Lean vs. Results
Very often, in the early stages of a project, one of the first points the Client brings to the table will be:
“we’re already doing Lean”, or “we have a dedicated OpEx team”.
The sentiment behind this point is that continuous improvement practices, such as Lean, have existed for a long time and are well practised in progressive companies. Consequently, this raises the question as to what more continuous improvement specialists such as Chartwell really add. However, like in most specialist fields, the most common, widespread practices do not reflect the most up-to-date or effective thinking. A quick way to check if your business can get more from continuous improvement is the following: If the business’s operational performance measures are improving by 20 % to 50 % and the financial performance is improving at a similar rate then you are already doing what Chartwell do. If this is not the case then take a look at our breakdown of the key differences. ORGANISATION WIDE CHANGE PROGRAMS CHARTWELL CONSULTING SUPPORT PROGRAMS METHODOLOGY LEAN, Six Sigma, TPM Bespoke program for each client drawing on internal methodology PACE OF CHANGE Gradual and incremental across a wide front Step Change in highest priority areas first FINANCIAL RESULTS AND PAYBACK Can be slower than hoped at outset Impact is seen within a few weeks and the payback will be at least five to one BUY IN FROM ORGANISATION If the senior team are behind it, the buy in will be strong If the senior team are behind it, the buy in will be strong HOW FOCUS AREAS ARE SELECTED Brainstorm ideas and deal with the visible issues Understand the visible and hidden opportunity, prioritise focus based on biggest impact IDEOLOGY Often fixated with the implementation of improvement concepts, elevating mere tools to an unhealthy status beyond their pragmatic intent. Belief in the methods can be more important than the actual understanding and results Always fixated with results – all actions, training and organisation change is directed towards a rapid, measurable impact on the bottom line CONFIDENCE IN SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME The successful outcome is taken on faith that enough people working on improvement must generate a benefit for the business Performance guaranteed. No results, no fee