" Rosemarie’s work ethic rivals no one; she is unrelenting in her approach to bring value to clients and all people she works with. "

 

What is it?  It is no longer enough to just continuously improve operations.  Operations is used by industry leaders as a competitive weapon.  A company must be the fastest and sustain improvements over time.  Many techniques have been developed throughout the years to improve operations, samples include: Lean Sigma, Value Engineering, Quality Circles, Flexible Manufacturing Systems, Total Quality Management, Worker Empowerment, Time-Based Competition, Complexity Reduction etc.   Each operational improvement technique, tool and philosophy left a mark and became part of the proverbial operational improvement toolbox.  There is no technique, tool or philosophy that is the silver bullet for optimal operational management.  True operational management starts with a strategy and targets, moves to structural change, executes and then sustains superiority through constant revitalization of the strategy.

Why do it?  Companies that go beyond “world-class” operational management and create the next competitive platform more rapidly and consistently than peers are those that create and maintain a competitive advantage.  

What are RHT Consulting’s offerings?  At times, a client doesn’t need an entire transformation, as the business and growth strategies have already been established.  As a result, RHT Consulting offers deep operational consulting separately to allow a client to only engage on the basis of their need

 

  • Operations Diagnostic, Strategy and Blueprint:  RHT Consulting has an operational diagnostic framework that assesses the operational health of every aspect of the business.   The diagnostic has rich benchmarks and leading practices gathered from every industry, as we have found that one industry doesn’t have all the leading practices in operations.  The diagnostic results in a prioritized view of operational improvement areas.  We then identify the appropriate techniques, tools and/or philosophies to apply against operations to improve them.  In addition to the diagnostic results, we develop an overarching operational strategy that aligns with the business strategy as well as future state operational blueprints where required.  Blueprints could include future state structures of footprint, organizational designs, etc.  A financial model that illustrates the value over time that should be delivered is also a deliverable from an operations diagnostic
  • R&D and Supply Chain Management:  R&D and Supply Chain Management are inextricably reliant upon each other to be successful.  Many say that “good R&D” is identifying the right, differentiated goods and developing them fast, with no quality issues.  Many say Supply Chain management gets the right goods to the right place at the right time.  The Supply Chain function needs to get the right goods, fast enough from the R&D function.   R&D needs to understand demand signals from the Supply Chain Management function to figure out what the right thing is. Therefore, to truly get the right goods to the right place at the right time requires the integration of R&D and supply chain business processes across the extended supply chain.  RHT Consulting has an integrated R&D and Supply Chain assessment model that has detailed leading practices and benchmarks that allow us to diagnose our clients R&D and Supply Chain operating models as well as our clients’ extended value chain.  Many approaches to R&D and Supply Chain improvement only look at the process; we look at the entire operating model and the linkages.  As a result of our assessment, we construct a future state R&D and Supply Chain blueprint, complete with organizational configuration, process, technology and metrics.  This is delivered together with a plan and business case
  • Cost Reduction: RHT Consulting helps clients with every element of cost reduction across the P&L; this includes COGs, SG&A as well as R&D.  Our analysis approach includes benchmarking (e.g., finance, IT, procurement, HR, R&D, real estate, marketing etc.), stakeholder/management interviews, project review (to identify projects that can be stopped, paused, streamlined, etc.), process reviews, competency assessments, organizational structure review (including workforce assessment of offshore/onshore, insource/outsource) and footprint analysis.   The deliverables include: an operational improvement plan and a business case as well as future state blueprints as necessary
  • Performance Management: Performance management has many definitions depending on the consulting firm.   RHT Consulting defines performance management as the end-to-end framework for managing the business such that it delivers maximum shareholder value.  Strong performance management starts with the basis of how economic value should be created for a company now and in the future, considering the business strategy/roadmap.   RHT Consulting develops a comprehensive performance management framework based on “how value is created” (value drivers such as revenue, operating margin, asset efficiency, and expectations) and “what can be done” (improvement levers).   Performance metrics are derived from the “tops down”, based on the business strategy to support “how value is created”.  Operational metrics are developed based on what improvement levers are available to support “what can be done”.  Together, we then develop a holistic performance management framework for the business. The performance management framework also includes a recommendation around a future state: governance model, processes and tools to ensure our clients can continue to learn from past performance.  A roadmap for implementation is provided along with a financial model of the impact harnessed from the new performance management system

 

How is RHT Consulting different? RHT Consulting’s consulting core competencies include: transformation, restructuring and innovation.  “Game-changing” operational improvement is foundational to all of these.  As a result, RHT Consulting understands the importance of improving operations in the context of a broader strategy.  In many cases, operational strategy engagements are performed without the context of the broader business strategy often leaves companies anemic, or, worse, diseased with anorexia.  Critical company resources are slashed without a view towards business imperatives.   Coming back to health after shedding critical resources becomes nearly impossible in this state.  RHT Consulting performs operational strategy consulting with a view of the near-, mid- and longer-term business strategy; therefore, leaving the company with optimal health.  

In addition, just as doctors would never give every patient the same medicine for different ailments, RHT Consulting doesn’t use just one operational improvement technique, tool or philosophy to help clients optimize operations.  We use the right technique for the right problem to not only help clients gain “world-class” status, but, to allow them to create the next new basis of competition as it relates to operational management