What is the Difference Between Operations and Strategy Consulting?

2024.05.20 12:26 PM By Joshua Taddeo, Principal Consultant
Image of a man and woman considering the difference between operations and strategy consulting with sketched lightbulbs drawn behind them.

Organizations often face complex challenges requiring skilled consultants' expertise due to the complex, interrelated processes that make up our nascent digital world. Two key areas of consulting are operations and strategy, each playing a vital role in driving business success in different ways. With over 15 years of experience, we specialize in providing top-notch consulting services in both domains.


Operations consulting focuses on optimizing day-to-day processes and workflows to enhance productivity and profitability, while strategy consulting takes a holistic view, developing long-term plans aligned with the organization's goals. Our team excels at tailoring our approach to the unique requirements across various industries. For some engagements, we'll work directly in one domain or the other, but some clients would like support across both domains to ensure short-term and long-term success.


However, not everyone needs a consultant to solve these challenges. Some organizations have experts on their teams who excel in these areas. Even then, an independent third-party assessment of their strategic plans or operations implementation can be helpful. With some consulting engagements, your organization may mix consultants with internal experts depending on their expertise. However, choosing a consulting company that provides both services has unique advantages that can help you achieve your goals.


To help select the right consulting type for your organization, we'll focus on critical factors like the focus areas, time horizons, levels of engagement, and success metrics. While these aren't the only factors to consider in your search, they are some of the most critical differentiators for strategy vs operations consulting engagements. Before you start your search or establish a request for proposal (RFP), consider the factors that separate these consulting types.

How Operations and Strategy Consulting Engagements Differ

Ensure you understand the type of engagement that aligns with your specific goals to select the right consulting firm. Doing your own needs analysis before reaching out to consultants can be extremely helpful, even if those organizations would like to follow up with specific detailed questions or research for their own needs analysis. While both operations and strategy consulting play crucial roles in driving business success, they differ in several fundamental aspects. Understanding these distinctions is essential to avoid wasting time requesting bids on the wrong consulting type. When speaking with prospective consulting companies, they will often help you decide the most important focus area through a project needs assessment, which is usually free unless detailed reporting or hours of research are required.

Focus Areas for Operations and Strategy Consulting

What key areas of the business do you have questions about or want support with? Are you looking at internal factors within your control that may align better with operations consulting advice? Or are you considering external decisions, such as what market to enter, which requires strategic research and analysis? These are some basic guidelines to consider when assessing which consulting focus area to choose.

Focus Area for Operations Consulting:Operations consultants are laser-focused on optimizing internal processes and workflows within an organization. They dive deep into the day-to-day operations, analyzing each step of the process to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and areas for improvement. They aim to streamline operations, enhance productivity, and increase profit margins through decreased costs. Operations consultants often work closely with various departments to implement best practices and drive operational excellence. Since operational improvements can be found in nearly every department, operations consultants work to optimize repeatable processes, assess technology stacks to integrate and improve their use or costs and increase productivity across the board.


Focus Area for Strategy Consulting: In contrast, strategy consultants take a holistic view of the organization, focusing on long-term planning and external market factors that drive business growth. They operate at a higher level, looking at the big picture to develop comprehensive strategies that align with the company's vision and goals. Strategy consultants analyze market trends, assess competitive landscapes, and identify opportunities for growth and expansion. They work closely with senior executives and board members to make high-level decisions that shape the future direction of the organization and its investments.

Time Horizon Differences Between Operations and Strategy Consulting

Image of a clock, hourglass and lock connected by lines representing time horizons for operations and strategy consulting.

What does your timeline for success look like? Are you considering short or mid-term cost-cutting requirements like improving operations and efficiency by implementing a new technology? Or are you thinking about long-term, broader strategic moves and investments considering significant external data?


