Luxury Coach transport from nominated hotel in Brisbane – Royal on the Park Hotel Cnr Alice & Alfred Sts, Brisbane (right near the Botanic Gardens and Brisbane River). Phone 1800 773 337 or +61 7 3221 3411 for Reservations and mention Block Code – Business Excellence Study Tour ID #81480. Block booking closes 12 October. Room only rate $160 AUD Sun 26 Oct and $189 AUD Mon 27 Oct.

RSL Care Carrington, 16 Blairmount St, Parkinson, Queensland. Parking is available on site or on street. Go to reception for security sign-in.

Light Lunch.

Welcome by CEO RSL Care – Ross Smith.

Site Visit to RSL Care - Bronze Award Winner 2008.

See and learn how RSL Care have managed phenomenal growth and still increased service levels.

Strong strategic planning including consultation with employees and stakeholders and external environmental scanning. People performance development and reward aligned to Business Excellence principles. Benchmarks in the top 25% for staff satisfaction and use of PDSA for Customer Relationship Management.

RSL Care is an owner-operator and developer of integrated aged care and retirement village facilities with an estimated 13,000 clients and annual budget of $20million.

Presentation – RoadTek - People Category Award Winner 2008.

RoadTek is a major provider of road construction and maintenance services throughout Queensland. It is a commercial business within the Queensland Department of Main Roads. RoadTek’s focus is on customers’ priorities and needs and through it’s unique alignment with Government contributes to achieving sustainable regional and economic development and has accountability for the local community. The main service provided are Asset Services, Plant Hire Services and Network Services.

Presentation – Queensland Rail (QR) – Supply Division - Knowledge and Information Category Award Winner 2008.

The QR group of companies are a $3 billion a year business, a national transport enterprise, and own more than $7.6 billion in assets. The role of the Supply Division is to optimise supply chains to enable their internal customers to deliver sustainable business outcomes. In effect, the Supply Division’s goal is to make it easier for their internal customers to purchase and use goods and services and to efficiently dispose of surplus goods and materials. The speaker will discuss why they chose the Knowledge and Information category of the Framework as their launch pad for a concerted use of the Framework and the benefits so far achieved. One outcome is improved and more consistent reporting for the QR businesses which has enabled them to make much improved business decisions.

Workshopping Handy Hints – facilitated by Benchmarking Partnerships.

Workshop groups of participants & speakers address:

• what are the key messages and ideas from the presentations?
• what ideas are coming from the other workshop participants?
• what are the opportunities for you to take action?

Arrival at Dept. of Emergency Services Combined Emergency Services Academy, 15 Howard Smith Drive, LYTTON.. Parking available on site. Go to reception for security sign-in.

Welcome by Director General Queensland Dept of Emergency Services.

Site Visit to Queensland Department of Emergency Services (DES) – Bronze Award Winner 2008 for the whole Department.                       

See and learn how the Department has maintained excellent results despite increases in service demand by up to 35% in the past 4 years.

The Department sets strategic direction linked to their Planning and Performance Management cycle. Organisational Self Assessments demonstrate improved results. They have strong process focussed risk management, internal communications and recognition and reward systems. Gap analysis through the Performance Management Framework helps matching of resources to objectives. Rigorous processes are then used to set flexible plans to still achieve goals when circumstances change. Individual divisions have used the Business Excellence Framework since 1997. We will see and hear about this and witness real live action at the training Academy, such as fire control demonstration and road trauma management.           

DES is a leader in emergency management. The Department operates Fire and Rescue, Ambulance and Emergency Management across the vast State of Queensland, Australia. They have 82,000 staff and volunteers and a turnover of $0.8 billion. In Ambulance for instance they have maintained service standards and survival rates of patients despite a 35% increase in urgent service cases over the past 4 years.

Morning Coffee and Lunch Included.

Workshopping Handy Hints – facilitated by Benchmarking Partnerships

Workshop Groups of participants & speakers address:

• what are the key messages and ideas from the presentations?
• what ideas are coming from the other workshop participants?
• what are the opportunities for you to take action?

Site Visit to Computershare Pty Ltd - Bronze Excellence Award Winner 2008. (Visit to Operations Division).

See and learn how Computershare have improved productivity by approximately 150% since 2002 and maintained customer satisfaction at over 90%, while increasing market capitilisation from $36 million to over $6 billion since 1994.

Computershare are a strong performer in setting strategic direction, in customer relationship management and in continuous improvement. They also place an emphasis on society, community and environmental responsibility.

Computershare is a global leader in share registration, employee equity plans, proxy solicitation and other specialised financial, governance and communication services. They service approximately 14,000 corporations and in Australia have some 1,400 clients. They listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1994 with an initial market capital of $36 million which has now grown to over $6 billion.

Morning Coffee and Lunch Included.

Presentation - Main Roads Western Australia – Systems Award Winner 2008 in Customer Service, Environmental Management and Quality Management, building on their Bronze Excellence Award in 2007.

