Business Consulting

At Mara Consulting, our experience in Business Consulting is broad and deep. We are very proud of the work we do, we are known for delivering excellent value to our clients and we have been doing it for many years.  Our Business Consulting service is comprised of the following areas of expertise:

Strategic Planning

Simply put, strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or more and how it's going to get there. Mara Consulting can help you with your strategic planning needs. We will work with you to address strategic challenges and opportunities. Our process is straight forward and we are experienced in providing guidance and leadership to help you:

• Review and validate your purpose (mission, vision and values)
• Conduct an external/internal assessment to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
• Select the goals your organization must reach if it is to accomplish your mission
• Identify specific approaches or strategies that must be implemented to reach each goal, and
• Identify specific action plans to implement each strategy

Business Transformation

To keep your business in pace with the ever-changing demands of the market, you may determine that major change is necessary. Business Transformation is all about reinventing yourself. It is about having a clear understanding of where you are today, creating or validating your vision for the future, operationalizing that vision and creating a plan to transition from today's organization to tomorrow's organization.  Business Transformation affects all areas of your organization, from the people who are responsible for operating the business to the processes and technologies they use to enable the business.  At Mara Consulting we have the skills and experience to help organizations navigate this very complex and sensitive journey.

Governance and Organizational Design

The pace of change in today’s business environment requires many organizations to routinely modify the design and structure of their organization - to drive innovation, performance and customer satisfaction. At Mara, our consultants have the experience and expertise to analyse your existing structure, capacity and competencies, and work with you to design a solution that will effectively achieve your objectives while leveraging your capabilities.  

Business Case Development

Virtually no decisions are made in today’s world without the support of a comprehensive Business Case. Your Business Case must clearly demonstrate the cost and value associated with a new idea or opportunity. The keys to developing a comprehensive business case that truly outlines the potential of a new idea or opportunity are as follows:

• Firstly, you must understand the true value that can be derived as a result of implementing the new idea or opportunity. This value will be defined in both quantitative and qualitative terms, and
• Secondly, you must understand the total cost of ownership associated with the new idea or opportunity. This total cost of ownership must include the cost of establishing the new idea or opportunity, implementing the change, and operating it.

By combining the value that will be derived, with the costs associated with establishing, implementing and operating the new service, you will have a clear picture of the net benefits which can accrue to the organization.  At Mara, our team has extensive experience developing comprehensive business cases that support a case for change.  Clients are confident in our approach and the outcome.  Our style is to work with our clients to design a process that suits the style and expectations of the organization. 

Business Solutions

Our approach is to work to meet your business solution needs with you as a partner.  We work with you to define, design and determine the solution that best suits your organization. Our services include:

• Business Requirements definition
• Business Process Analysis and Design
• Product Analysis and Selection

Our team uses modern, proven methods and techniques for workshop facilitation, requirements and process definition, process analysis and design, product and market research and selection. When the process is complete, you will know that your true needs and expectations are reflected in the final solution.

Privacy Consulting

As technological advances continue, and your clients become more aware and sensitive to the privacy of their information, it is crucial that organizations are prepared and equipped to properly protect their information.  Ensuring information confidentiality, integrity, and availability is now not only in the best interest of the organization, but in many cases is mandated by legislation - with severe repercussions for organizations who fail to exercise due diligence.  Whether you need to conduct a privacy assessment, develop privacy documentation, provide support for your Privacy Officer or need assistance with managing a privacy crisis, Mara can respond to your specific needs. By paying attention to privacy and managing personal information more effectively, you will build customer trust and confidence and satisfy government regulators.

Project Reviews

Often large and complex projects need a sober second look. Whether it’s early in the project to ensure you are setup for success, midway through the project to ensure you are achieving expected outcomes, or at the end of the project to take advantage of lessons learned, the review process can provide tremendous value to an organization.  Our senior team has been engaged by multiple organizations, in both the private and public sectors, to conduct reviews on multi-million dollar projects. The process includes a review of all key project elements, including Project Definition, Project Approach and Methods, Project Planning and Execution, Business Process Change, Organizational and People Change and Application and Technology Change.  We have developed a Project Review Framework that allows us to explore all the key dimensions of the project.