Time Horizon for Operations Consulting: Operations consulting typically deals with short-to-medium-term improvements that can be implemented relatively quickly. The focus is on identifying immediate opportunities for efficiency gains and cost savings. Operations consultants work on projects with tangible, measurable outcomes achievable within a few months to a year. Examples include process redesign, supply chain optimization, reorganization and retraining, and technology implementation. The goal is to drive rapid improvements that directly impact the bottom line.


Time Horizon for Strategy Consulting: Strategy consulting, on the other hand, involves long-term planning, with initiatives that may take years to realize fully. Strategy consultants develop comprehensive roadmaps that guide the organization towards its future goals. They consider factors such as market evolution, technological advancements, and shifts in consumer behavior to anticipate future challenges and opportunities. Strategic initiatives, such as entering new markets, launching new products, or pursuing mergers and acquisitions, require careful planning and execution over an extended period. The focus is on positioning the organization for long-term success and sustainable growth.

Level of Engagement Differences Between Strategy and Operations Consulting

Which teams will these consultants be working with most? Are you looking for a consultant that can handle cross-department functional coordination? Or perhaps you're looking for an organization that more directly works with high-level executives on sweeping future-facing initiatives. These differences in engagement levels are key factors separating operations and strategic consulting.


Operations Consulting: Operations consultants work closely with various departments and teams across the organization. They engage with employees at all levels, from frontline staff to middle management, to understand the day-to-day operations deeply. Operations consultants collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify pain points, gather data, and implement solutions. They often spend significant time on the ground, observing processes, conducting interviews, and facilitating workshops to drive change from within the organization.


Strategy Consulting: Strategy consultants primarily engage with senior executives and board members for high-level decision-making. They work closely with the leadership team to understand the organization's vision, goals, and challenges. Strategy consultants provide insights and recommendations that inform strategic decisions at the highest level. They may also engage with external stakeholders, such as investors, partners, and industry experts, to gather market intelligence and validate assumptions. The engagement is typically more focused on executive-level interactions and less on day-to-day operations.

Differences in How to Measure Success for Strategy and Operations Consulting

Finally, how do you plan on measuring the success of your engagement? Is your goal to drive down costs and immediately improve efficiency? Or are you looking at the long-term ROI potential of several product positions to take in the market? Understanding your goals helps refine which consulting firm you should use. It also ensures that the consultants you speak with can achieve those goals by clarifying them before you sign any contracts.


Operations Consulting: Success in operations consulting is gauged by tangible metrics demonstrating efficiency, productivity, and cost-effectiveness improvements. Key performance indicators (KPIs) may include reduced cycle times, increased throughput, improved quality metrics, and cost savings. Operations consultants track these metrics closely to quantify the impact of their interventions and demonstrate the return on investment (ROI) for the organization. The focus is on delivering measurable results that contribute to the bottom line.


Strategy Consulting: Success in strategy consulting is measured by long-term outcomes that align with the organization's strategic objectives. These may include market share growth, revenue increases, successful market entry, or achieving critical milestones in mergers and acquisitions. Strategy consultants track high-level metrics that indicate the organization's progress toward its long-term goals. The focus is on positioning the organization for future success and ensuring that strategic initiatives deliver the intended results over time. You can also measure the success of the organization's ability to adapt to novel market conditions, outperform competitors, and create sustainable competitive advantages.

When to Hire an Operations Consultant

Organizations should consider engaging operations consultants when grappling with internal inefficiencies or aiming to enhance operational performance. Here are some specific situations where operations consulting can be particularly beneficial:

Image of a lit lightbulb filled with cogs and connected lines representing operations consulting.

1. Production or Service Delivery Bottlenecks

If your organization is experiencing bottlenecks in production or service delivery that are hindering growth and profitability, operations consultants can help. They can analyze the entire process, identify the root causes of the bottlenecks, and recommend solutions to streamline operations. These recommendations may involve process redesign, capacity planning, or the implementation of lean manufacturing principles. By eliminating bottlenecks, operations consultants can help increase throughput, reduce lead times, and improve overall efficiency.

