Know What's Happening in Management Consulting
Know What's Happening in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Pulse
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Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
Ram Charan unveils AI‑driven manufacturing playbook for cash‑flow gains
Renowned advisor Ram Charan has released a manufacturing playbook that uses AI to unlock immediate cash‑flow improvements. He urges CEOs to map the entire value chain, spot cash traps and deploy low‑cost AI tools such as ChatGPT analyses of vendor data to achieve roughly ten‑percent savings quickly. The framework also calls for aggressive pricing and a reassessment of China‑dependency.
Optimum has been chosen by Asahi Europe & International to lead user training for its multi‑year SAP S/4HANA migration, dubbed Project Odyssey. The initiative will replace SAP ECC with a standardized S/4HANA template across ten European markets, rolling out through 2028. Optimum will design a blended learning program, conduct a training needs analysis, and create a multilingual knowledge base to drive adoption. The partnership underscores training as a strategic layer in large‑scale ERP transformations.
The corporate advisory boards that I have been a part of have almost exclusively been “vibe checks”, where presentations are made about work the company is doing, and the advisory panel chats about things for a while. This seems like a...
Bad news for a client or hit a snag with a project? Here's how to navigate: Review things. Make notes. Bring three solutions. Pick up the phone. Start with a quick connection point, then walk through the situation and the options. Why this...
Global Strategy Group promoted Marissa Padilla to partner in its Washington, D.C. office, where she will oversee client work, thought leadership, and new‑business initiatives across healthcare, tech, and advocacy. Ballard Partners added Rich Haslewood as a partner, tapping his deep...
Strategy often fails at the boundary between numbers and judgment. Lean too heavily on qualitative views and you drift into narratives that feel right but prove little. Lean too heavily on data and you risk mistaking measurement for understanding. The...
OpenAI is reportedly restructuring its Stargate computing team, coming alongside a shift in strategy to renting more AI servers rather than building its own data centers https://t.co/GcaUtwhISO #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology #Tech #TechNews https://t.co/lt4ueogRAC
Synechron has merged its Australian acquisitions—Chamonix IT, Exposé and iGreenData—under the Synechron brand, appointing Scott Grigg as Australia Country Managing Director. The unified unit will target secure, end‑to‑end digital transformation for financial services, government, defence, utilities, education and healthcare. Synechron plans to...
The Velocity of Innovation vs. The Stability of Infrastructure. How do you build a resilient operational strategy when the tools you are using today may be obsolete before the concrete on your new substation has even cured? https://t.co/zmD7jlWWhW
Outsourcing control of ERP and digital transformation projects to third parties is a common cause of failure. Relying solely on vendors or system integrators means external experts decide your business's future. #ERP #DigitalTransformation #ProjectManagement https://t.co/7xAT4Ngc07
Leslie Beavers, former Deputy CIO of the Department of Defense, now leads LB Insights to guide firms through the “valley of death” that separates tech innovation from operational deployment. At the Pentagon she helped launch digital modernization programs such as...
I am not sure "Forward Deployed AI Engineers" are going to deliver on what a lot of companies are hoping for. They are useful, yes, but AI applications are far less of a technical issue, and much more about rethinking...
Teneo and Thoughtworks have launched an AI‑focused joint venture to help CEOs and boards accelerate business transformation in the "AI and agentic" age. The partnership combines Teneo’s 1,800‑plus C‑suite advisors and global network with Thoughtworks’ 10,000 engineers and proprietary agentic...
Multinational corporations face mounting ESG pressure as institutional investors target nearly $34 trillion and 90 % of large U.S. firms now publish ESG reports. In East African frontier markets, glossy impact statements often fail to earn local trust, leading to protests and...
A multi‑year study of four global banks and three top hospitals identified four cumulative capabilities—Discover, Improve, Align, and Transform—that separate operational excellence leaders from laggards. Firms that built these capabilities in sequence consistently outperformed peers on customer satisfaction and financial...
Researchers evaluated leading large language models on classic strategic trade‑offs and discovered a systematic bias toward trendy, buzzword‑heavy recommendations—a phenomenon they label “strategy trendslop.” Across thousands of simulations, the models consistently favored differentiation over cost leadership, augmentation over automation, and...
