Business Consulting

Often business problems present with one set of symptoms but have an entirely different cause. Further, in the larger analysis, the symptoms may not even be worth treating. In this segment, Anil Menawat and Adam Garfein of Menawat & Company discuss how they use techniques from Profit Mapping to help their clients discern problems' root causes and what if anything they might do. A few highlights:

• Discerning the root cause of the problem is really about defining the true prolem the company faces.
• Like Root Learning, Menawat takes a holistic, collaborative approach to problem definition.
• Once the problem is defined, future scenarios can be explored to determine its potential impact on the business.
• Anil and Adam provide two concrete examples from the automobile industry and manufacturing to illustrate their points.

What's the real underlying business problem? What's the best solution? Anil Menawat and Adam Garfein, cofounders of Menawat & Company, walk us through some of the example business problems they've encountered, how they have determined the underlying causes and then resolved them. Adam outlines two areas where the firm focuses:

• Business innovation, in this case aligning with customer needs.
• Process optimization

Anil brings these two areas to life with a recent example from the auto industry. A tier 1 supplier was experiencing problems with a production process that management attributed to poor labor relations. Investigation determined that, even if labor doubled its throughput, the problem would remain. Menawat suggested a process redesign that solved the problem.

Future segements will examine Menawat's staffing model and global scope. Anil and Adam have written a book on their process called Profit Mapping.