using the Business Motiviation Model.
• Defining a Enterprise Policy Charter.
• Defining business processes using industry standard methods and tools.
• Defining and implementing Enterprise Rulebook and Point of Knowledge solutions

• Complexity Challenge
• Change and Agility Challenge
• Assurance and transparency Challenge
• Business and Business Technology Alignment Challenge
• Cost Challenge – Operational, Maintenance, and Development
• Effectiveness Challenge
• Efficiency Challenge
• Enterprise Knowledge Challenge
• Integration Challenge
• Interoperability Challenge
• Reusability Challenge
• Security Challenge
• Time to market Challenge
• Audit Challenge
• Accountability, Responsibility, and Authority Challenge
• Technology and Infrastructure Challenge
• …

CKMCI provides the following enterprise architecture services:

• Consistent business decisions and actions
• Capture of business knowledge
• Automation of decisions
• Linking rules to requirements and processes
• Reducing software development and maintenance costs and volume of code

CKMCI Business Rule Management (BRM) Services include:

• Defining and implementing Enterprise Rulebook and Point of Knowledge Solutions
• Business rule awareness and training
• Identifying rule management and decision service implementation oppourtunities and scope
• Identifying business rule sources and rule capture and documentation strategies
• Business rule alignment assessment
• Business rule capture
• Business rule modeling
• Business rule metadata and repository strategies
• Business rule analysis, validation, and testing
• Decision service design, implementation, and deployment

CKMCI has defined a proven method for capture, analysis, and management of business rules. The method is illustrated below:

The presentation below was a result of work done for the Alberta Land Titles Registry at Service Alberta. The presentation was presented at the 2009 International Business Rule Forum.