Customer: Department of Defence Joint Collective Training Branch (JCTB)

Year: 2023

Joint Collective Training Branch (JCTB) within Defence is responsible for delivering simulation-based training exercises to ensure that directed ADF elements are prepared to achieve success. An average of 20 exercises are conducted per year, that can be thought of as “mini projects”. Over the past 12 months, the customer has gone to market for 20 roles to help deliver their simulation capability. These roles have included:

• Network Engineers
• Systems Administrators
• Systems Engineers
• ITSM Specialists
• Service Support Coordinators
• Joint Simulation Application Architects & Developers (JSAAD)

Profectus successfully filled 17 of the 20 roles in the past year by analysing RFQs and evaluating candidates against specific criteria, including their skills, clearance level, career aspirations, working arrangements, availability, salary expectations, preferred employment type, and compatibility with workplace culture and management styles, ensuring a perfect fit for the customer’s needs. We leveraged our relationships, social channels, and existing databases in the identification process.

We used 3 methods to contact them:

1. Warm Direct Outreach
2. Cold Direct Outreach
3. Referrals / Partnerships

All communications with candidates/partners followed our 5-level process Candidate Acquisition funnel:

1. Awareness
2. Consideration
3. Placement
4. Loyalty
5. Advocacy

Profectus uses this very same system when approaching the market to back-fill an existing position. For example, of the 17 resources we have placed over the past 12 months, 3 have been backfilled using this process.

As part of our comprehensive aftercare services, we followed our 5-level process Employee Retention Funnel:

1. Train
2. Challenge
3. Engage
4. Connect
5. Recognize

Over the past 12 months, Profectus has ensured that every JCTB employee received comprehensive training opportunities via our training partner ITSMHub. This investment in development has bolstered confidence and helped align their expertise with JCTB's organisational goals. Additionally, each employee is equipped with Microsoft 365 accounts, granting full access to our digital collaborative tools and support systems, and are encouraged to communicate openly through regular personal meetings and via our “Employment Hero” HR tool for performance management. Financially, we maintain a reliable and ethical payroll system, based on an accrual accounting model, ensuring prompt and consistent payment to our staff. The use of our bespoke timesheet and leave management tool helps keep us fiscally sound and compliant. We also offer competitive salary packaging options, including vehicle and IT equipment leasing.

Our systems and processes have resulted in the placement and management of candidates with the right skills and attitude to successfully deliver exercises for JCTB. Hiring the right fit candidates and keeping them engaged, valued, skilled, and happy has successfully flowed down to the customer. Each exercise and Event Functional Test (EFT) that these resources have been responsible for supporting over the past 12 months have been a success. The largest and highest profile exercise which is yet to be conducted is Vital Prospect (VP). The EFT Tech Test 2 (TT2) for VP was completed successfully earlier this year, and our resources were integral. Our Network Engineers ensured secure, high-bandwidth connections for vital communications, while Systems Administrators and Engineers implemented robust RBAC protocols and maintained essential infrastructure. Our JSAAD experts guaranteed application interoperability, contributing to a unified and efficient simulation environment. While ITSM managed logistical aspects and systems sustainment, adapting and improving Defence's operational capabilities continuously. By preparing systems and personnel for live exercises, our employees have provided Defence with the assurance of mission readiness and the flexibility to address and adapt to any challenges. This comprehensive support not only prepares personnel for the execution of critical events but also bolsters the ongoing improvement and preparedness of Defence capabilities.

Profectus's success in resource placement stems from adhering to our Ethical Guidelines, emphasizing integrity, professionalism, respect, equity, and compliance with Defence regulations. We’ve embraced sustainable and digital processes to reduce our environmental footprint and ensured all operations are transparent and secure. Tailoring recruitment to Defence’s specific needs, we've supported national security goals by preparing a skilled and diverse workforce, ready for current and future challenges. Our ethical approach enhances Defence's operational efficiency and contributes to societal well-being, aligning with broader sustainability and security objectives for Australia. Currently focused on serving the Canberra region, Profectus is strategically poised to expand our labour hire services nationally, growing organically while staying committed to meeting local needs.

