The operational processes of a business are what drives the business itself. Operations covers things like:
- Process management
- Operational Performance
- Procurement & Outsourcing
- Supply chain management
Businesses are always looking to better optimise their operational processes in a variety of ways, like increasing efficiency, cutting costs, improve quality, etc.
In certain scenarios, however, such as economic downturns, changes in management, or technological rollouts, operations consultants will be brought in to advise on significant changes to a business’ operational processes.
Operations consultants work closely with senior business executives to extract the most value from a business’s operations. They primarily ask ‘how’ questions, like:
- How can we reduce costs in this business?
- How do we increase efficiency?
- How can we reduce bottlenecks in this supply chain?
- How do we improve quality control in the value chain?
Unlike strategy consultants, operations consultants will often work with business beyond just giving advice, in many cases being involved through implementation and deployment. But like all management consultants, operations consultants are problem solvers, and getting into this career field is highly competitive.