How to Choose a Lean Consultant

Disclaimer

I am a lean consultant, but it is not my intention to slant this guide so that you choose my services. It is my intention to provide a guide that will help you choose the right lean consulting services for your business. In my previous life (before I became a consultant), I worked with and hired lean consultants for various projects. This is a summary of what I learned from those experiences.

Things to Watch out for

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. So, if what they are claiming seems too good to be true, it probably is. Please also remember that humility is a characteristic of a good lean person, so some of the best ones find it difficult to tout their abilities and achievements.

While we are on the subject of lean transformations, please allow me to provide my definition. A lean transformation has 2 elements:

Internal lean subject matter experts have been developed. Continuous improvement is engrained in the way people think and act to the point where the operation will sustain improvement efforts without external help.

If you can find a consultant who has helped several operations achieve the culture described above, then you have probably found someone who can help you with your needs.

“Self-proclaimed experts”. Let me explain why this term bothers me. I have had the good fortune to interact with some of the best lean people in the country – consultants who work for the Toyota Supplier Support Center. None of those people would ever claim to be a lean expert. They will all tell you that they are still learning and that the process never ends. So, if those people aren’t experts, then very few people are. It is also important to note that almost all the consultants out there have a good knowledge of lean tools – otherwise they wouldn’t be in business. However, there are varying degrees of both technical competence and influencing competence. A good lean consultant will excel at both.

Firms touting “proprietary processes”. There is nothing proprietary about implementing lean. Toyota shared the methodology with the world decades ago. It usually means that they have a standardized approach to implementing lean. This can be good or bad. I was taught that a good lean person is like a doctor. He/she examines the patient, determines the issue, and prescribes a treatment. A standardized approach is sort of one size fits all. That may work if you have a stable operation, but, if it seems like you are constantly fighting fires, you may want to move on to a firm that provides a “customized approach”.

Firms that do not specialize in lean consulting. There are many consulting firms out there that specialize in other areas but have added lean manufacturing to their portfolios. This can be good or bad depending on whether you need their other services as well. The competence of the lean consultant is the most important thing. You definitely need to dig into that if you consider one of these firms.

Lean training. For the purposes of this article I am not going to address external training classes. I am referring to internal training – this is where you bring in a consultant to train your people. All lean consulting firms can provide training. In fact, some specialize in it. I can’t remember how many Lego figures I have built attending lean training classes. Most of it is great training, demonstrating many lean concepts. The problem is that the lessons learned rarely make it to shop floor. It is difficult for many people to translate making a Lego car into making something like a fuel pump. So, make sure the consultant can back up training sessions with floor activity.

Certifications – are they important? If you are hiring a six-sigma consultant – yes; if you are hiring a lean consultant – no. The six-sigma community has done a good job of standardizing their training and certification system. When a person is a six-sigma black belt you can be pretty confident of the skill set that person brings with them. The same cannot be said for the lean community. There are a lot of great lean guys out there that don’t have certifications. So, don’t get caught up on certifications if you are looking for a lean consultant.

I just want to mention, in case you are not aware, that there is a big difference between lean and six-sigma. Especially if you consider lean to mean The Toyota Production System. A good six-sigma consultant may not be a good lean consultant and visa-versa.

Define Goals and Objectives

Now that you know what to watch out for, the first thing you need to do is define what you want to achieve by hiring a lean consultant. Some of the questions you need to answer are:

What is the objective you are trying to accomplish? Are you trying to transform the company, improve a problem operation, develop some internal subject matter experts, etc.? What are the boundaries / scope of the project? This needs to be very clear. More than one project has been sidetracked by scope creep. How fast do you want to implement – be reasonable? This will affect the amount of consulting resources you need. It will also affect how often the consultant(s) will visit the operation(s). Do you need support in countries outside the US? If so which ones? What internal resources are you going to dedicate to the effort? How are you going to measure success? Who is the owner of the project? This will be the liaison for the consultant. Do you want a firm that is hands-on or classroom trainers or somewhere in between? Is your industry so specialized that you need a consultant with that kind of expertise? Believe it or not, lean principles are universal and sometimes it is better to get a fresh set of eyes to ask the hard questions instead of someone who has been-there-done-that. Is your objective more than technical assistance? If so, you will need a consultant with good influencing skills as well as technical skills.

Please feel free to comment below with additional questions you believe I should add to this list.

Then start researching consultants. The internet is a place to start but it shouldn’t be your only option. It can get confusing very quickly. I know some great consultants that don’t show up on a Google search until after page 15. Talk to some of your counterparts in other businesses to see if they have ever used a lean consultant and whether they recommend that firm. Recommendations from someone you know and trust are a great way to find the right consultant for you. If you know of a company that has a system that you would like to emulate, then you should use that as a criterion in your search. You can also try joining a local lean consortium. It is a good way to network and get recommendations. Also, try LinkedIn. Most lean consultants are listed there and it is easier than an internet search.

While you are searching, you want to take note of where the consultants are located relative to your facilities. If you can find someone local – that will save money.

Conduct Interviews

After you have generated a list of 4 or 5 consulting firms that appear to have the skills and experience to accomplish your objectives, contact them to set up an interview. You need to do a phone interview with each candidate firm just like you were hiring a director of sales or engineering, because that is exactly what you are doing. You are hiring someone to greatly influence your business. If it is a larger consulting firm, you will want to talk to the person(s) they will assign to your project – not just the owner.

While you are talking with the consultants, ask them if they will do an on-site assessment. Many will waive the consulting fee but most will insist on charging travel costs. Here again, this is just like an interview and it is well worth the time and money to get the right firm.

Conclusion

So – there you have it. It isn’t plug and play but hopefully it will help you find the right lean consulting firm. After that, remember to follow-up regularly. The lean journey is not easy and usually encounters pitfalls and roadblocks. For the effort to be successful, management at all levels needs to be involved.

I hope you find the right firm and have fun making your business better. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

Recommended Reading

“How to Find a Good Lean Consultant” by AllAboutLean