Assurance builds, maintains and develops business confidence. We provide independent quality assurance (IQA) by assessing risk and bringing Ronin expertise to our assurance offering, drawing on key skills and experience from across our trusted Ronin team.

For organisations undertaking change programmes and large-scale system replacements, our experience provides high-quality advice and assessement leading to successful project outcomes.

All our IQA and advisory services are delivered by Ronin's senior consultants who have the relevant academic and industry related qualifications coupled with in-depth expertise to oversee and implement credible, best-practice process and project delivery.

We can undertake IQA assessment at any point throughout the project lifecycle and, on completion, provide advice and ongoing assurance services tailored to individual needs.

Some recent examples include:

NZSA (New Zealand Seeds Authority)

Ronin were first engaged by MPI to provide advice on certification systems replacement in 2018. A number of stakeholders were concerned that the existing seeds certification systems are increasingly out of date and out of step with advances in digital technology. This was putting at risk the ability to manage processes that are crucial in supporting New Zealand’s high-yield horticulture and agriculture sectors. MPI handed responsibility for the review and potential systems replacement to the New Zealand Seeds Authority (NZSA) soon after Ronin was engaged to provide assurance services. Once selected Ronin undertook an initial review of the entire seed certification process end-to-end.

The findings were presented to the NZSA Board along with a roadmap for a phased transition to a modernized system. Following the Boards commitment to proceed with a replacement programme Ronin has provided guidance, review and assurance including;

  • The development of business requirements and the business case
  • Design or enterprise and solutions architectures
  • Issuing an RFP for system development services
  • Selection of the preferred supplier
  • Systems design
  • Privacy impact assessment and development of a Security Risk Management plan
  • System software build and testing services.

The full system is planned to go live during 2022 and Ronin are contracted to provide assurance services through to deployment and setting up ongoing support for the final solution.

Indevin

Indevin own and operate vineyards and wineries in the Marlborough, Hawkes Bay and Gisborne regions of New Zealand and have a progressive strategy to acquire more vineyard operations. With inherited processes and Information Technology (IT) systems as individual businesses were purchased, Ronin were engaged to undertaken an independent review of all legacy systems throughout the business. Vineyard review Ronin identified the vineyard current state IT systems and mapped them to the business processes at each vineyard. Part of this exercise was to identify the business processes that had already been standardised across all vineyards and the processes that are still specific to an individual vineyard.

Ronin worked with Indevin staff to recommend a future state architecture model that incorporated a core vineyard work-order engine and a central master database. We undertook a market scan of vineyard management systems to identify and compare a short list of potential solutions for the core work-order engine and sub-systems. We also investigated their alignment to the Indevin proposed future state model and provided analysis and recommendations to the Indevin Board with a roadmap to deliver the ideal IT future state.

Winery review
Indevin has developed in-house systems for bulk winemaking operations (Bulls-i) and master data management (HQ). Indevin use the accounting package MoneyWorks to manage the company financials for its various legal entities and SharePoint, spreadsheets
and other documents to manage the other areas of its business. In 2020, Ronin were engaged to undertake an independent review of the Indevin winery IT systems and business processes with a focus on the finance, HQ and Bulls-i systems. We were tasked with recommending a future state IT architecture for the business to meet the current and future winery operating requirements and to incorporate the vineyard assignment recommendations.

Ronin reviewed the existing winery IT systems, business processes, work flow and storage of data across the organisation. In consultation with the CIO and GM of Transformation, the future state vineyard model was revised. Based on a best of breed architecture, the model incorporated winery IT, common data objects and a centralised message bus solution to deliver a standard operating model. Ronin were also asked to identify common data objects and best of breed applications. The review evaluated Indevin’s existing applications to identify what should be retained or replaced and advise on what new applications would be required in the future to meet the Indevin business needs. The review also scoped the enhancements that would be required to existing applications to utilise the common objects and message bus.

Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI)

Ronin Group has a number of long-standing relationships with MPI, both in providing delivery and assurance services. These services have been provided to a number of core MPI functional areas such as Food Safety, Biosecurity and Certification. Since 2018 Ronin
consultants have provided assurance service to two significant MPI programmes; Emerging Risks and Plant Import Export Requirements (PIER).

Emerging Risks
Biosecurity NZ keeps watch on 1000’s of different pests and diseases. MPI’s database lists many plant and aquatic organisms that could be of serious risk to the NZ environment and economy. Of interest to MPI are;

  • How likely is it for each pest to arrive and establish itself in NZ
  • The potential impact to NZ should these pests become established
  • The continual changing risks to NZ's biosecurity.

