Consultants Archives - USC Consulting Group

If you’re considering hiring a management consultant to improve efficiency, reduce waste, optimize processes, or streamline workflows, you may be wondering how it all works and if it will disrupt your operations.

Management consultants serve as a trusted resource with a fresh set of eyes to analyze your operations and work together with your team to drive process improvements. Yes, you can do this internally and obtain results. However, teaming up with consultants will accelerate your efforts while augmenting the deliverables, all while your team maintains focus on your #1 priority – your customers.

Management consultants can provide you with the expertise and boots-on-the-ground help to maximize your improvement efforts. Here’s a rundown of how the partnership works.

What is a management consultant?

Management consultants are experts in efficiency and process improvement, who come into a business, analyze your operations, identify gaps and inefficiencies, and then implement positive, impactful change. Implementation is a key difference between a management consultant and a boardroom consultant. Boardroom consultants’ work generally ends with recommendations for change. A management consultant gets into the thick of it, guiding and working with employees to effect that change.

As described in “Management Consultants vs Boardroom Consultants: Which is Right for You?”, management consultants start by listening and learning, then involve your entire team in the improvement process… from C-suite executives to frontline workers.

While C-suite participation is vital in their process, the nuts-and-bolts of the work centers on the employee level at the point of execution. That’s the best way to get to the root of the challenges, uncover opportunities for greater efficiency, optimize processes and in the end, increase profits.

With a management consultant, you can expect:

Boots-on-the-ground involvement in your operations.
A collaborative, team-first approach.
A deep dive into your business.
Process analysis and guidance in their methodologies.
Involvement from employees at the epicenter of the process improvements.
A roadmap for sustainability that includes the training of your people.

Here’s a primer in how management consultants team up with your organization.

Assess and analyze

It’s critical to first understand the client’s current state of operations (The “As Is”), employee behaviors and disciplines they are using to get the job done.

That’s why management consultants typically start by listening and learning to get a thorough understanding of a client’s current outcomes, their ideal outcomes and the gap that exists between the two.

For example, a food processing plant is getting X amount of throughput per shift. Ideally, they’d like to increase it by half. Is that goal feasible, and if so, what’s the best way to get there?

In this initial information-gathering phase, consultants perform a comprehensive analysis of your systems, procedures, and more. This system review tells the story of a company’s process and can depict how it will look with the deficiencies from current state corrected. It shows the flow of data, actionable information and decision-making points in a closed loop environment.

Process improvement methodologies

Management consultants use various process improvement methodologies and tools, depending on the needs of the project. They include:

Lean Six Sigma. LSS is a combination of two powerful methodologies, Lean, which focuses on limiting waste in a process, and Six Sigma, which focuses on increasing quality.

Sales, Inventory, and Operations Planning (SIOP). SIOP aligns sales, inventory and operations planning functions to improve demand forecasting, efficiency, supply chain performance and more.

Employee Involvement Prototype (EIP) Process. The EIP process is unique to USC Consulting Group where we validate and measurably implement positive changes at a grassroots level. Your employees are the most vital components to every project and having them write the narrative to success is vital. However, there are tactical steps that need to be followed in the EIP process and the strategy USC imparts is critical.

AI, Machine Learning, and Predictive Analytics. Much like Netflix’s use of predictive analytics created a seismic shift in consumer expectations, this technology is transforming operating procedures and processes. Predictive analytics helps companies better understand what’s occurring in any given process, refine and optimize processes, and more. But it also needs the human touch. People aren’t getting replaced by the bots in this area any time soon.

Prototype

Prototyping is a technique management consultants use that can be best described as starting small. Say a client has a manufacturing plant filled with machines that process their product. Prototyping involves choosing one area, one machine, one shift, and rolling out the plan for change in just that one place.

It serves as a pilot to demonstrate the effectiveness of new procedures, policies and practices.

The team of client and consultants outlines their plan and goals for any given day, or any given shift. After the day or shift is over, they compare their results to their plan. How did it work? Did they hit the mark? Why, or why not? What are the issues? Where are the bottlenecks? If they fell short, why? What can they do better on the next shift?

This part of the process involves weekly meetings with employees, managers and even the top brass to hash out these questions and devise solutions together.

Rollout

When the prototype is bullet-proof, it’s time to roll out the process companywide. Consultants may do this phase in stages, adding one or two more machines to the mix and repeating the prototyping process.