Customer: Defence Industry Security Branch (DISB)

Year: 2023

Faced with the challenge of digitizing the Defence Industry Security Program (DISP) application process, DISP embarked on a mission to transform their webforms and Excel spreadsheets to a Microsoft PowerApps Portal and D365 solution. This transformation, dubbed the DISP Management System (DMS), required the assembly of a specialized team of Microsoft developers. Management quickly realized that the project was missing a Technical Lead to drive the team and successfully deliver Initial Operating Capability (IOC). They promptly went to market with an RFQ for the Technical Lead Role. Upon receiving the RFQ, Profectus deployed our ZOHO (CRM) Recruit's sophisticated toolkit to streamline our recruitment process, ensuring an efficient and effective search for the ideal Technical Lead. Our search led us to 4 suitable candidates, which later became 1 key standout who won the role.

Our action steps included:

1. Candidate Sourcing: We harnessed ZOHO Recruit's multi-channel sourcing feature, reaching out across job boards, social media, and our careers page to tap into a diverse candidate pool. We created thorough criteria to ensure perfect role fit, all while utilizing a black & white system that focused on merit which could be assigned weight, for a fair non-bias selection process. Our adherence to ethical practices ensured transparency, equity, and professionalism, establishing a solid foundation of trust and respect.
2. Applicant Tracking: The ATS within ZOHO Recruit allowed us to customize recruitment stages and meticulously track candidate progress, ensuring no potential talent was overlooked.
3. Automated Communications: We utilized automated workflows for sending out timely email communications for interview schedules and status updates, keeping candidates well-informed and engaged throughout the process.
4. Online Interviews and Evaluations: Through ZOHO's integrated scheduling, we conducted seamless online interviews. Candidates were also asked to submit written evaluations via the platform, streamlining the assessment process.
5. Reference Checks and Compliance: We implemented thorough vetting processes, including professional reference checks and AGSVA clearance checks to help mitigate any risks, all managed within ZOHO Recruit to maintain a high integrity standard.

Once the candidate accepted the role, our HR tool Employment Hero was used to issue the employment contract along with the onboarding steps. The onboarding of the Technical Lead catalyzed significant progress within the DMS project. Their approach—intensifying meeting frequencies, enhancing DevOps sprint cycles, and establishing a detailed waterfall project schedule—streamlined development efforts. By setting clear baseline requirements and creating a comprehensive project playbook, the Technical Lead not only clarified the path to Initial Operating Capability (IOC) but also laid the groundwork for efficient resource allocation and smooth transition planning.

Their leadership facilitated the delivery of a crucial milestone: the establishment of a delivery date for the IOC, a feat previously unattained. This clarity enabled effective resourcing, change management, and training, while their reports provided management with a transparent view of the project's status, allowing for informed and timely decision-making.

The result was the successful delivery of the IOC with only a minor incident at launch, a significant achievement given the project's complexity and the scrutiny it faced due to external pressures. This breakthrough has notably enhanced the DISP application process. The new portal facilitates a quicker, more intuitive application experience for industry users, significantly reducing inquiries and streamlining management practices. The successful deployment of the CRM system has broken down silos, enabling more efficient tracking and management of applications.

The project's success extends beyond the technical achievements; it marks a pivotal step towards empowering small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage more readily with government Defence contracts. By simplifying the DISP accreditation process, we've opened doors for these businesses to contribute and thrive within the Defence sector, fostering a competitive and fair marketplace. This initiative aligns with our commitment to sustainability, leveraging innovative digital tools to minimize environmental impact while promoting professional growth and diversity, thus supporting a sustainable and inclusive workforce within the ICT labour hire market.

Customer: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Year: 2021

Circumstance
Members of our Organisation were accountable for and involved in the ongoing delivery of Support and Operations Services to a Government Organisation. The team delivered ITSM Services (Major Incident Management, Problem Management, Knowledge Management, Request Fulfilment, and Reporting) in a complex multivendor environment.

