Contact Us

Use the form on the right to contact us.

You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right. 

         

123 Street Avenue, City Town, 99999

(123) 555-6789

email@address.com

 

You can set your address, phone number, email and site description in the settings tab.
Link to read me page with more information.

Business

Company Details

SDA LTD is the management system and training design company owned and operated by Jim and Evelynne Lynch. It has been operating since its registration in 1985 and has a long record in innovative design.

Before SDA Ltd

Before SDA Ltd was formed Jim worked for 20 years (1965 until 1984) in the Social Security Department which during that time was reformed as the Department of Social Welfare when Social Security merged with the Child Welfare Division of the Department of Education.

Jim’s experience in Social Welfare was as a line manager in District Offices, a background which helped him to understand how business process worked and the essential role of skills in organisational effectiveness. The size of Social Welfare taught him how to handle scale at a national level and the nature of the business (financial entitlements and people) taught him how to deal with precision and client focus.

Eve’s work experience included accountancy practice and banking operations and support which enabled her to understand banking and finance and acquire advanced keyboard skills.

In 1981 Jim was promoted to the role of national training manager for the benefits and pensions division based in Head Office in Wellington and became responsible for the training of over 3,000 departmental staff. During this time Jim received his core skills training in instructional design (Criterion Referenced Instruction) and management system design (Blueprint for MBO). He also completed a post graduate diploma in Business studies (majoring in training and development) with distinction through Massey University.

Highlights in his public service career include:

  • The development of a national framework for staff training as a blueprint for all future training development.
  • The design and implementation of the training programmes and procedures for the Family Care programme – a new benefit introduced as part of the 1984 budget for the incoming Labour government. This involved training over 600 staff, including many new recruits, in complete secrecy in less than three weeks prior to the budget announcement.
  • The design and implementation of a range of technical training programmes using an innovative and structured competency based approach.
  • The design and implementation of advanced management training programmes at senior manager and supervisor levels.

SDA Ltd

Jim left the Social Welfare Department to form his own design company with Eve in December 1984. The company’s first major contract was to design and implement all the training programmes and business processes for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for the Inland Revenue Department.

SDA Ltd brought innovation, rigorous design and efficiency to this landmark project which was a key policy plank for the David Lange-led labour government.

This project involved training over 800 freshly recruited GST staff in all the new procedures required for registering businesses for GST, processing tax returns and auditing businesses. It also involved training in basic accountancy, client contact, and staff training and management skills.

The approach taken included developing competency based training modules which could be delivered by supervisors to their staff in their own offices. This method was so successful that the project team was congratulated in parliament by the minister and several of these programmes were still in use within the department decades later. Major savings from the original cost estimates were delivered.

During the GST project SDA Ltd received many requests by other agencies for their specialist products and design services. Over the ensuing 20 years SDA Ltd designed over 50 training programmes and branched out into major management system and national framework design, developing 16 major systems and frameworks for large organisations.

Major clients include: Justice Department, Inland Revenue Department, State Insurance, Department of Conservation, Internal Affairs Department, the Ministry of Agriculture; plus many others.

Industries that SDA Ltd have worked in include: social services, government services, insurance, conservation, Maori development, energy, mining, agriculture, fisheries, health, retail, manufacturing, science and research, museums and heritage, IT and community enterprises.

See the attached pdf file below for a full list of SDA projects over this period.

CV JRL 2014

Skills Training Design

A company specialty is the design of high quality skills training programmes. SDA Ltd pioneered many techniques which have since become industry standards such as competency based and modular instruction.

SDA Ltd designed these programmes for large organisations for national scale target populations.

Programmes designed included specific technical skills (such as tax procedures and conservation techniques), people skills (such as client contact and sales) and management skills (such as planning and performance management).

Features of SDA Ltd designed programmes include:

  • Competency based instruction with a strong element of self-teaching.
  • A rigorous design process aimed at ensuring programmes tightly targeted at the target population’s learning needs and preferences, customised to the organisation and complete in the skills needed for the job.
  • In house programmes run by internal trainers or line managers.
  • Innovative learning systems integrating methods such as Criterion Referenced Instruction (CRI), accelerated learning and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). SDA Ltd design aimed to utilise the best aspects of many learning theories rather than follow a single dogmatic methodology.

NZATD design award

This focus on quality design and innovation was recognised by SDA Ltd’s peers when the company won the New Zealand Association for Training and Development (NZATD) Outstanding Instructional Product design award in conjunction with the association’s national convention of 1993.

The award was given for a comprehensive first-line management training programme designed for the Accident Compensation Commission (ACC).

See the link above for a complete list of SDA Ltd training programme design.

Management Systems Design

A company specialty is the design of enterprise scale performance management systems. As with training design, SDA Ltd pioneered many management systems methodologies which have since become industry standards such as outcome and results based programmes and performance measurement; especially those aimed at meeting the requirements of public finance.

SDA Ltd designed these programmes for large organisations for national scale systems.

Programmes designed include strategic management systems (outcome frameworks, outcome measurement and reporting), business planning systems (annual business planning, results measurement and reporting), performance planning systems for staff (including performance agreements, assessment and reviews), and asset management systems (including inventory, condition assessment and maintenance).

Features of SDA Ltd designed programmes include:

  • An outcome and results focus.
  • An innovative ability to link systems at all levels of an organisation (strategic, business and individual performance).
  • The capacity to integrate planning, measurement and reporting at all levels.
  • The ability to customise these systems to fit the peculiarities of any organisation but retain certain common core principles.

See the attached PowerPoint for an illustration of how strategic and performance management systems can be integrated.

National Framework Design

A further company specialty is the design of national and enterprise scale performance or skills frameworks. As with training and systems design, SDA Ltd pioneered national framework methodologies which have since become industry standards such as national skills needs analysis and outcome frameworks.

Important frameworks were designed for the Social Welfare Department, GST, National Museum sector, Conservation and Fisheries.

SDA Ltd designed these programmes for organisations with national jurisdiction.

Publications

SDA Ltd through Eve Lynch has produced many publications including training and procedures manuals, PowerPoint shows and complex word documents. Eve is highly skilled with word, Photoshop, and PowerPoint. Examples of these are available to view.

Enquire about SDA Ltd’s services

To enquire about SDA Ltd services contact them through the email link below.