Lean Consultant: What They Can Do For You?

Several management consulting firms are swaying the market by giving away false promises to attract potential clients. They would constantly entice you so that you try out new operating systems that ultimately do no good. It is important that you stay alert and do not fall into these traps. An organization must look into lean consultancy and hire lean consultants so that they can effectively and efficiently grow their operations. It can prove to be very much beneficial for the various teams in your organization especially the leadership team. Learn the Quality Management courses by KnowledgeHut to enlighten yourself about lean consultancy and if you aspire to become a lean consultant. 

Lean consultancy is a tried and tested concept and has been prevalent for 5 decades. But the question lies, what changes can this relatively new concept bring to the business organization that requires dynamic and adaptive technologies? Nowadays, every industry is filled with consultants that have an umpteenth number of pieces of advice to give to you. Some can entice you by saying that they can provide you instant results whereas some can advise you that they can provide you results in the long run. Choose the best lean consultants for your company after doing a thorough background check. 

What is Lean Consulting?

Lean consulting is embraced by various companies to improve their operations. Lean consulting is the operational process and philosophy where the lean management consultants advise and make recommendations to the divisional managers to eliminate unnecessary waste. It improves the quality of operations and makes the company more efficient. The prime objective was to get the job done with the appropriate amount of resources and manpower. No wastage of either of the essentials should be entertained.

A lean management consultant focuses on what the customer's value is and what can prove to be profitable for the company. It fosters a mindset that aims for continuous improvement. Sometimes it becomes confusing for the managers to choose which strategy to implement for solving several problems. In that case, lean six sigma consultants come into play and throw in their valuable recommendations. For someone who is manifesting to become a lean six sigma consultant, the LSSGB certification by Knowledgehut will help you to understand the deep-rooted concepts. It will help you to build the appropriate skill set for continuous improvement. 

Key Roles and Responsibilities of a Lean Consultant 

The lean six sigma consultant job is not an easy one to carry out. A lean consultant has to work and make recommendations keeping in view all the policies of the company. Also, the plans suggested by a lean consultant must be in accordance with the recent trends in the business market. So it involves much analyzing and thinking before recommending a plan or a policy.  

The major duties that a lean management consultant has to perform are enumerated as follows: 

1. A lean consultant acts as a catalyst throughout the company who constantly thrives for performance improvement in all the projects following the change in the process. 
2. Lean six sigma consultants improve the productivity of a process by implementing the set strategies on functioning projects.  
3. The lean consultants assist various business units by formulating plans for existing projects. 
4. Several business units perform the function of support providers. Lean consultants help the business units in this regard.  
5. An organization is faced with several complex problems. Lean consultants have a key role in finding solutions to such problems. 
6. A lean consultant eliminates obstacles that are diverse and involves variable factors using data analysis. 
7. It is the responsibility of a lean consultant to develop plans that meet the organizational objectives and goals. 
8. Lean consultants must select methods and techniques for generating results with good judgment. 
9. Increasing the competence of an organization by improving productivity is also another role of a lean consultant. 
10. Lean consultants are also responsible to respond to business requests by the managers. 
11. Lean consultant jobs are advisory. They advise managers on specific tasks, activities, and projects to obtain the desired results. 
12. A lean manufacturing consultant also evaluates analytical methods to execute them to figure out the best practices for the organization. 
13. With the help of the potential of computer systems and tools, a lean consultant seeks improvement in business workflows and processes. 
14. Lean manufacturing consultants are also responsible for conducting training programs and developing coordinates on demand. 
15. Lean consultants perform the role of a leader and advisor and participate in the management process. 

Therefore, it is pretty evident that lean consultants perform a lot of duties and that is why the role of a lean consultant is in constant demand in every organization. 

Essential Skills and Abilities of a Lean Consultant

Having certain skills will help lean consultants to increase the productivity of a company. Such essential skills are stated as follows: 

1. Having a clear focus on the organization 

Lean consultants are the advisors and motivators in an organization. They are leaders who must contribute to the long-term needs of the businesses. They are forward thinkers who must have a clear vision of what they want to achieve. This is done by setting achievable goals and by keeping the business on track. 

2. Being a problem solver 

To solve the problems your way, you must have good connections with the staff. The more time you spend with your team, the more you'll understand and identify any discrepancies. By analyzing these issues and providing suitable solutions for them, a lean consultant increases the productivity of the company daily. 

3. Learn from constructive criticism 

Failures are a part of any process, and that should be taken as a lesson to learn from. As a lean consultant, you must not let failures take your morale down. Learn from the criticism that comes your way and acts constructively to know your flaws and improve that area. 

4. Be motivational and active in the workplace 

Employee interactions will allow the lean manufacturing consultants to develop good working relationships. This will help the leaders to find a scope for constant improvement in the company. In contrast to traditional consultants, lean consultants tend to spend more time at the workplace so that the staff is motivated to work accordingly. 

5. Understand behaviour to build better connections 

Building positive connections with employees in the organization and clients outside the organization is an integral role of a lean consultant. It is important that you notice people's behavior and how they act in different situations so that you can analyze what type of work they are fit for. This will result in a positive workplace with happier staff. 