Action
Our comprehensive approach to the delivery of Support and Operations Services focused on:

• Support and User Help: Maintenance of a user-friendly self-service portal, significantly reducing resolution times and improving user satisfaction by ensuring that help was always readily accessible.
• Ensuring Policy Compliance: To align with business requirements, members of our Organisation meticulously redesigned the ITSM processes that were used as a basis for introducing rigorous compliance checks.
• Aligning with Business Needs: Understanding the criticality of aligning IT services with business objectives, we engaged in deep collaboration with business units to realign IT strategies and operations.
• Maintaining Service Quality and Improving Operations: To address service quality and operational efficiency, we embarked on a continuous improvement journey.

Specific to IT Service Management (ITSM), members of our Organisation were accountable for the delivery of:

• Major Incident Management: Established a dedicated Major Incident Management team trained to coordinate efforts across departments, ensuring rapid response to critical incidents.
• Problem Management: Conducted thorough root cause analysis (RCA) for recurring and high-impact incidents to identify underlying issues and facilitated cross-functional Problem Review Boards (PRBs) to discuss, prioritise, and initiate corrective actions.
• Knowledge Management: Implemented a centralised knowledge management system to facilitate the capture, organisation, and dissemination of knowledge within the IT department and across the organisation, ensuring knowledge artifacts were accessible and user-friendly.
• Request Fulfilment: Managed a self-service portal that allowed users to submit, track, and manage service requests independently, reducing the load on IT support staff and enhancing user satisfaction. Standardised service request models for common requests, such as access to applications or hardware provisioning, streamlining the fulfillment process.
• Reporting: Developed a comprehensive ITSM reporting framework that included daily, weekly, and monthly performance reports, offering insights into service effectiveness, incident and problem trends, and areas for improvement.

Result
The delivery of these services resulted in:

• A reduction in incident response and resolution times, significantly improving service availability and reliability.
• The elimination of recurring incidents through effective problem management and root cause analysis.
• An increase in operational efficiency and productivity due to the establishment of a comprehensive knowledge management system.

Ethical Behaviour
Throughout the project, the team adhered to high ethical standards by ensuring transparency, honesty, and integrity in all actions. Ethical considerations guided decision-making, particularly in managing sensitive data and ensuring privacy and security compliance. The company maintained open and honest communication with the client, fostering trust and a strong partnership.

Sustainability
The team ensured that the ITSM framework implemented was sustainable, with a focus on long-term benefits for the financial institution. At the end of the engagement, members of our organisation led and facilitated knowledge transfer of Services to the incoming Service Provider. This included an uplift of practices and running education sessions for the Incoming Service Providers' transition-in team.

Customer: Geoscience Australia

Year: 2020

Circumstance:
Geoscience Australia, the nation’s trusted advisor on the geology and geography of Australia, sought to implement a sustainable, efficient, and effective ICT service model. The objective was to ensure that the management and support of the ICT environment were fit-for-purpose, manageable, and supported into the future. The Service Integration and Management (SIAM) Project was established to address this need, amidst a backdrop of increasing demand for reliable geoscience data and information by government, industry, and the community.

Action:
The comprehensive strategy for transforming Geoscience Australia's ICT service model involved several meticulously planned and executed actions:

• Advisory Services: Members of our organisation engaged with Geoscience Australia to provide advisory services across various domains including Change Management, Problem Management, ICT Service Continuity Management, Supplier Management, and ICT Roadmap development. This entailed:

1. Conducting workshops to identify, prioritize, and categorize improvement opportunities.
2. Reviewing and aligning the future state design with the SIAM operating model and governance plan.
3. Offering expert advice on the design and implementation of service management practices.

• Service Transformation Services: Members of our organisation were responsible for the governance and delivery of Service Management transformation, which included:

1. Aligning work efforts with customer service management outcomes.
2. Overseeing the delivery of critical documentation, such as the Procedures Manual and Governance Plan.
3. Defining acceptance criteria and ensuring the delivery of project-related reporting.

