What We Do > STRATEGIC PLANNING
Strategic Planning
Long term planning processes with static business models are the wrong approach for the NDIS. Instead, organisations need to develop the organisational capabilities required to succeed in the rapidly evolving NDIS market.
DSC combines a deep knowledge of the NDIS with a passion for facilitating groups to reach their own solutions. Talk to us about how we can support your executive team to plan for the uncertain future ahead.

strategic planning
NDIS SUBJECT MATTER SPECIALISTS
DSC's Subject Matter Specialists are sector leaders in their fields.
Roland’s three decades of disability experience and insistence with doing thing better have earned him a reputation as one of the sectors foremost truth-tellers. He thrives on straight-talking, finding hidden business opportunities and providing insights into things that matter in disability.
Roland worked extensively on disability deinstitutionalisation, and has lectured on the politics and history of disability. From 2012-2014, he consulted on NDIS design for the National Disability & Carer Alliance and was the winner of the 2002 Harvard Club Disability Fellowship. Roland has held leadership roles in some of Australia’s best known disability organisations and is now one of Australia’s most knowledgeable NDIS consultants and trainers.
Roland is a Subject Matter Specialist in NDIS Organisational Transition, Leadership & Governance, Strategic Planning & ILC.
Ann is the very model of a modern Major General, a woman who gets stuff done at DSC with serious NDIS commercial smarts and an inimitable straightforward style. She has worked in the disability, mental health, and aged care sectors for over 25 years in a diverse range of management roles for both not-for-profit and for-profit organisations. Prior to joining DSC, Ann led the transition of a national organisation to the NDIS, developing Core, Capacity Building & SDA services in trial and rollout sites. Ann has first-hand experience with system and process review, acquisitions, the integration of merged/acquired services and the NDIS registration process across four states,
Ann has established and run a number of social enterprises and her experience includes designing, creating and implementing new services and products across employment, accommodation, community inclusion and training.
Ann is a Subject Matter Specialist in NDIS Organisational Transition, Strategic Planning & Employment.
Dr Leighton Jay is a consultant, facilitator, parent and former academic who assists organisations with strategically important projects. He is passionate about developing and implementing personalised and individualised approaches that result in better lives and quality services.
Leighton’s personal experience as the father of a young man with complex disability support needs deeply informs his work. He is a member of Australia’s National Disability Insurance Agency’s Intellectual Disability Reference Group, a qualified Company Director and a University Associate with Curtin University’s School of Occupational Therapy & Social Work. He has spoken at numerous national and international conferences and has worked with service providers and government agencies in Canada.
Leighton is a Subject Matter Specialist in NDIS Organisational Transition, Strategic Planning and Leadership & Governance.
Sally is our resident NDIS wonderwoman (also fondly known as our ‘pocket rocket’). Don't be disarmed by her humour, she packs a punch with her huge NDIS knowledge, intellect and energy. Sally has diverse experience across financial services, human services, B2B, B2C, for profit and for purpose industries around the world. Sally is especially passionate marketing products, services, spaces and experiences for people with a disability. Sally is a dynamic trainer and presenter, a Certified Practicing Marketer and lecturer in Marketing at the University of Newcastle. She is a Director of the Centre for Universal Design and a past member of the NSW Disability Council. Sally was also the CEO of a disability service provider during the Hunter NDIS trial. And, she finished her Masters at Harvard (did we mention she’s dynamic?).
One of Sally’s three young daughters, Nicky, lives with quadriplegia and has been an NDIS participant since 2015. Sally translates her personal and professional experience into a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities for business.
Sally is a Subject Matter Specialist in Marketing, Strategic Planning, Support Coordination, Plan Management & Planning.
Matthew is a Brisbane based consultant with extensive experience across the community, government and private sectors. He is passionate about helping organisations embrace change, pursue authentic partnerships with their customers and have the conversations that matter.
Matthew’s previous roles include managerial positions in the human services sector, leading government teams to develop quality systems and lecturing in management and planning. This diverse background enables him to respond to the particular needs and circumstances of a client.
Despite evidence to the contrary, Matthew still holds out hope that St Kilda can win a second AFL Premiership.
Matthew is a Subject Matter Specialist in Employment and Strategic Planning.
INSIGHT IN ACTION
For better or for worse the NDIS is bringing the world as we know it to an end. Brent explores how other industries have responded to change, and how we, as a sector, can do better.
