This Week in Consulting
Wednesday, December 4th 2019
All You Need to Know to Choose a Lean Consultant
THIS WEEK’S MUST READ
“The value of consulting work can be subjective, or it can be measurable (or both). The value can also be long-term or there can be short-term benefits (or both). This is where I think a “contingent” fee can possibly cause more problems than it’s worth.”
Sometimes a Lean consultant will work for a client for no up-front fee and get paid only a percentage of cost savings that are realized. But is it really a good deal for the client?
This Week’s Must Read is an insight piece from Lean Blog where the author proposes to debate on the price paid for most management consulting work in a Lean organization.
Read on to Find out More: “Is it a Bad Idea to Pay a Lean Consultant Based on a Percentage of Cost Savings? “ |Mark Graban.
THIS WEEK’S VIDEO:
In the 1990s , Steve Jobs covers some of the core principles of Lean Six Sigma.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
- How can I tell good lean consultants from bad? “Consulting is an extractive industry, where specialists are used to extract more value out of people and operations, whereas lean is fundamentally inclusive, showing the people themselves how to create more value while generating less waste – and sharing that extra value.” An interesting article that shows Lean is something you learn on the field rather than in books. | Michael Ballé, LEAN SENSEI PARTNERS
- Build internal Capability or hire external Consultants? “A leading company decided to embark on the path of implementing a Six Sigma program. The program had the right support and visibility to top leadership and the program was officially run by the quality organization and supported by middle and senior business leaders who made up the steering committee.” This study gives the pros & cons of hiring external consultants and building an internal continuous improvement program. | Lean six sigma experts
- Key Traits and Behaviors of Great Lean Consultants: “I know of far too many companies who have hired so-called “lean experts” who really function like traditional strategy or business consultants. They come in, create and share fancy PowerPoint presentations, make a set of general recommendations (many of which the client has already considered), charge an outrageous amount of money and then leave. As a result, many companies feel burned by the experience, and lean itself gets a bad reputation.” Working with good Lean Consultants is working with these people over the long haul and accepting to change the thinking of every person in the company. | Art Byrne, J.W. Childs Associates
- Lean Manufacturing Consultants, The Real Story: “Lean manufacturing consultants help you to improve profit through waste reduction, eliminating the seven wastes within your processes through implementing Just in Time flow, 5S, SMED and other ideas that form the backbone of lean.” An interesting infographic giving the big picture of the many aspects to consider before deciding whether a lean consultant is beneficial to a company. | Christine Wheeler, Newcastle Systems
- How to Choose a Lean Consultant: “Consultants claiming fantastic achievements. Sure, a successful lean deployment will yield great results but some claims are hard to believe. For instance, some consulting firms’ websites claim they have led hundreds of lean transformations. Making a few improvements in an operation is not a “lean transformation”. You need to watch out for these terms because they mean different things to different people.” As AI is becoming a key resource, this article highlights how decision-makers are using more computerized tools that extract knowledge to support their managerial work either directly or indirectly. Based on his own experiences, the author provides a guide that will help us to choose the right lean consulting services for your business. | Lean do Consulting
TRENDS
On the same theme,here is a selection of conferences that you might find useful
Lean Summit 2020 : The Lean Summit has become the event for lean thinkers and innovators to get together, learn, and share. Countless partnerships have formed, professional relationships started, and lean initiatives energized.
2020 Lean Coaching Summit : Constantly developing new skills and sharpening your existing skills is the difference between a good coach and a great coach. Which is why this event has become so important.
CONSULTING INDUSTRY NEWS
- Services Australia partners Infosys to digitise welfare entitlements: “IT services major Infosys on Friday said it has inked an agreement with Australian federal government’s Services Australia to transform the entitlement calculation engine for the nation’s welfare system.” | The Pioneer
- IG Group Holdings Reappoints PricewaterhouseCoopers as Auditor: “IG Group Holdings plc (LON: IGG), a global leader in online trading, has announced that, following the conclusion of a formal tender process led by the Company’s Audit Committee, the Company has reappointed PricewaterhouseCoopers as its auditor for the year ending 31st May 2021. PwC will hold office until the next Annual General Meeting of the Company in September 2020, when their appointment will be subject to shareholder approval.” | Giles Arbor, DirectorsTalk
- BPCL appoints Deloitte for government’s stake sale: “The Department of Investment and Public Asset (DIPAM) has appointed Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd as advisor for the strategic sale of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) which will see government selling its direct stake of 53.29 per cent in the second largest oil refiner, sources said .” |Business Insider
- UK’s largest food & beverage companies see performance dip: “UK’s largest food and beverage companies have seen their performance dip last year, amid an increasingly uncertain economic landscape and lower levels of consumer confidence.” | Consultancy.uk
DIRECTORY
The Consulting Quest Global Directory is the largest professionally-managed directory in the consulting industry. Searchable by consultancy , name or by region, capability or industry it lists and describes more than 6000 consultancies worldwide with links to their websites and social media channels.
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About Consulting Quest
Consulting Quest is a global, performance-driven consulting platform founded in 2014 by former members of top 10 consulting firms with the objective of reinventing consultancy performance. With a worldwide presence and a range of proprietary performance measurement tools, we help companies navigate the consulting maze. We work with Consulting Clients to increase their performance through consulting and Consulting Providers to help them acquire new clients and to improve their performance.
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Hélène Laffitte is the CEO of Consulting Quest, a Global Performance-Driven Consulting Platform and author of “Smart Consulting Sourcing”, a step by step guide to getting the best ROI from your consulting. With a blend of experience in Procurement and Consulting, Hélène is passionate about helping Companies create more value through Consulting.