• Service Design and Integration Services: Members of our organisation delivered a Service Catalogue process, establishing a service model and a Service Design description template. Under our sustainment phase, we also:

1. Developed a new three-tier service model and associated taxonomy, currently being implemented into their Service Management toolset.

• Process Engineering: The efforts here focused on creating or uplifting process capabilities through requirements derivation, gap assessments, and business process development and re-engineering. This included:

1. Developing policies and processes for Service Integration Procedures Manual (SIPM) Chapters.
2. Crafting policy and process documents for additional SIPM Chapters, including Service Catalogue Management, Capacity Management, and Availability Management.

Result:
The SIAM project successfully established a new operating model and governance framework, significantly enhancing ITIL maturity across the organisation and establishing a collaborative culture focused on service delivery and evidence-based process improvement. The introduction of new service operations and transition processes, aligned with the SIAM model, was embedded into BAU operations for all internal and external ICT suppliers to Geoscience Australia. This uplift in service management capabilities has been instrumental in supporting Geoscience Australia's mission and strategic objectives.

Ethical Behaviour:
Throughout the project, members of our Organisation upheld the highest standards of ethical behavior, ensuring all decisions and actions were guided by principles of fairness, honesty, and integrity. This ethical approach fostered trust and collaboration among all stakeholders, paving the way for a successful transformation.

Sustainability:
The transformation project delivered sustainable improvements to Geoscience Australia's ICT service management capabilities. The newly implemented SIAM operating model and governance framework are designed for long-term efficacy, enabling continuous improvement and adaptation to future challenges. The focus on sustainability ensures that Geoscience Australia can maintain high levels of service management maturity, supporting its critical role in providing geoscience information and advice.

Customer: Department of Defence

Year: 2021

Circumstance:
Members of our Organisation worked with a Federal Government Department, faced challenges with an ageing capability crucial for supporting the future Australian Defence Force (ADF). Operating within a complex, multi-vendor environment, there was a pressing need for a significant upgrade and expansion to ensure reliability and efficiency in critical service delivery.

Action:
As a strategic partner, members of our Organisation embarked on a 36-month transformation project in Canberra. The comprehensive approach encompassed:

• Strategic Advisory Services: Collaborating closely with business stakeholders, service partners, and other vendors, members of our Organisation engaged in detailed analysis to document, design, and implement service management and business solutions. This process involved:

1. Facilitating workshops to align technology initiatives with strategic business objectives.
2. Conducting thorough roadmap planning sessions to sequence capability releases effectively.
3. Uplifting the governance framework to adapt to evolving service management practices, ensuring a resilient structure capable of supporting future changes.

• Governance and Service Transformation: Members of our Organisation initiated a series of governance and transformation efforts aimed at streamlining service management across the diverse vendor landscape. Key activities included:

1. Developing and refining governance plans to ensure clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations across all stakeholders.
2. Overseeing the alignment of service delivery efforts with the customer's strategic outcomes, creating a cohesive effort towards common goals.
3. Implementing rigorous project management and reporting protocols to maintain oversight and control over the transformation journey.

• Service Design and Integration: A core component of the strategy was the thoughtful integration of services into the client’s existing operational framework. This involved:

1. Crafting detailed Service Design Packages and Operating Models that facilitated the introduction of new or updated services, ensuring they seamlessly fit into the operational landscape.
2. Establishing Service Acceptance Criteria that set clear standards for the implementation and delivery of services, fostering a unified approach to service management and integration.

• Process Engineering and Enhancement: Recognising the importance of robust process capabilities, members of our Organisation embarked on an extensive process engineering initiative. This comprehensive effort included:

1. The oversight and development of more than 40 business and Service Management practices, ensuring they met the stringent requirements of the Defence environment.
2. Conducting gap assessments and re-engineering business processes to eliminate inefficiencies, enhance reliability, and support the strategic objectives of the Defence force.

Result:
By January 2021, the first tranche of IT Service Management business processes was successfully delivered, marking an Initial Operating Capability milestone. These processes enabled the client to operate in a more reliable, predictable, and repeatable manner, crucial for mission-critical activities. The integration and governance of ICT services across the multi-vendor landscape were significantly tightened, with the deliverables laying the foundation for ongoing transformation and capability enhancement.

