Management Consulting – Web Site Evidence

Posted on October 18, 2006 by John Hunter

In, How Wipro Adapted the Toyota Production System to IT Work [the broken link was removed], Jon Miller highlights several keys to adopting lean thinking: involve everyone, learn and then do, and learn together.

In Wipro’s case they should also take advantage of what is available on lean IT thinking such as: Lean Software Development.

As I have mentioned before a look at Wipro’s web site does not provide me much confidence in their commitment. Read their overview of IT services offered [the broken link was removed – I am not at all surprised they didn’t even follow basic web guidelines to avoid breaking urls] – just the standard language, nothing that provides details on their lean thinking. The web site of management consulting firms provides a great way to judge what they actually value. Maybe you shouldn’t judge a consulting firm by its web site but it seems like a pretty good indicator to me (even small firms can posts thoughts on a blog or a couple articles).

Related: IT related blog posts – Toyota IT Overview – Indian Firms Learning From Toyota – If Tech Companies Made Sudoku


Wipro web site IT services home page [the broken link was removed]:

Through a series of strategic initiatives over a two year period, Wipro made the client realize significant cost savings as well as remarkably improve the quality of the application estate. This was done by following a cycle of define, perform, review and refine, for each of the functions that Wipro was entrusted with. Wipro devised and implemented a strategy for cost savings by leveraging on its Global Sourcing model. The savings in the application support budget was also enabled through a system of forecasting and reviewing service requirements with partners and third party vendors.

That could be from any management consultant site doesn’t you think? Reading that makes me think of: Management Advice: Which 90% is Crap?

From my previous post, 15 October 2005 on Wipro and other management consulting web sites:

Wipro has been saying they are applying Toyota’s methods and can help you do so to if you hire them. Go to their web site and search for Toyota: 3 results – 2 are the same news release and one tells you where their booth will be located at a conference. Search for Deming, Lean Manufacturing, Lean Thinking and Six Sigma were similarly useless. This “case study” is about the most informative (which it is not at all).

When I look again now, I am still not finding anything that indicates why I should believe they offer some lean thinking value. Visit Toyota, Panta Rei, Got Boondoggle or the lean blog and you get the idea that the people responsible actually know about lean thinking. If you are a management consultant (especially if you are IT focused) telling people you can apply lean thinking to improve, my advice is to provide some evidence for that online. For example, I manage this site for Peter Scholtes (he is retired now).

Wipro may well be doing great stuff with lean thinking – I hope so. But I wish they would provide some evidence of that on their web site.

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