Eric Dickson transformed UMass Memorial Health from a $10 million‑a‑month loss and junk‑bond rating into a high‑performing system by building a Lean‑based management framework. Over 12 years, the system evolved through 18 versions, standardizing ten core processes and empowering 13,000 staff...
The article draws parallels between St. Patrick’s missionary work and modern Lean thinking, highlighting six core lessons. It emphasizes a purpose‑driven "True North," respect for people, teaching through simple visual tools, direct observation on the gemba, persistence against resistance, and influence...
Accenture has signed a six‑year agreement to become the Official Business and Technology Consulting Partner of The R&A, the governing body behind golf’s premier championships. The deal also names Accenture an Official Patron of The Open, the AIG Women’s Open...
$ACN Q2 FY2026 drops Thursday before the bell. Consensus is $2.87 EPS on ~$17.8B revenue. Last quarter, Accenture beat by $0.21 on EPS with $18.74B in revenue, $2.2B in Advanced AI bookings, and $1.1B in Advanced AI revenue. Stock is...
AI: good or bad? Practical answer: embrace use cases, verify results and pilot with control. Contact LMA Consulting Group to build an AI roadmap tied to execution. #AI #ChatGPT #SupplyChain https://t.co/aaGnm03Hlt
The Commitment Crucible Framework identifies a strategic zone where organizations invest resources that cannot be recovered, characterized by high cost and low reversibility but offering exponential upside. Positioned in the upper‑right quadrant of the Strategic Bet Matrix, the crucible demands...
Brad Forester of JBF Consulting warns that logistics technology projects often fail because companies skip a strategic roadmap, turning implementation into a costly trap. He recommends allocating just 1‑2% of the budget to a thorough assessment, which can mitigate up...
Some days the business runs itself. Other days, the decisions that matter feel bigger than one person can handle. You’ve built this. You know what works. Now let’s make the moves that keep it growing and keep your clients noticing the difference. I have...
Enterprises adopting AI and automation face heightened cybersecurity, governance, and model‑risk challenges. ServiceNow and consulting firm Crowe propose a three‑way partnership that aligns IT, security, and risk into an integrated operating model. The approach embeds governance into workflows, automates cross‑functional...
Accenture announced a new Reinvention Services leadership team, effective March 31, 2026, under Chief Strategy and Services Officer Manish Sharma. The model groups client‑facing capabilities into seven Reinvention Partners covering Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering,...
The Geography of Prosperity Index, covering 250 U.S. metros, reveals a shifting map of economic resilience driven by five interlinked systems—population renewal, climate resilience, automation readiness, social cohesion, and governance. Unexpected entrants like Ann Arbor and Frederick rank in the...
In this episode of Rattle and Pedal, hosts Jason Malicki and Jeff McKay explore the "Where to Play" paradox—how professional‑services firms decide which new markets or adjacencies to pursue. They identify drivers such as AI disruption, regulatory shifts, partner changes,...
ERP programmes are traditionally fixed‑scope projects, but business realities shift mid‑stream, causing fatigue and stalled momentum. Embridge Consulting’s Daniel Chilton introduces Elastic Change, a delivery model that blends disciplined governance with adaptable, EQ‑focused leadership. The approach treats ERP as a...
"𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚'𝐬 90% 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥?" For over six decades, I’ve had the privilege of advising some of the world’s largest companies, working directly with Fortune 100 CEOs and boards across a wide range of industries and...
Successful human-AI collaboration requires thinking through the processes to be reshaped or redirected. Here's a seven-phase process to do that. (My latest in Forbes) via @forbes https://t.co/WZaEj1X3ag
Tech Mahindra’s European president says AI has moved beyond a mere enabler to become the core of enterprise strategy, demanding a shift in governance, decision‑making and organizational structure. He warns that firms must adopt an "organizational metabolism" mindset, letting go...
#AI Needs Management Consultants After All by @AllisonPohle @wsj Learn more: https://t.co/22WVGLJGTi #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #ML #DL https://t.co/BNYeCN5xJc
Question for your next meeting: "If our competitors deployed AI agents into our core workflows tomorrow, would we know? And would we have a response ready?" The agent economy moved from PowerPoint to production this week.