Ethical Behaviour:
Throughout the project, members of our Organisation adhered to the highest ethical standards, ensuring fairness, honesty, and integrity in all our decisions and actions. Commitment to ethical behaviour was reflected in our transparent communication with stakeholders, ethical handling of data, and the respect of all vendor contributions to the project.

Sustainability:
The solutions implemented were designed with long-term sustainability in mind, not only from a technological standpoint but also considering environmental, economic, and social impacts. Our engagement has supported the ADF’s transition towards more sustainable consumption, management, and delivery of services. The foundation we laid for continuous improvement and governance ensures that the project's benefits will persist, enhancing resilience and adaptability in the client’s operations.

Customer: Department of Defence

Year: 2020

Circumstance
The project's goal was to deliver a critical service that would support the future Australian Defence Force (ADF) through an extensive upgrade and expansion. The need was to transition from owning, managing, and sustaining systems and technology to the consumption, management, and delivery of these as services in a complex, multi-vendor environment. Members of our Organisation were critical in the delivery of project outcomes.

Action
The comprehensive approach to this transformative project involved a multi-faceted strategy in which members of our Organisation provided:

• Advisory Services: Provided expert service management advice, assisting in roadmap planning for capability releases and uplifting the Governance Plan to reflect improved Support and Operational practice establishment.
• Service Transformation Services: Aligned work efforts with customer service management outcomes, overseeing the delivery of deliverables such as the Procedures Manual and Governance Plan focused on improved Support and Operational Services.
• Process Engineering: Responsible for the oversight of design and development of business and Service Management practices, creating or uplifting process capabilities to operationalise business and ICT process capabilities effectively.
• Support and Operations Services:

1. Implemented a comprehensive Service Desk function for handling user queries and issues, ensuring efficient incident resolution and customer satisfaction.
2. Delivered robust Incident Management Services and Major Incident Management Services to rapidly address and resolve operational disruptions, minimising impact on critical services.
3. Provided Problem Management Services to identify, analyse, and remove recurrent incidents' underlying causes.
4. Implemented Request Fulfilment Services to efficiently manage and fulfill service requests from users, enhancing user experience and operational efficiency.
5. Conducted Config and Asset Management Services, including developing a Configuration Management Plan that captured, stored, and built relationships between complex business and ICT configuration items.
6. For Change Management, we uplifted practices and associated workflows in JIRA, conducting education and awareness sessions. This uplift provided greater control over ICT changes, reducing outages and enhancing communication of changes to the business.
7. Developed a Knowledge Management Plan to categorise, capture, and make knowledge accessible, facilitating better decision-making and efficiency.

Result
The project achieved significant milestones:

• Successfully delivered the first tranche of IT Service Management business processes as part of an Initial Operating Capability in January 2021.
• Supported the client in operating in a more reliable, predictable, and repeatable way for their mission-critical business activities.
• Delivered Support and Operations Services for the duration of engagement.
• Provided tighter integration and governance of ICT services across the multi-vendor environment.
• Our deliverables were highly commended by our client for their quality and the governance model developed, laying the foundation for further transformation of their internal capabilities.

Ethical Behaviour
Throughout the project, our decision-making was guided by a strong commitment to ethics, fairness, honesty, and integrity. We ensured transparency in our actions and communications with all stakeholders, fostering a culture of trust and collaboration. This ethical approach not only influenced the project's success but also strengthened our long-term relationship with the client.

Sustainability
The transformation project's long-term effects were significant, with solutions designed to be sustainable at multiple levels:

• Organisational Sustainability: Enhanced the client's capability to adapt to new technologies and methodologies, ensuring future readiness.
• Environmental Sustainability: By transitioning to service management and consumption models, we reduced the need for physical infrastructure, lowering the environmental impact.
• Social Sustainability: The project supported the ADF's mission, contributing to national security and safety, demonstrating the social impact of our work.