FPC provided us with a framework for developing an effective and efficient Management System. They did this in a manner that minimised confusion and built upon each process implementation. The end result was a well-thought-through strategic management system.

• Implemented a formal weekly priorities process,
• Developed a detailed Mining Department Annual Plan, including a variety of targeted improvement projects
• Implemented a formal monthly priorities process
• Restructured the weekly scheduling and execution process, including current and future process maps, weekly and daily meetings with formal agendas
• Implemented a weekly/monthly schedule compliance monitoring tool
• Provided training to various staff members and developed support materials

For reasons outside of anyone’s control, the project had to be cut short. However, FPC provided a detailed roadmap and outline of actions we needed to take to embed the changes, ensuring processes remained in place and effective.

We partnered with FPC to develop and upgrade our Management Operating System (MOS), which provides an integrated set of management processes & tools for planning, decision making, executing, reporting and continuous improvement.

FPC have been the glue that has united all aspects of our success. MOS, processes and systems, implementation, Power BI and reporting dashboard, the creation of an accurate and trusted master dataset that provides a full suite of metrics, allowing our teams to make timely and informed production decisions. MOS training, management coaching and mentoring for individual and team development.

The personal and team development aspects were so valued by our workforce that we have engaged FPC on at least a dozen further, separate engagements to support the development of our key players and teams across the company.

The FPC team have helped unlock great value for our mine by assisting my team to improve our systems and build easy visual tools to track and monitor performance. This has facilitated a step change in our ability to identify and address key bottlenecks and to highlight opportunities.

First Principles also worked with the department supervisors and leaders on behaviours and practices across the teams on continuously improving. We have seen an uplift in all areas of the department's performance, which has paid back the invest multiple times over.

We began working with FPC as we were facing a lot of challenges within our departments, including difficulties meeting our targets. FPC's key focus was on creating a working environment, that was conducive to improved cooperation and collaboration between the main stakeholders, Newcrest Mining Limited (NML) and Macmahon Holdings Limited (MHL), including subcontractors.

FPC facilitated improvements in the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle from weekly/daily planning through to shift execution and daily/weekly review, including handovers and short interval control.

First Principles worked with the Byrnecut team to improve the underground mine performance.

This has included looking at our systems of work and building some visual tools which have enabled us to easily and promptly identify issues and ask the right questions to ensure a better result.

The other key component for our team has been the coaching and mentoring and identifying levels of work and accountability.

Having become a veteran of business improvement programs at several sites and within varying work site cultures over the years, I was very impressed with the STARR process when it was proposed to me by First Principles Consulting (FPC). Given that it was clear to me that such a system for capturing, tracking, actioning and closing out priorities was desperately needed at my new organisation I advocated it to those managers in my team and external to it as well as upper management.

The take up on site in terms of the use of the new tools, the way the system and the people helping us with the implementation from FPC were accepted and the results since have really impressed me.

We are happy that we have a system that can be built upon in the future to take full advantage of the potential for improvement from the STARR system’s full implementation.

I initially introduced First Principles Consulting to our business in 2015 at Mt Rawdon. At the time, we were looking to strengthen our operations base and develop a cohesive management team with the use of effective processes and efficient tools.

Over the years since then I have both further engaged and recommended FPC for a number of projects as well as co-presented at conferences with Mark Franklin FPC Director.

As a boutique consultancy, FPC is a flexible and agile company, an early adopter of emerging techniques and technologies.

We engaged the FPC team from 2020-2022, initially to work with our Processing & Maintenance departments. To validate the outcomes we canvassed the teams throughout the project on how the MOS had changed their jobs.

We consistiently received comments such as

• reduces my time in chasing job completion and effectiveness;
• reduction of meetings has improved my job efficiency;
• meetings are now very productive, no unnecessary items in the agenda, sharing only data that could benefit everyone in the meeting; my KPI's are clear now;
• it gives us reliable information;
• New planning methodologies have improved compliances;
• I use this tool to drive the team to complete & follow through on their work that needs to be completed.

Got to be happy with that.

FPC supported our Business Improvement Team in 2022 to develop and deliver the required training to future-proof the MOS changes in our workplace.

Trainees were surveyed post MOS implementation and training

• 96% agreed MOS and the PDCA cycle had changed how they supervise and manage their teams.
• 97% agreed their area's Review Meeting became more effective.
• 96% agreed the use of Short Interval Control improved the performance of their team

Post MOS training the trainees self-rated their level of competency before and after implementation and training for all areas. The baseline of competency being "I know a lot about x and am very comfortable using x"

• MOS competency levels skyrocketed from 24% to 81%
• Active Supervision competency increased from 50% to 90%
• Effective Meeting competency increased from 37% to 89%

We continue to deliver this important training across our mine site.

We had the FPC team work with our Maintenance department to improve the shut down processes in 2020-2022.

The focus was on upgrading the Shutdown MOS in terms of planning, structure, interdepartmental integration and communications. We reduced the total actual downtime from that planned which resulted in $1.66 million extra gold production.

Shutdown reviews identified a further $2.3 million opportunities that will affect future Shutdowns.

We engaged FPC to assist us with a very challenging cultural environment at one of our projects.

FPC undertook an initial Operational Review that was very detailed and enlightening for all parties involved. The team were very skilled at drawing out the relevant information and then presenting it in a comprehensive but easy-to-read presentation.

This review was then followed up with a MOS project, that was aimed at resolving the issues that were hindering performance. FPC was the key that unlocked the project’s hidden potential.