• Process Mapping
• Lean Operations
• Theory of Constraints
• Kaizen
• 5S

Sherpa Consulting offers a range of services to help clients improve the efficiency and profitability of their business. We map the clients processes, revealing any inefficient or wasteful activity. We will then apply the theory of constraints or the lean operations philosophy, as appropriate to improve process flows and reduce work-in-progress. We will also train clients' staff in the 5S system of efficient workplace organisation and Kaizen continuous improvement.

Analyse and understand your business processes.

Your business processes are the mechanisms through which you deliver value to your customers. In most businesses these processes run across several departments with nobody having a clear understanding of the whole process. Managers may attempt to optimise the parts under their control, but without a complete overview these efforts may reduce the overall efficiency of the process - local optimisation is the enemy of overall optimisation.

Process mapping reveals the detail of the operation of your business: understanding is the first step in the road to improvement.

The Lean Operations philosophy

Although Lean was developed in manufacturing, the principles can be applied to any type of business. The simplest summary was given by Taiichi Ohno, the Chief Engineer at Toyota who was instrumental in developing the Lean philosophy:

"All we are doing is looking at the time line, from the moment the customer gives us an order to the point where we collect the cash. And we are reducing the time line by reducing the non-value adding wastes."

Theory of Constraints - a way to improve quickly

Most systems, production or administrative, have some sort of constraint or bottleneck which limits the total throughput achievable by the system. The Theory of Constraints tells us how to identify these constraints and how to manage the system to minimise costs while maximising the throughput at the constraint.

Kaizen - continuous improvement

The Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement is a key component of Lean. It is not a single technique, but rather reflects the philosophy of never accepting the status quo, of believing that there must always be a better way. While each improvement may be small, in time they add up.

5S - efficient workplace organisation

The 5S system of efficient workplace organisation is a foundation of Lean - unless the workplace is organised to support efficient flow, efficiency will never be achieved.

Trading Since

2003