A senior continuous‑improvement coach at a community hospital subscribed to the Lean Hospitals Coach after failing to build a custom AI tool. The platform combines Lean problem‑solving structure with Socratic coaching, catching errors like solution‑laden problem statements in real time....
Scaled disruption begins when challengers set the tempo of a category. Since growth now rewards digital fluency and rapid iteration, incumbents must rethink operating models, not just rebalance portfolios. Source @McKinsey Link https://t.co/mUXoT9cj6K via @antgrasso #CEO https://t.co/XqYGVPFFnC
“Consultants & software cos. preach about #ProcessExcellence. But most business processes don’t need to be ‘excellent.’ All that’s required is understanding & effectiveness in process thinking—and *a big dose* of common sense.” https://t.co/ylz4kVYcuu #BPM #processimprovement
Fractional CFO firms often mistake personal earnings for firm profitability, especially when bookkeeping and tax services bleed cash. A simple 30‑minute gross‑margin autopsy reveals that high‑margin CFO retainers are subsidizing low‑ or negative‑margin bookkeeping work. By isolating revenue and cost...
The article outlines a three‑layered framework—prediction, prevision, and performance—to improve strategic execution. Prediction delivers data‑driven forecasts, prevision translates those insights into scenarios and capability investments, and performance validates outcomes against objectives. By separating these functions, organizations can align structure, talent,...
#AI at #MWC2026: How leaders are transforming, region by region. (McKinsey) #MWC26 #MWC #JVGpost https://t.co/q6azSptnUD https://t.co/gXtGMSqk67
#CIOChat Q1: Algorithmic management used to mean gig platforms scheduling IT contractors. Now it’s everywhere: Collaboration tools assigning work, ticketing systems routing tasks, AI copilots triaging requests. Where are algorithms already managing work in your org today? https://t.co/Vt7ZVWHoh5
Consello, a global advisory and investment firm, has appointed former Verizon and Ericsson chief executive Hans Vestberg as a senior operating adviser. Vestberg joins a roster of ex‑C‑suite leaders whose combined experience exceeds 150 years, covering operational transformation, capital allocation,...
In this episode, HBR Editor‑in‑Chief Amy Bernstein talks with Nigel Vaz, CEO of Publicis Sapient, about why AI should be treated as an operating system rather than a mere tool. Vaz argues that AI reshapes decision‑making, speeds up strategy cycles,...
Gartner’s 2026 survey reveals employees endured ten organization‑wide strategy shifts in 2022, up from two in 2016, while willingness to support change fell from 74% to 43%. The article argues that leaders must redesign change programs so workers help shape...
Kraft Heinz slashed its new‑product cycle from 36 months to six by overhauling its development process. The company limited active projects to a "golden number" of seven, consolidated work into a single financial‑outcome‑driven backlog, and granted teams decision rights. These...
Employees often appear lazy or resistant, but neuroscience shows they’re actually in threat mode due to change fatigue. The amygdala treats reorganizations, AI rollouts, or new leadership as physical danger, shutting down the pre‑frontal cortex and narrowing focus. Gallup’s 2025...
Gap Inc. is leveraging its 1990s heritage to revive brand relevance, spotlighting iconic archive imagery while launching a fresh, music‑video‑style campaign. The new ad features Katseye, a Gen Z girl group, designed for short‑form platforms like TikTok. Within days, teens began...
The article identifies pusillanimity—"smallness of soul"—as a hidden barrier that prevents organizations from realizing continuous improvement. It explains how this mindset limits ambition, locks away employee creativity, and creates waste beyond the traditional Lean definition. The opposite virtue, magnanimity, encourages...
OpenAI and Anthropic have signed agreements with major consulting firms to embed generative AI solutions across corporate clients, signaling a short‑term boost for the consulting sector. Analysts caution that while demand for AI‑focused advisory services will surge, the broader consulting...
Forvis Mazars LLP has entered a strategic partnership with Klarity, an AI‑powered process‑intelligence platform, to overhaul finance transformation engagements. By embedding Klarity’s AI Observations and AI Interviews, the firm aims to replace time‑intensive interviews and manual data intake with real‑time...
The article uses Sara Guttman’s consulting launch to illustrate why new consultants must design their business from day one, not merely react to early client work. It argues that positioning as a strategic partner—rather than a task‑oriented service provider—drives higher...
