Making the Best Use of Process Improvement Consulting
One reason for this is that an outside perspective on the problem is sometimes better to speed up the process of change and ensure success. There are some situations as well, where management may feel that the consultant or the methodology expert has not been up to their expectations.
Companies may also consider the option of hiring an internal business consultant.
External Consultants or Methodology Experts
Methodology experts are hired by managers who feel that they are unable to undertake improvements for various reasons, and may sometimes even blame their colleagues or other management members of being uncooperative.
They hire methodology experts, as the feeling is that an external person has no misconceptions about internal matters, can reach out to project members quickly and move the improvement project faster. These managers seem to be more involved in internal problem resolution rather than taking the project forward.
Sometimes, there are some issues with these experts as well. They are also seen to be stuck on methodologies and tools. Sometimes, employees that are newly trained by these methodology experts tend to be bogged down with the newly learned concepts, and often do not think in simpler terms and obvious solutions.
Sometimes the methodology experts consider their responsibility to be only in facilitation and have a hands-off approach. They do not get involved in the day-to-day working of the project, which is necessary for its success.
However, the advantages of external experts cannot be ignored. They are effective, as they have complete expertise in their methodologies and also have hands-on experience in dealing with various situations.
They are better at explaining matters and have no biases towards anyone or anything in the company.
A Model for Internal Business Consulting
Another option to have better consulting is to use internal business consulting. There should be some senior managers in the organization who are trained in DMAIC, DFSS and similar technologies. With junior Black Belts and Green Belts, they can start on the projects. According to the requirements of the company, the external manager and consultants can also be roped in to undertake any additional projects.
Having this model has some obvious advantages. The resources are available in terms of optimal costs for the organization, as well as the consultants. The accountability and control over the quality of the external consultant can be increased to achieve quality results.
As the internal resources are working with the external expertise, they can ensure the removal of roadblocks and barriers that may delay or hinder the project. This helps the consultant’s team build trust with upper management to create a win-win solution for the organization as a whole.
The intelligent usage of consulting resources will bring about the best result from process improvement efforts that management or organizational heads are aiming to achieve.