6. Work on improvements and developments 

Lean healthcare consultants are known to be forward thinkers as they have grown a vision for the future of the organization. A passionate, lean consultant will always thrive to achieve more rather than standing still. That's the reason that lean consultants always make plans for the constant improvements, growth, and development of the company. They are always looking for more and do not become content with their current position. 

7. Prioritizing the customer needs 

Holding the knees of the customers at the top is a key feature of a lean consultant. A good lean consulted nose their target audience and what kind of customers they have. They know what their customers want and what they don't. After analyzing their customer pool, they use this information to make decisions so that the business moves forward. With continuous improvement, the company can also target a larger audience to get more customers. 

Therefore, these are the basic skills that a lean consultant job description holds. If you want to pursue a career in lean consultancy, you can get yourself the Six sigma black belt certification by Knowledgehut that will help you to upskill yourself and kick start your career.  

Educational Qualification of a Lean Consultant

For being a lean consultant you must have a bachelor's degree in any of the following fields: 

• Business 
• Engineering 
• Logistics 

There is no concrete rule that you have to belong to the above-mentioned discipline only. If you have a bachelor's degree in any of these or other related fields then also you can become a lean consultant.  

Apart from this, a master's degree is always preferred by any business organization, whatsoever. you can pursue a master's degree in business, logistics, or any of the relevant disciplines that instil the knowledge of lean thinking in you. Pursue a master's degree that will teach you how to deal with lean technology and tools. 

Any other certification courses prove to be an add-on benefit that will provide you with an exclusive edge when compared to your competitors. Employers will always prefer an individual who has completed his bachelor's and master's degrees but also has additional knowledge in the form of certification courses. It will make you stand out from the lot. 

Salary Details 

If you have just completed your education and started your career as a lean consultant then you may get an average salary of up to $68,000. The pay scale tends to increase as you gain more experience and work on complex projects across organizations. However, a lean consultant's salary on average can be $92,000 when he has some amount of experience and skills for the job. It is evident that lean consultancy is a high-paying job that can make you reach the peak of your career. Depending upon the location, size, and type of the organization, the senior lean consultant's salary can reach a staggering average of  $2,47,000 per year. You need to maintain a great career record for these kinds of payouts. 

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Benefits of Lean Consulting

You may think, why learn lean consulting? Well, with lean consulting you can seek the desired results for the organization. Here's what you need to know about the benefits of lean consulting: 

1. Increases productivity 

An increase in productivity depends upon various factors. Effective lean consultancy increases employee motivation, instils discipline in the organization, builds strong teamwork, and increases the level of safety in the company. When all these factors are taken together, it ultimately results in increased productivity. 

2. Saves time 

The time factor is sometimes neglected to improve the operations. But in reality, both should be handled together. The constructive lean consultancy principles save time throughout the process in the company, starting from production to marketing.  

3. Increases efficiency 

Lean management consultants constantly figure out ways to improve the managerial processes of an organization. It makes the organization more effective and ultimately increases efficiency across all departments. 

4. Enhanced customer satisfaction 

With the elimination of waste, the customer will get better and more effective services. Lean consultancy streamlines the processes that improve coordination and communication within the company. With such changes, higher customer satisfaction and loyalty are achieved. 

5. Increases flexibility 

Implementing lean principles increases flexibility in an organization. You will be competent to easily adapt to changes in the ever-changing market. According to your company's needs, you can also develop customized solutions to deal with certain problems. This will allow you to cope with unique challenges that require not-so-general solutions. 

6. Improves employee morale 

As it is available to the employees that the company is driving constant improvements and reducing waste, their morale gets automatically boosted. They will feel the need to deliver more to the company so that it improves its profitability. With increased profitability, fox employees are benefited from various kinds of perks so that they remain motivated. 

7. Improves Quality 

Using lean principles will help you to increase the quality of the products and services that are provided by your organization. Well, all the processes are in sync, and there is not much scope for any discrepancy. Hence, it is easier to improve the quality of the products in services that will satisfy the customers. With the increased quality of your products and services, the goodwill of your company remains intact or amplified, for good. 

How Much Do Lean Consultants Charge?

The fees for a lean consultant depend upon various factors. These factors influence the charges of lean consultants: 

• Educational Qualification 
• Experience 
• Location 
• Type and scope of the project 
• Travel expenses 
• Time is taken to complete the project 

As an owner of a company, you will want to hire a freelance lean consultant who has the required educational qualification and has more experience in dealing with complex projects. Although the above-stated factors are taken into account when deciding the fees of a lean consultant, it is not always conclusive.  

The charges for lean consultancy range from $30 to $300, on average. Companies need to do some industry research and then only should reach out to the lean consultants whom they think are fit for handling their project. Such consultants will be in charge of deciding and implementing the required strategies for your project.  

Conclusion

Lean consultants will always be an integral part of businesses. They also have a lot of share in a company's profitability. The only thing that matters is that the organizations and their employers need to have the mindset of adapting new technology for the new age problems. Lean management programs are the first step to encouraging the implementation of new strategies to the business models.  

Lean consultants are in great demand and it is a very flourishing career in recent times. If you are keen to know about this discipline and have a successful career you should definitely go for it. Opt to learn Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification by Knowledgehut and become the next money-making superstar for your organization.