People, strategy, systems.
Gisch Consulting works with project-based businesses across Australia and New Zealand on the three things that decide whether change sticks: the people doing the work, the strategy the work serves, and the systems that carry it.
We're deliberately small. Anita is the principal and the constant; around her sits a curated pool of specialist subconsultants and industry partners, assembled to match each engagement rather than a fixed team carried between them. The other constant is the clients: we get to work with genuinely good businesses, and we keep the client list short enough to give each one our full attention.
The long way around.
I trained as an anthropologist and worked in non-profits for a number of years. I kept seeing a gap in how that sector managed projects, so I trained formally in project management and extended that into a Masters of Business Administration. The passion for organisations that make a difference in people's lives has stayed central.
When cloud products started to flood the market, I worked with SMEs who were overwhelmed by the options and the marketing claims, and dug into how project management software changes real work in practice, starting with a scoping study, and eventually a PhD built on six years of fieldwork inside Australian SMEs. That research became the HOME Improvement approach and the three pillars this practice stands on (with acknowledgement to my PhD supervisors and their work). What cloud was then, AI is now: the same strong opinions driving emotional decisions, and the same need for calm, strategic thinking.
The study behind the work.
People
Masters of Anthropology
University of Victoria, Canada
Strategy
Masters of Business Administration
University of Technology Sydney
Systems
PhD Interaction Design
University of Technology Sydney (2024)
Six-year ethnographic study of Australian SMEs adopting cloud technology
The PhD thesis: Lessons for Change Management and Software Implementation: An Ethnographic Study of Australian Small Business : is open access on UTS OPUS.
The HOME Improvement approach
Our approach to change management rests on four elements, held in parallel rather than worked through in sequence. Holistic Understanding analyses the interconnected impacts of a new system across the business, people included. Observing Work Practice looks at how work is really done, sometimes in contradiction of written or assumed process. Mapping Procedures tailors the change to the business's own workflows and cultural norms. Engaging Employees means staff understand and support the change.
Capability pools assembled per project
Gisch Consulting is led by Anita and supported by a trusted pool of specialist consultants engaged to match the needs of each engagement. That way each project has depth where it needs it, without a fixed team structure sitting behind it.
Anita Gisch (Core Lead)
Organisational anthropology, service and user experience design, project and process design, and complex change delivery.
Systems and Change Architecture
IT and process-change architecture, integration planning, ICT operations, and implementation problem-solving.
Finance Ecosystem Alignment
We work in the Xero ecosystem rather than running Xero setups: integration design, controls and reporting alignment so project and finance numbers agree. For bookkeeping and Xero implementation, we can recommend trusted partners.
People and Organisational Practice
People and culture, wellbeing and staff engagement, project operating rhythm, and team-level adoption support.
Delivery Support and Operations
Scheduling, customer support workflows, reporting support, documentation, and operational coordination where needed.