This phase constitutes the bulk of the project and involves careful monitoring, analyzing and reporting to measure its effectiveness and success.

Educate and support

Solid change management is critical and one of the most important elements of that is to involve employees in the new processes, policies and procedures from the beginning. Educating the client’s employees on the how and why changes are made is the key to lasting success and ensures sustainability for the process improvements.

At USC Consulting Group, we are management consultants. We roll up our sleeves and engage with our clients to implement positive, impactful change, both financially and operationally. It’s very much a “with” and not “to” attitude.

If that approach sounds right for your needs, give us a call. We’ll be happy to talk with you about the positive change we can bring to your company.

You’ve hit a snag in your operations. You’re wondering if your manufacturing line could be more productive. Your demand forecasting didn’t hit the mark. You’d like to increase your throughput without adding machines.

Whatever the reason, you’re thinking about bringing in an outside consultant to ramp things up. Now what?

You’ll find two types of consulting firms out there. Boardroom consultants and Management consultants. What are the differences between the two approaches? Which is best for your situation?

Here’s a consultant primer to help you sort out those questions and make the right choice.

Boardroom consultants

Boardroom consultants do most of their work with the upper management of the company. They typically come in, perform a three-to-four-week analysis of a client’s operations, provide a report of their findings, give recommendations for improvements, and then head out the door leaving the client to implement their recommended changes.

With a boardroom consultant, you can expect:

High-level strategic analysis of a client’s operations to identify issues, challenges, and snags.
A report including a strategic roadmap of recommendations for change, which may include industry trends and information about competition.
An objective perspective through “fresh eyes.”
Industry best practices, insights and experience.

These are valuable strengths that can benefit companies, no doubt. If what you’re looking for is an analysis of your operations from an outside perspective, this type of consulting can get the job done.

However, boardroom consultants have their limitations, including:

No direct involvement in the implementation of the changes they recommend.
No training for your people to effect the changes, so they might not translate into actionable plans.
Possible disconnect between what people on the front lines think and what these consultants recommend.

Management consultants

Management consultants start by listening and learning… and not just in the boardroom.

Management consultants value and rely on C-suite participation in their process, but the bulk of the work centers on the employee level, at the point of execution where the job gets done.

As a part of their process, management consultants work on the front lines with employees. In their view, that’s the best way to get to the root of the problem and uncover ways for the company to become more efficient.

With an management consultant, you can expect:

Boots-on-the-ground involvement in your operations.
A collaborative approach that involves your team every step of the way
Process analysis and guidance in their methodologies.
Involvement from employees at the epicenter of the process improvements.
A roadmap for sustainable processes that includes the training of your people.
Quick results as they ramp up for companywide deployment of solutions.

Factors to consider when choosing the right type of consultant

How do you know which approach is right for you? Consider these factors:

Size and scope of your project. If you have a small-scale need that can benefit from a fresh set of eyes and outside perspective, you might consider a boardroom-type consultant. For larger projects that may require complex methodologies like Lean Six Sigma, a management consultant with hands-on capabilities is a better fit.
Internal capabilities. If you need extra horsepower to get the job done, a management consultant may be the best fit since they implement the changes with your team.
Workplace disruption. Boardroom consultants don’t typically disrupt the day-to-day process of getting the job done, while management consultants are in the thick of it, involving employees in the process. Remember, however, that management consultants act as extra horsepower for your team, so they can be driving the changes as the bulk of your staff concentrates on getting the job done.
Leadership style. If you simply want recommendations for change and not hands-on involvement, a boardroom consultant may be the better fit.
Sustainability. If this is a one-off project and not something you want to integrate into your ongoing operations and processes, a boardroom consultant is more in line with your needs. If you are looking for sustainable improvements in things like throughput, speed and efficiency, a management consultant is the way to go.
Budget. Typically, management consultants, with their deep dive into your business and boots on the ground approach, cost more than boardroom consultants. But that’s just upfront costs. The changes and efficiencies brought about by management consultants meet or exceed ROI within a few weeks or months.

If that approach sounds right for your needs, give us a call. We’ll be happy to talk with you about the positive change we can bring to your company.

At USC Consulting Group, we’ve been empowering performance for more than 50 years. What does that mean?

It means we’re an operations management and process improvement firm that empowers your people and processes to achieve operational excellence.

