- Building Materials & Trade Supply
Operating Model + Process Redesign · ~5-month engagement
A growing timber supply business was running on informal practice. We rebuilt the operating discipline that holds it together.
Roles were unclear, performance conversations weren't happening, and safety controls weren't consistently applied across day-to-day operations. We rebuilt the operating model around clear role accountability, a redesigned workflow with embedded SOPs, and an HR and WHS governance layer that turned informal operations into predictable delivery.
Operational efficiency
+40%
Workflow throughput uplift, measured across core daily routines
Workforce turnover
−65%
Voluntary turnover, year-on-year against pre-engagement baseline
Employee satisfaction
85%
Post-engagement engagement survey, full-team response
Reported WHS incidents
Zero
Across operations following new WHS controls and routines
Client
Alpha Timber
Sector
Building materials & trade supply
Practice
Operating Model + Process Redesign
Engagement
~5 months · senior-led
Focus
Governance, SOPs, HR & WHS uplift
01
The Situation
A trade supply business running on informal practice.
Alpha Timber is a timber supply business serving builders, trades and developers — yard-based operations, multi-team, with growth that had begun to outpace the way the business ran day-to-day. Delivery was strong. The customer base was loyal. The team had been with the business for years.
What had not kept pace was the structure underneath. Day-to-day operations relied on long-standing relationships and informal practice — *how we’ve always done it* rather than how the business now needed to run. There was no consistent HR policy framework, no formal performance management rhythm, and WHS controls were in place but not consistently applied across the operating floor.
“The team knew what to do. What we didn’t have was a way to make sure it happened the same way every time — and a way to hold ourselves to it.”
— Alpha Timber Leadership
Alpha Timber engaged Infinikey to strengthen management discipline and operational governance — to redesign how work actually flowed, build the SOP library that captured it, and embed HR and WHS standards as part of the operating model rather than as a separate compliance layer.
02
What Was Breaking
Three gaps in the operating fabric.
The presenting issues were workforce, performance and safety. The underlying issue was the absence of an operating framework that pulled all three together — and held them in place day-to-day.
01
HR policy structure was limited.
Employee management pathways were inconsistent. There was no documented framework for code of conduct, expectations or grievance handling — which made consistent decisions hard when situations arose.
02
Performance lived in conversations, not cadence.
There was no structured performance management system. Expectations and feedback happened informally — which meant some team members got clarity and others didn't.
03
WHS controls were not consistently applied.
Safety protocols existed on paper but weren't reinforced through day-to-day routine. Risk controls, incident response and reporting practices varied depending on who was on shift.
04
Workflows existed in heads, not documents.
How work actually flowed lived in the experience of long-standing team members. Without documented workflows and clear handoffs, the business was carrying a single-point-of-knowledge risk it couldn't see.
03
The Engagement
Run in three deliberate phases.
We sequenced the engagement so that workflow redesign came first, the SOP library followed the redesigned workflow rather than describing the old one, and HR and WHS governance was built into the operating model rather than bolted on as a separate layer.
PHASE 01
Diagnose the real workflow.
Weeks 1 — 4
We ran diagnostic workshops with the team to capture how work actually flowed — yard operations, dispatch, customer service, supplier coordination. The map made visible the workflow that was running in people’s heads rather than on paper.
- Diagnostic workshops across operating teams
- End-to-end workflow mapping of yard, dispatch and supply operations
- Gap analysis on HR, performance and WHS practice
PHASE 02
Redesign workflow, roles and governance.
Weeks 5 — 14
We redesigned key processes with clearer roles, handoffs, controls and supporting tools — then built the SOP library on top of the improved workflow. In parallel, we formalised HR and WHS governance so expectations, safety and accountability were standardised across the business.
- Process redesign across yard, dispatch and customer-facing roles
- SOP library written against the redesigned workflow
- HR foundation: code of conduct, performance expectations, grievance pathways
- WHS uplift: risk review, updated controls, incident response procedures
PHASE 03
Embed through cadence and routine.
Weeks 15 — 22
SOPs only create results when they are embedded through cadence and leadership routine. We worked alongside the team to embed the new workflows through daily check-ins, performance conversations, and WHS routines that became part of how the business ran rather than a separate compliance burden.
- Adoption routines: check-ins, toolbox talks, weekly standups
- Performance management toolkit: KPI-aligned reviews, development actions
- Leadership coaching on holding the new cadence
04
The Outcome
Informal operations, predictable delivery.
Outcomes captured against the pre-engagement baseline, validated through Alpha Timber’s own operating data, HR records and WHS reporting. Workforce and safety outcomes have continued to hold in the period following engagement close.
Operational efficiency
↑40%
Workflow throughput uplift, measured across core daily routines
Clearer routines, less ambiguity.
With workflows documented, roles clarified and handoffs designed, the team spent less time clarifying what to do and more time doing it. Daily routines that had previously absorbed coordination overhead now ran cleanly. The efficiency uplift came from the absence of friction more than from speed — work that used to require checking, reworking, or re-explaining now ran on the first attempt.
Workforce turnover
↓65%
Voluntary turnover, year-on-year against pre-engagement baseline
People stayed when the structure held.
Clear responsibilities, consistent performance conversations and a supportive workplace culture changed the experience of working at Alpha Timber. The HR framework gave the leadership team a way to handle difficult situations fairly, and the performance cadence gave every team member a reliable way to know where they stood. Turnover dropped sharply and stabilised at the new level.
Employee satisfaction
85%
Post-engagement engagement survey, full-team response
Structure made the workplace feel fairer.
Structured performance discussions, clear grievance pathways and visible expectations changed how the team experienced the business. The survey result reflected what was visible day-to-day: a workforce that felt heard, knew what was expected of them, and had a clear path to raise issues when they arose.
Reported WHS incidents
Zero
Across operations in the period following new WHS routines
Safety became part of the operating rhythm.
The WHS uplift wasn't a paper exercise — it was a redesign of how safety routines fitted into the operating day. Risk controls became visible at the point of work, incident response was clear, and toolbox talks became part of the weekly cadence. Zero reported incidents through the period following implementation tells you the routines held in practice, not just on paper.
05
What Was Built
The operating architecture that runs Alpha Timber today.
Operating-model work produces tangible structure, not slide decks. Below is the architecture that remains in use across Alpha Timber’s day-to-day operations.
Published with the permission of Alpha Timber. Metrics drawn from the client's own operating data, HR records and WHS reporting, validated post-engagement.
06
What This Engagement Taught Us
Four lessons that hold across operations-led businesses.
01
SOPs only create results when they reflect improved workflows. Documenting the old way of working changes nothing. SOPs work when they capture the redesigned workflow and are embedded through cadence and leadership routine.
02
Clear HR pathways reduce churn and lift accountability. Consistent performance check-ins, documented expectations, and clear grievance handling change how it feels to work somewhere — and the retention numbers follow.
03
WHS improves when controls are practical and reinforced day-to-day. Safety procedures that live in a binder don’t work. Safety procedures that live in the weekly cadence — toolbox talks, check-ins, visible controls — do.
04
Governance and standards turn informal operations into predictable delivery. The win wasn’t a binder of policies. The win was a business that ran the same way every day, where the leadership team could see what was happening and hold themselves to it.
- Operating Model + Process Redesign
If your business is running on informal practice — start here.
The Diagnostic is built to surface the gap between how the business runs in practice and how it needs to run at its current size. Senior-led, designed for mid-market businesses in construction, field service, supply and care sectors.