How we engage
Tell us what's on your desk. We'll tell you what it takes.
Most people contact us because of something specific: an audit date, a board question, a contract clause, a nagging sense that the last report didn't change much. Start there. We'll say within one conversation whether we're the right people and what the work looks like.
The method
Same four steps, whatever the scope.
Engagements
Pick the situation that sounds most like yours.
These are starting points, not a catalogue you have to fit into. We shape each one around your requirements and the expertise it calls for, so timing and fees are set at scoping. If your situation spans two groups, we combine them into one scope.
When a deadline is set by someone else
An auditor, a regulator, a contract or a certification body has put a date in the diary.
When you need an honest baseline
Nothing is due yet, but you want to know where you stand before you commit money to a program.
When the board is asking questions
Directors, an audit committee or a new CEO want a clear answer and a plan they can hold management to.
Ongoing
When the work doesn't stop at the report.
A retainer means the second conversation starts where the first one ended. We already know your environment, your people and what was decided last quarter, so each hour goes on the problem, not on getting up to speed. We'll suggest one only if the work calls for it.
Boundaries
A few things we won't do, so you know where you stand.
We don't sell products.
No resold software, no referral fees from vendors, no preferred tooling. If we recommend a product, it's because it fits your environment.
We don't certify you.
We prepare you for the certification body, assessor or regulator, and we tell you honestly if you're not ready. The certificate comes from someone independent.
We tell you when we're marking our own work.
If we helped design a control and you later ask us to assess it, we'll flag that up front and recommend independent validation wherever a regulator, customer or certifier needs it.
We don't give legal advice.
Notification decisions, contract terms and regulatory correspondence often need a lawyer. We'll work alongside yours.
We don't run your SOC or supply contractors.
Managed services and staff augmentation pull an advisory firm in a different direction. If you need them, we'll help you choose and hold a provider to account.
We don't take on more than we can do properly.
If we can't staff your engagement with the right senior person at the right time, we'll say so before you sign.
Questions
Before you call.
Not sure which engagement fits? Tell us the situation in a sentence or two. We'll reply with a suggested starting point, or tell you plainly if someone else would serve you better.
How quickly can you start?
Start dates depend on what the work needs and which practitioner fits it. We'll give you a firm date in the scope document.
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
Who will actually do the work?
We're not in Sydney. Does that matter?
Do you work with organisations our size?
Can you work alongside our existing provider?
What if the Health Check shows we're in better shape than we thought?