The below graphic lays out our experience and the areas we specialize in:

Let’s look in more detail at how USC partners with you to accelerate and augment your process improvement efforts.

What we focus on

Operational excellence. We help clients define and implement a strategic approach to achieving and maintaining the highest levels of operational performance. It’s about eliminating waste, improving quality and ramping up productivity.

Process improvements. We look at your processes through the lens of efficiency and effectiveness. We identify bottlenecks that might be slowing down your workflow, assessing the “we’ve always done it this way” processes that every business has. We find that a fresh set of eyes on these types of long-held processes can yield more effective ways to achieve results.

Optimal efficiency. This is about the “well-oiled machine” factor. Everyone knows what that is, although it’s different for every company. It’s when you’re cooking and booking, churning and burning, and achieving the maximum throughput for your efforts.

Supply chain optimization. In the post-Covid era, we’re still seeing supply chain disruption and the headaches they cause. We help companies analyze their supply chain networks and spot inefficiencies and bottlenecks. Is there a supplier closer to home? Is it time to reshore? Can we improve procurement or logistics?

Change management. Many of the process changes we recommend involve new ways of doing things – perhaps significant changes. With training and development, strong communication and getting feedback and input from stakeholders, we can help companies embrace change for the better.

Asset Performance Management. At USC, we focus on getting the most out of the assets you already have. Heavy investments in new technology is not always necessary, especially if your old workhorses just need some care and feeding. Applying predictive maintenance to reduce unplanned downtime, usage that doesn’t cause more wear and tear than necessary, and processes to extend the lifecycle of the tools you rely on.

EBITDA improvement. This refers to a company’s Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization. Sounds like your worst day in the accountant’s office, right? But it’s really about helping clients look for cost-savings opportunities, revenue enhancement, and more. It’s also about everything else we do – productivity improvement, asset management, operational efficiency, cost reduction and more.

How we do it

How do we enhance our clients’ operations? We’re experts in process improvement methodologies and tools, like:

Lean Six Sigma. LSS is a combination of two powerful methodologies, Lean, which focuses on limiting waste in a process, and Six Sigma, which focuses on increasing quality.

Sales, Inventory, and Operations Planning (SIOP). In a nutshell, SIOP aligns sales, inventory and operations planning functions to improve demand forecasting, efficiency, supply chain performance and more.

Employee Involvement Prototype Process. One of the cornerstone techniques USC uses to validate and measurably implement changes to elements of the MOS with full client personnel engagement. Your employees are the most vital components to every project, especially the workers in the trenches on the shop floor or production site. We involve them every step of the way.

System Reviews. We do a comprehensive analysis of your systems, processes, procedures and more. System Reviews tell the story of a company’s process and depicts the future state MOS with the deficiencies from current state corrected. It shows the flow of data, actionable information and decision-making points in a closed loop environment.

LINCS advanced reporting tools. The Lean Information Control System (LINCS) is a state-of-the-art software application that facilitate fact-based decision making from the shop floor to the boardroom. It includes modules for advanced planning, manufacturing and logistics, value stream mapping, scheduling, inventory analysis and more. Operators are able to see and evaluate their work as it takes place, while executives and managers are better equipped to prioritize activities based on accurate, actionable information.

AI, Machine Learning, and Predictive Analytics. Much like Netflix’s use of predictive analytics created a seismic shift in consumer expectations, this new technology is transforming operating procedures and processes. Predictive analytics helps companies better understand what’s occurring in any given process, refine and optimize processes, and more. But, it also needs the human touch. People aren’t getting replaced by the bots in this area any time soon. To learn more, download our free eBook: AI and Machine Learning: Predicting the Future.

Our 55-plus years of experience covers a wide variety of industries, including:

Mining & Metals
Food & Beverage
Manufacturing
Building Products
Automotive
Pulp & Paper
Life Sciences
Oil & Gas
Utilities & Energy
…And many more

We have a defining principle to our approach that guides every project. We do not swoop in and tell companies how to do it better.

We are partners in the process. We work with your team to implement the changes at the point of execution.

We listen to what makes your company tick, observe your current operations, get a handle on the issues, involve your frontline employees in the process, and implement a plan for change.

We play the long game, delivering results our clients can maintain for years to come. We don’t have our 98% customer satisfaction rating for nothing.

That’s how USC Consulting Group empowers YOUR performance.

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