This article first appeared in Master Builder Magazine
(Issue 5 No 4, Sept-Oct 2008)

A wide range of professionals are involved in a construction project. All have differing information requirements and without accurate and timely information exchange cost overruns and disputes are inherent risks. So how do successful builders go about minimising the risks and maximizing the opportunities? They ensure they have strong project management capabilities. At the business level this means putting in place the skills, processes and software tools that promote and enable efficient information management and its communication. How is this achieved? Expand and Orla have combined to offer a robust and secure world class solution – ‘End-to-End Information Management’.

‘End-to-End Information Management’ begins with email. Email is how we are increasingly receiving relevant – and just as often - irrelevant, information. We need a way to better manage how we process that information.

Orla is a leader in email workflow productivity solutions. The Orla solution to email overload rethinks the paradigm of ‘Send/Receive/File’. It is this ingrained pattern that has led to overloaded inboxes and inefficiencies in finding and managing information, both for the individual and for the business. Orla solves this problem before it hits the inbox. “This is a people-focussed, not technology-focused, activity” said Stephen Barnes, Orla’s CEO. Orla’s solution understands what people need to DO with an email and builds capabilities around those requirements. The answer lies in the concept of the 4D decision making process: Ditch, Deal, Delegate, Decide.

Orla is a complete email and time-management solution that provides a new software environment which drives the 4Ds, Low impact, high value learning to transition to the 4Ds, guided by the software, and proof in the form of productivity reports that demonstrate the benefits of the system.

The second part of ‘end-to-end information management’ is how to most effectively control and share that information among your teams and across your organisation. Expand is a business systems company that develops policy, process and systems that add value via standardization and increased productivity. Expand offers customised collaboration solutions tailored to specific business requirements, building on Microsoft SharePoint and extending it into a world-class information management system. One which is highly suited to construction and other project based organisations. By extending SharePoint with WisdomDMF users retain the familiar and easy to use ‘explorer’ like interface while teams and organisations gain from the benefits of centralised information, secure document management, version control, workflow capabilities, compliance and status reporting. The solutions provided by Expand provide increased efficiencies at both the project and organisational level.

When implemented together, Orla and Expand provide a complete email and document management solution – A true ‘end-to-end Information Solution’.

For more information on
Orla and the 4Ds refer to www.orla.org  
Expand, SharePoint and WisdomDMF visit www.expand.com.au

This article first appeared in The Mining Chronicle
(Vol 12 No 11, Dec 2007)

When Extract Resources engaged Expand, their objective was to present a highly professional image of their company and operations with the ability to consistently disseminate up to date information to their investors.

The result was a highly functional content managed website which was visually appealing and much more.

“Expand was engaged to develop a system which would enable us to more effectively connect with our investors through the regular communication of up to date information,” said Extract Resources business development manager Richard Henning. “We required a website that was state of the art, visually engaging and easily managed by our staff for updating announcements and for international document exchange. The result far exceeded our expectation and enables our shareholders to keep track of our business.”

Expand managing director, Adam Wellisch said: “Having worked with a variety of industry sectors, we have a great understanding of the specific compliance requirements of publicly listed organisations and provide simple but dynamic solutions to address their needs.

“In the case of Extract Resources, we delivered a flexible communication platform enabling the distribution of up to date information to investors, which is completely managed by authorised personnel within the business.”

Expand is a privately owned West Australian process management and business systems company with offices in Perth and Melbourne. It advises and assists clients through their systems, to develop a structured process and realise the power of information enabling their business to run more effectively and efficiently.

Since inception Expand has manifested into an acknowledged professional and quality organisation, offering clients a full complement of end-to-end services and solutions in business systems.

For further information contact:
An Expand Business Consultant on 08 9335 8100
or email info@expand.com.au