Sara profiles Enhanced Lifestyles, an SA-based organisation who took out our 2017 Award for Pioneering Organisational Adaptation.
The more you engage the experts - people with disability - in your service design, the more your services will reflect desires and aspirations of your customers. This handy co-design toolkit includes foundation principles, practical examples and engagement strategies.
Sara Gingold profiles The Art of Human Connection, a standout program for NDIS staff engagement that is an exemplary model for the sector.
In the first of our series profiling exceptional organisations, Sara Gingold details a a strategic and segmented approach to NDIS staff education.
The NDIS Operational Guidelines are not half as hard to read as they may appear and are fantastic sources of practical information, writes Evie Naufal.
Did you know that 80% of the NDIS workforce are women? Or only 3/4 of allocated NDIS funds are spent? In this fun interactive Q&A, Sara Gingold picks out 20 great nuggets of NDIS insight.
Vanessa and Roland take stock of where we are at with the NDIS and offer some inspiration for planning your organisation's journey...
2 years after his viral article A Rabbit in the NDIS Headlights, Roland explores what we are still seeing go wrong in the sector and what can be done.
Strong pre-planning is essential for getting the best possible outcomes from the NDIS. Faye Lawrence explores how offering pre-planning services can benefit both you and your customers.
After 3.5 years of NDIS transition, Rob Woolley looks back on what he would have done differently if he had his time again.
What is the right culture for the NDIS, a quasi-marketplace with disruptive service models and ad hoc decision making? Roland and Vanessa outline the 6 crucial pieces of the puzzle.
Vanessa and Roland examine how to avoid going broke ‘NDIS style’ through a fundamental rethink of the way we do business.
The Victorian State Government has developed an interim practice advice to support Victorian Health and Aged Care services in preparedness for and throughout transition to the NDIS. This is a great resource for organisations and professionals in these spaces to understand the NDIS and its interface with Health & Aged Care.
Rob Woolley questions many organisations' approaches to service design, delivery and systems within the seismic change the NDIS will bring.
These resources provide an overview of the critical factors that should be influences business decisions for DSPs. For organisations seeking some solid guidance on commercialising services, this is a great place to start.
Change management is a critical issue for services providers. Combating the feelings of fear and confusion amongst staff is vital for ensuring service delivery standards remain high. One of the tools in the QLD Government’s recently created NDIS toolkit focuses on readying clients for change.
The QLD Government recently released a set of NDIS transition resources. One we love is their guide to gauge non-financial impacts of adding or changing a services under the NDIS.
Townsville exemplifies some of the NDIS areas where QLD has significant challenges to overcome but also enormous opportunity for innovation and leadership.
The NDIA has recently released a series of Market Position Statements which provide some fantastic data on the emerging NDIS marketplace, allowing providers to better understand areas of expected demand growth and the characteristics of particular markets.
Roland Naufal reckons he's seen the future: a bit of murder and mayhem, like the death of a lot of bureaucratic management and the fatal wounding of some non profits. But then again, we see a future that works better for many NDIS participants and hands on staff. It’s a world of dramatic, constant and often exciting change.

BUt don't just take our word for it...
At DSC we live, eat and breathe the NDIS. We've been working on the Scheme since before trial - Here's what some of the people we've worked with have had to say about our work:
DSC has been of enormous practical assistance to us in re-shaping our own understanding of who we are, why we do what we do, and how we can improve this at all levels internally and externally. We highly recommend their excellent services to any organisation seeking In-depth practicality and integrity of organisational improvement.
We now have a much better understanding of the NDIS landscape in terms of our service delivery and business opportunities. We found the consultants to be professional, friendly, knowledgeable and eager to provide us with a range of options and opportunities. Their approach was respectful and they took the time to understand our business, our client group and our teams. An absolute pleasure to work with.
Working with DSC assisted us to quickly gain a fundamental knowledge on the disability industry, relevant history and future opportunities. We are definitely benefiting from our collaboration with DSC.
DSC’s NDIS readiness audit helped us understand our opportunities and gave us the confidence and direction to commence our NDIS journey. The work that we did with DSC and the plan we created is still guiding us 18 months later and we are now delivering our first NDIS services.
What we do
DSC is where NDIS expertise lives. Check out the links below to find out more about our specialist NDIS work.