Continually in my business I am approached by people to have me prepare all the RTO material for them; place it into a beautiful box, with a shining ribbon so they can then present the material, systems and information (sparkling) at the time of audit.
Unfortunately this business model, usually does not work very well.
The reasons are many, however they basically boil down to the following:
- Getting someone else to do all the work, means you have been removed from the decision making process and more often than not, you don’t understand what has been done
- Using someone who knows how to put it all together, might be easier for you, however I have found that people then don’t have a thorough understanding of the Standards and Conditions and how you will meet the requirements
- Meeting the ongoing compliance is harder for you, as you haven’t set up the RTO in a way to work with your situation.
From my experience the best model is to work alongside the people wanting to develop the RTO. This way decisions are discussed and agreed upon together.
You need to give your new business the best chance of success with some careful planning and preparation. The strategic planning side is something you know, and one of the reasons you decided to go into business. The business plan will help you define your products and services, set your goals and milestones, and work out how to make your business vision a reality. The consultant should spend allot of time with each individual to try and ascertain their needs and specific situation, putting these conversations into a plan that everyone agrees upon.
It is important to have a consultant who can draw upon case studies and experience to be able to implement these into your new RTO. from my experience, every day we help businesses of various sizes identify and resolve issues, implement new plans and strategies, and improve their overall performance.
It is also important to choose a consultant who uses an approach that fits how you want to communicate and work.
Using a consultant provides an Objective Viewpoint. When developing your business you can become so accustomed to your own particular patterns of thinking and operating that you are no longer able to think or decide as objective individuals. A professional RTO consultant can look at a situation or problem objectively and make recommendations based on compliance and your company’s success.
A successful RTO Consultant is one who can coach and empower their clients to achieve a successful business culture of meeting compliance, providing quality services, continuous improvement and professional development.