Operations Consulting

Business operations consulting (BOC) is a type of consultancy that helps businesses to re-engineer, improve, optimize, and standardize their processes, making them more aligned with the business strategy. Operational consultants are employed to assess and adjust internal procedures and optimize crucial organizational components, such as procurement and supply chain management. This is done to reduce the company’s costs, increase efficiency and effectiveness, and improve the quality of goods and services. With the help of an operations consultant, organizations can also avoid or prepare for significant business events, such as market fluctuations, managerial changes, and high employee turnover. Operations consulting helps businesses to remain competitive and resilient, drawing on end-to-end global strategies.

Operations consulting firms provide a range of services to help maximize efficiency and profitability. These services include: designing cost-saving solutions, maximizing profitability, reducing bottlenecks, revamping the procurement process, streamlining logistics, data collection and workplace analysis using tools such as surveys, business process evaluation with flow charts, developing draft solutions through expert analysis and applying operational, lean concepts and techniques, presenting draft solutions to management, preparing a final solution and implementation schedule, implementing the execution schedule and collecting data on changes or certain project execution, and preparing final reports, team findings and learning from the engagement. Operations consultants can also provide consulting services such as helping to define the current situation, problem statement, and desired outcome by the management team, selecting a consulting firm that best suits the level of expertise and depth of knowledge required, briefing the consulting team on the business or operational area, and advising on how to do something rather than what to do.

The length of an operations consulting engagement can vary depending on the scope and complexity of the project. Some engagements may last a few weeks, while others can last several months or even years. Operations consulting engagements have may cover a wide range of disciplines: strategic operations consulting, operational cost consulting, process optimization, supply chain consulting, working capital management, data analysis, technology implementation, and change management. Let’s determine your business needs.

The major difference between strategy consulting and operations consulting is that strategy consultants focus on the current position of a business in the market and the steps needed to reach a desired position, while operations consultants focus on finding the most efficient and effective way to get the job done. Strategy consultants often use problem-solving techniques such as data analysis and market research to identify issues and create action plans. On the other hand, operations consultants look at the internal processes and operations of a business and develop a plan to improve those processes. Strategy consultants tend to provide broader advice, while operations consultants are more hands-on. They provide a more detailed roadmap for change, giving clients a blueprint for more effective management systems, business processes, and internal operating models.