Operational Strategy

Strategic planning meetings that result in dusty, never read binders? Not here. At Lean 4 Business, we help you build operational strategies that live and breathe on the shop floor, not in boardroom Powerpoints.

The Reality Check
Your operational strategy needs to work in the real world.  A world where suppliers let you down, customer demands change overnight, and that “strategic” inventory is eating your cash flow alive. 

We help you navigate the practical decisions that determine whether your business thrives or merely survives over the next 1-5 years.

What We Actually Do:

Make vs. Buy Decisions: We’ll help you figure out what belongs in-house and what doesn’t. Should you be making those brackets or buying them? Is that sub-assembly really core to your competitive advantage, or just a legacy from when your founder trusted nobody else? We use data, not emotion, to guide these critical choices.

Supply Chain Rationalisation:  Too many suppliers creates complexity; too few creates risk. We help you find the sweet spot, building resilient supply networks that serve your customers whilst protecting your margins. This includes everything from supplier development programmes to strategic inventory positioning.

 

Inventory Optimisation:  Whether it’s obsolete stock gathering dust or those dreaded last-time buys that never seem to end, we help you turn inventory from a liability into a competitive weapon. Our approach balances customer service with cash flow reality.

Operational Excellence Implementation:  We professionalise your operations without losing the entrepreneurial spirit that got you here. Standard operating procedures that people actually follow, problem-solving systems that prevent fires rather than just fighting them, and performance metrics that drive the right behaviours.

Capacity Planning:  Right-size your operations for growth without the growing pains. Whether you’re expanding, consolidating, or pivoting, we help you build the operational foundation that scales with your ambitions.

Inventory Optimisation:  Whether it’s obsolete stock gathering dust or those dreaded last-time buys that never seem to end, we help you turn inventory from a liability into a competitive weapon. Our approach balances customer service with cash flow reality.

Operational Excellence Implementation:  We professionalise your operations without losing the entrepreneurial spirit that got you here. Standard operating procedures that people actually follow, problem-solving systems that prevent fires rather than just fighting them, and performance metrics that drive the right behaviours.

Capacity Planning:  Right-size your operations for growth without the growing pains. Whether you’re expanding, consolidating, or pivoting, we help you build the operational foundation that scales with your ambitions.

The Lean 4 Business Difference
We don’t just hand you a strategy document and walk away. We roll up our sleeves and help you implement it, one practical step at a time. Because the best operational strategy in the world is worthless if it sits on a shelf.

Every recommendation we make passes the “customer first” test. If it doesn’t ultimately serve your customers better, faster, or more cost-effectively, we won’t suggest it.

And yes, we’ll help you navigate the Brexit-induced supply chain maze, the skills shortage reality, and whatever other curveballs this VUCA world throws at you—all whilst keeping your sense of humour intact.