"I know I need to do that but I just don't have time right now"
As businesses start to grow, their owners and managers become increasingly stretched for time as they are forced to spend more and more of it dealing with operational issues needed to keep up with growing demand.
Newly ratified laws and regulations require businesses to develop and implement programs and processes for protecting personal information and customer privacy.
The following are a sample of the many areas of support Aperture Business Consulting offers to it's clients to help ease the growing pains:
-Compliance with Massachusetts Data Security Regulations
-Management Processes and Procedures
-Human Resources and Personnel Policies
-Strategic Planning
-Technology Integration
-Customer Surveys
-Audit / Accreditation Preparation
Compliance with Massachusetts Data Security Regulations
As of March 1, 2010, it is the duty of a company doing business in the Commonwealth to develop, implement and maintain a written comprehensive information security program (CISP/WISP) that meets specific requirements. Aperture Business Consulting can help identify and assess reasonably foreseeable internal and external risks to the security, confidentiality and /or integrity of any electronic, paper or other records containing "personal information", and evaluate where necessary, the effectiveness of current safeguards for limiting such risks.
ABC can help you develop a CISP that is appropriate to the size, scope and type of your business.
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Management Processes and Procedures
The basic organizational growing pain that is a symptom of the need for more developed management systems is the decreasing ability of the business owner to manage or control all that is happening. The organization simply becomes too large for the owner to be personally involved in every aspect of it, and there is a gnawing feeling that “things are out of control”. This marks the need for the development, or upgrading of the firm’s planning processes, organizational structure, performance management system, or all of the above.
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Human Resources and Personnel Policies
When a small business grows over time, it tends to add staff without developing clear definitions of job roles and responsibilities. At some point, people do not understand what their job is, what others’ jobs are, or what the relationships are between their jobs and the jobs of others. The organization needs to develop clear definitions of their roles and responsibilities in order to avoid resulting problems such as duplication of effort, lack of responsibility, and lost productivity.
The Employee performance appraisal is another area that is primarily informal for a small business. But as the business grows, it becomes more apparent that formal discussions around performance expectations and contributions to company goals are necessary. Aperture Business Consulting can initiate the framework and mentor your supervision on the proper procedures for maximum results.
Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is a powerful management tool designed to help businesses adapt to anticipated environmental changes. More specifically, the strategic planning process provides an overview and analysis of a business and its relevant environment. It describes the firm’s current condition and recognizes the key external factors affecting its success. The process then prescribes an outline, or action plan, of how the business will proceed to capitalize on its strengths and minimize its weaknesses and threats. It sets a formal direction for the business, helping determine where the business is going.
Technology Integration
Technology in the small-to-medium business can touch and support many different aspects of the operation. In today’s world, you must keep up with technology to stay competitive. Aperture Business Consulting can help you with your desktop upgrades, internet provisioning, software-as-a-service (web) applications, web presence, disaster recovery planning, and much more. If you need assistance in migration to a new application or help facilitating a strategic technology plan, Aperture Business Consulting has the expertise you are looking for.
Customer Surveys
Knowing what the client wants is the key factor to success in any type of business. The best way to find this information is to conduct a survey. Aperture Business Consulting can help with all steps in a survey project; from establishing the goals of the project to creating your questionnaire to analyzing the data and producing the reports. ABC has experience in all forms of delivery including but not limited to direct mail, e-mail, web-based surveys and face-to-face interviews.
Audit / Accreditation Preparation
If your company is preparing for an accreditation survey, Aperture Business Consulting can help develop and follow an action plan for a self-assessment to correct deficiencies and implement improvements or new procedures to comply with the accrediting organization’s standards.
Aperture Business Consulting can assist with transforming your business from an entrepreneurship to a professionally managed firm. ABC has over 20 years of experience in process and policy generation, personnel performance policies, and technology upgrade initiatives.
Aperture Business Consulting
Karen Catallozzi, President
978-257-1758
E-mail