Lean Consultancy Services

Request for Information

On this page you will find IMS Projects' responses to the 31 August 2020 Lean Consultancy Services Request for Information (RFI)

Thank you for the opportunity to provide our response to this Request for Information. We appreciate the opportunity to submit these responses and to potentially influence how lean consultancy services are provided to businesses across New Zealand.

In these responses we openly discuss IMS Projects' business model and strategic plans and share several key insights, such as the mapping of barriers to innovation to key capability programmes and our benefits methodology. While, in principle, we are happy to share these insights and our tools, we are also mindful of a pending competitive process and would ask that are 'know-how' and insights are not shared outside of Callaghan Innovation in the short-term.

Question 1: The Lean Customer Journey

Your question:

  • To what extent do we have the journey from building lean capability to producing better R&D and innovation outcomes right?
  • What other opportunities exist for us to improve R&D and innovation outcomes through methodologies similar or related to lean?
A summary of our response:
  • Sustainable innovation is best support by a culture of operational excellence
  • However, operational excellence in all functional areas is not required
  • If we want to produce better innovation outcomes then we need to remove the barriers to innovation
  • Insufficient time, lack of money and poor 'know how' are common barriers to innovation
  • A great programme will help a participant company diagnose their issues, develop strategic implementation plans and build necessary capability
  • This is a summary of our business model. We use digital delivery to reduce costs to serve and fit with client's preferences
  • See here: Overview of IMS Projects' model

Question 2: The Target Audience

Your question:

  • What audiences should a new Lean programme target in the aim of improving R&D and innovation outcomes?
  • How can we define these audiences?

A summary of our response:
  • In order to align with Callaghan Innovation's mission, participants should demonstrate Innovation ambition and an awareness of their own barriers to innovation
  • A simple upfront diagnostic and planning process could become a programme pre-requisite, potentially replacing or enhancing the current Lean appreciation workshop
  • This process may also enable better measurement of programme outcomes
  • There should be clear differentiation between Callaghan Innovation's offer and capability build vouchers offered by NZTE and training outcomes provided through ITOs.

Question 3: Measuring Success

Your question:

  • How could we measure success of a new programme?
  • What are some key lead indicators for measuring impact?
  • What data points could indicate that a business is engaged with the programme?

A summary of our response:

  • Evaluating success of consulting engagements is challenging
  • Developing 'soft' leading indicators is tempting, but does not guarantee engagement or impact
  • The current best way we know how to do this, is to to use a structured methodology to define three categories of benefit, specifically: identified, implemented and realised
  • This methodology is IMS Projects' Intellectual property and we ask it is are not shared outside of Callaghan Innovation in the short-term
  • We would be happy to make this available to other service providers as part of a new Lean programme, or to collaborate with other providers to develop a common methodology
  • See here: benefits methodology


Question 4: Co-funding and Programme Structure

Your question:

  • How do you think this approach can be changed or optimised?
  • Options to consider include: Reducing the co-funding cap to deliver to more businesses per year; Changing the co-funding rate; Changing the duration of the programme, or making it modular

A summary of our response:

  • One size does not necessarily fit all
  • Low innovation ambition companies should be provided with digital resources and access to cohort offers, networking events and alternative opportunities (e.g. NZTE or ITO offers)
  • This sends a strong signal to the market and also frees resources for more ambitious companies
  • More ambitious organisations should be provided with access to additional support and more flexible options
  • In addition to funding coaching and consulting services, business would benefit from greater alignment with other Callaghan Innovation services

Question 5: Digital Delivery Modes

Your question:

  • What opportunities exist to improve the delivery of the programme through a digital approach?


A summary of our response:

  • There are loads of opportunities to deliver more digitally, but there is a lot that competes for our attention online so there needs to be a compelling reason to engage
  • Companies with low innovation ambition should be served primarily with digital content. There is a lot that can be done using digital training, templates, diagnostics, webinars, case studies and how to guides.
  • We offer a full suite of online training products including Lean Foundations, Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence and the Innovation Playbook
  • The content is free, cohort workshops are priced per participant and coaching is on a transparent hourly fee
  • In addition we have a members' site and we are intending to move all programme administration and reporting online

Question 6 & 7: Number and Quality of Providers

Your question:

  • How can the number of providers available be amended to help better achieve our desired outcomes?
  • How can we best use a competitive process to get the right providers?


A summary of our response:

  • We believe that Callaghan Innovation Procurement has an important role to play in shaping the provider market to suit the developing needs of NZ business
  • Increasing guidance on where you believe the market is heading and setting clear guidance about what it takes to be a good service provider would be very useful
  • Rather than thinking about the procurement process as establishing a panel, please consider the role of procurement to be maintaining a vibrant and engaged panel
  • We think providers should be engaged with Callaghan and the NZ market, demonstrably committed to continuous development and lifelong learning, open to feedback and transparent.

Question 8: The Name

Your question:

  • What are your suggestions for alternative names if you do not think Lean is an appropriate name for the programme?


A summary of our response:

  • Consider names that broaden the scope of the programme and speak to Callaghan Innovation's intent
  • Names like 'The Toyota Way', 'Kaizen' and 'continuous improvement' narrow the scope of the programme and don't align with Callaghan's mission
  • Lean has value. Callaghan Innovations Better by Lean programme is a recognised programme with brand value
  • If there is a need to change the programme name then consider names that speak to the intent to activate innovation

    Question 9: Other Opportunities for Improvement

    Your question:

    • What other ideas do you have to improve the Lean programme?

    A summary of our response:

    1. More free / cost effective materials. Give companies the chance to get started without committing yet more government money on the foundation skills
    2. Insist on better planning, including understanding the candidate participant's innovation ambition and 'identified' benefits
    3. Select participants with innovation ambition
    4. Consider what you want to provider market to look like in 3-4 years time and communicated this to providers
    5. Use technology to simplify admin and increase visibility
    6. Make the programme more about innovation activation by improving the idea to cash value stream

    Thank you for the opportunity to submit these responses

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