A task force was set up in 2016 to put in place an ambitious programme that would, by 2025, ensure robust common data standards that are planned to underpin MPI systems and applications with an interest in detecting emerging risks as they arise. To enable this to happen:

  • Data needs to be gathered from a diverse variety of sources that can be easily utilised for biosecurity purposes.
  • Data needs to follow common and consistent standards to be able to clearly understand and apply the data to correct decision making
  • Gathering data needs to be done in such a way that it can be used by a wide range of biosecurity participants.
  • MPI need to find cost effective ways of having place a skilled workforce that can respond quickly to changes in technology, identify opportunities and adapt processes in a timely manner.

In the wake of the task force’s report the Emerging Risks Workflow (ERW) programme was set up. The programme spans the entire MPI Biosecurity organisation and engages with a diverse and large group of NZ and international industry stakeholders and impacted societal groups affected by the emerging risks of pests and diseases. For two years from 2018 to July 2020 Ronin assured a variety of the programme components at the project management, SME and vendor levels who contribute to the programme. Assurance services included:

  • Advising on the process
  • Advising on strategy
  • Advising outcomes
  • Assuring designs
  • Assuring project management processes
  • Assuring vendor relationships
  • Assuring programme delivery and reporting.

Plant Imports Exports Requirements (PIER)
PIER is a programme of work that will provide import and export biosecurity regulatory requirements and master organism data. The key objective is to address the challenge of regulatory information that is accessible, consistent and concise and can be trusted by
stakeholders. The suite of tools that will make up PIER will be designed to address the current and future challenges facing importers and exporters as well as provide integration to associated MPI systems.
The programme is made up of a number of phased releases and products:

  • Release A is an online secure business data management system which became operational in January 2020
  • Release B is Office New Zealand Pest Register (ONZPR). This became operational in December 2020. ONZPR is an online multi-faceted searchable repository of organism and pest data that is of interest to importers and exporters, regulators and many other participants in the biosecurity eco-system
  • Due for delivery later in 2021 is Release C - PIER, an online multi-faceted search and digitisation of priority import Health Standards (IHSs) and importing Country Requirements (ICPRs) data
  • Release D will be the first major upgrade of the ONZPR and PIER products of enhancements and additions to the systems identified by the steering group and senior management and is due to go into production by June 2022.

Since March 2019 Ronin consultants have provided a range of services to the PIER programme, including assurance services. Ronin has:

  • Assured the information architecture design and delivery including presentations and acceptance of the designs by stakeholders
  • Advised on putting in place a programme made up of streams of work starting with the design. development and implementation of a Master Database
  • Assisted with data migration, extraction and cleansing
  • Advising on UX design, establishing concepts and reviewing wireframes, including ensuring the accuracy of data
  • Assuring and reviewing API's prior to their implementation
  • Reviewing data models and designs of the database that underpins ONZPR and PIER.

Tranzit New Zealand

Tranzit Group operates more than 1800 vehicles nationwide. With rapid business growth, experienced and planned, the Board identified the need to review current systems,
processes and technology with a view to implementing a digital transformation plan that will help future proof the organisation. Ronin was engaged in 2020 to assure Tranzit’s phased multi-year programme.

Ronin provided:

  • Translation of technical requirements for business executives in language they understand
  • IQA services (lead, guide, review and advise) for execution of the Digital Transformation Plan
  • Business Advocacy for technical vendor engagement

Ronin's assurance role:

  • Initial review of the Deloitte Technical Plan (technical landscape and systems replacement plane)
  • Advice on issuing an RFP for:
    • MS SharePoint intranet replacement
    • enterprise financial system replacement
    • an operation workshop system
    • a full vehicle maintenance system.
  • Review and independent assurance of the vendor process selection
  • Following the vendor selection in February 2021 a continuing assurance role to:
    • independtly quality assure design solutions
    • technical quality assurance for applications selection
    • technical advice on reporting solutions
    • reviewing and advising on intergration and connectivity options
    • advise vendors and Tranzit executives on best technical options
    • run workshops and conduct interviews
    • present to business owners and Board members
    • assure project governance and management.
  • Ongoing IQA and ITA services. As at May 2021 Tranzit are part way through the implementation of five workstreams.

Ready to talk?

CONTACT US