Hear how Main Roads has transformed itself on its road to excellence as they continue on the journey to be a leading public sector organisation in Western Australia and a leading Australian road management organisation.

Main Roads is Western Australia's State road authority entrusted with providing access to one of the largest geographically spread road networks in the world.  They manage almost 18 000 kilometres of State roads valued at more than $35 billion.  Main Roads works closely with partners, stakeholders, its customers and the community to provide efficient access to all modes of transport which contribute to the economic advancement of the State and the Nation. 

Our Purpose: To provide safe and efficient road access that will enhance community lifestyles and ensure economic prosperity. 

Our Vision: To be recognised for excellence in customer service and world class road access.

Workshopping Handy Hints – facilitated by Benchmarking Partnerships

Workshop Groups of participants & speakers address:

• what are the key messages and ideas from the presentations?
• what ideas are coming from the other workshop participants?
• what are the opportunities for you to take action?

Short guided walk from nominated hotel to Hobart City Council. Nominated hotel for accommodation is The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel. Please contact the hotel directly on the below details and quote “Business Excellence Study Tour, 29th October 2008” to make your booking.  The hotel advises that there is plenty of room availability at the moment but please book as soon as possible. Ph: 1800 814 676, E: reservations@oldwoolstore.com.au.  They can be found online at www.oldwoolstore.com.au. We have reserved Standard Hotel Rooms @ $139 AUD per night (limited availability) and 1-Bedroom Apartments @ $176 AUD per night.

Hobart City Council – Town Hall building, corner Macquarie and Elizabeth Sts – entrance off Macquarie St, Hobart. Meet in foyer. Note – don’t go to the Hobart Council Centre – do go to the Town Hall in Macquarie St. Parking available Hobart City Council’s car park in Argyle St – 5 min walk from the Town Hall.

Site Visit to Hobart City Council – Excellence Medal winner and Gold Award winner 2008.                

Commence with a welcome by the Hobart City Council CEO. Learn how Hobart City Council built their Excellence journey over 10 years and now have strong leadership and an organisational improvement culture including process improvements and organisational assessments. Learn about their strategic and sustainability planning and their excellent asset management.

The Mission of Hobart City Council is to ensure good governance of the Capital City of Tasmania ie Hobart. The 2025 Vision aims to offer opportunities for all ages and a city of life, a City that is recognised for its natural beauty and quality of environment, is well governed at a regional and community level, achieves good quality development and urban management, is highly accessible through efficient transport options, builds strong and healthy communities through diversity, participation and empathy and is dynamic, vibrant and culturally expressive.

Morning Coffee and Lunch Included.

Presentation - Gold Award winner 2007 – Tasmanian Alkaloids and 2007 Leadership Category Award.

The company demonstrated a rigorous commitment to environmental protection and health and safety through its practices and procedures. Its strategic understanding of the market and its operating environment were particularly acknowledged by Evaluators. The company has shown superb performance in all seven categories including strategy and planning, knowledge and information, people, customer and market focus, innovation, quality and improvement and success and sustainability.

Tasmanian Alkaloids, a major manufacturer of medicinal opiates. Tasmanian Alkaloids is a fully integrated manufacturer of controlled substances providing medicinal opiates from its own poppy varieties grown on farms in Tasmania.

Afternoon Coffee.

Presentation – City of Wodonga – Gold Award winner 2008.

The City of Wodonga has been pursuing their Excellence journey since 1996 and since then has constructed an invigorated leadership culture based on continuous improvement. As a key regional Victorian council their efforts have been rewarded by 85% of the residents currently advocating Wodonga as a great place to live and 93% of staff considering that the City of Wodonga is a workplace they would recommend to friends and relatives as a great place to work. The Council has been identified as a ‘Best in Class’ practitioner in a number of critical aspects across the framework.  They are:

• Leading the organisational culture
• Gaining and using knowledge of customers and markets
• Customer perception of value.
• Other areas of excellence were identified from Strategic Planning and Leadership.

Collate leading practices and ACTION PLANNING INCLUDING ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE – THE KEY COMPONENTS – SAI GLOBAL and BENCHMARKING PARTNERSHIPS.

• Learn and share leading practices learnt by yourself and others from the B.E.S.T TourSyndicate group discussion – of application, roadblocks, group sharing and success factors of these practices       
• Syndicate group reporting to the plenary of leading practices that have been shared and that will be helpful
• Review opportunities for planning next steps and follow-up required/ improvement recommendations to consider
• Brief sharing from each participant of their next steps

Wine, soft drinks, cheese and networking.

Suggested activities – (own cost)

1. Explorer Coach Tram – 3 hour tour of Hobart – departs 9.45am or 1.00pm - $40 . to book go to www.grayline.com.au. Grayline also carry out other tours.
2. Red Decker – 90 minute bus tour of Hobart – www.reddecker.com.au - $26
3. Go to Hobart Travel and Information Centre for more details