2. Spiraling Costs

Operations consultants can be invaluable when costs are spiraling out of control and eating into profit margins. They can conduct a thorough cost analysis to identify areas of waste, inefficiency, and unnecessary expenditure. Operations consultants can then recommend cost-saving measures like process automation, supplier consolidation, or just-in-time inventory management. By optimizing costs across the organization, operations consultants help improve profitability and free up resources for growth initiatives.

3. Quality Control Issues

If your organization faces quality control issues impacting customer satisfaction and brand reputation, operations consultants can help. They can assess the current quality control processes, identify gaps and weaknesses, and recommend improvements. These assessments and improvements may involve implementing statistical process control, enhancing quality inspection procedures, or training employees on quality standards. By improving quality control, operations consultants can help reduce defects, minimize rework, and boost customer satisfaction.

4. Technology Implementation

Operations consultants can ensure a smooth transition when implementing new technologies, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems or automation solutions. They can assess the current processes, identify the technology requirements, and develop an implementation roadmap. Operations consultants can also help manage the change process, ensuring employees are trained and adapted to the new technology. By implementing new technologies, operations consultants can help organizations achieve efficiency gains and stay competitive in the digital age.

5. Supply Chain Optimization

If your organization needs to improve supply chain inefficiencies, such as long lead times, high inventory levels, or frequent stockouts, operations consultants can help. They can analyze the entire supply chain, from sourcing to delivery, and identify opportunities for optimization. Optimization strategies may involve supplier consolidation, demand forecasting, inventory management, or logistics network redesign. Operations consultants can help reduce costs, improve responsiveness, and enhance customer service by optimizing the supply chain.

When to Hire a Strategy Consultant

Organizations should consider engaging strategy consultants when eyeing long-term growth opportunities or navigating significant external challenges. Here are some specific situations where strategy consulting can be particularly valuable:

Image of chess pieces facing the queen piece representing strategy consulting.

1. Entering New Markets or Launching New Products

Strategy consultants can provide valuable insights and guidance if your organization is considering entering new markets or launching new products. They can conduct market research, assess the competitive landscape, and identify potential opportunities and risks. Strategy consultants can also help develop go-to-market strategies, pricing models, and marketing plans. By leveraging the expertise of strategy consultants, organizations can increase the likelihood of success when venturing into new territories.

2. Comprehensive Competitive Analysis

When facing intense competition or disruption in the market, strategy consultants can provide a comprehensive competitive analysis. They can benchmark the organization against key competitors, identify strengths and weaknesses, and recommend strategies to gain a competitive edge. Strategy consultants can also help organizations anticipate competitive moves and develop contingency plans. Organizations can protect their market share and drive sustainable growth by staying ahead of the competition.

3. Mergers and Acquisitions

Strategy consultants can be invaluable if your organization considers mergers or acquisitions as a growth strategy. They can help identify potential acquisition targets, assess the strategic fit, and conduct due diligence. Strategy consultants can also assist in valuation, negotiation, and post-merger integration planning. By ensuring that mergers and acquisitions align with the organization's strategic objectives and are executed effectively, strategy consultants can help maximize value creation and minimize risks.

4. Developing Corporate Strategies

Strategy consultants can provide expert guidance when organizations need to develop or refine their corporate strategies. They can help articulate the organization's vision, mission, and values and turn them into actionable strategic objectives. Strategy consultants can also thoroughly analyze the organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) to inform strategy development. By working closely with senior executives and board members, strategy consultants can help create a clear and compelling strategic roadmap that guides the organization toward its long-term goals.

5. Identifying and Mitigating Risks

Identifying and mitigating potential risks is crucial for long-term success in any complex or uncertain business environment. Strategy consultants can help organizations identify and assess strategic risks, such as market disruptions, regulatory changes, or geopolitical events. They can also develop risk mitigation strategies and contingency plans to help organizations navigate uncertainty and maintain business continuity. By proactively managing risks, organizations can protect their assets, reputation, and competitive position.

Benefits of Working with Strategy and Operations Consultants Simultaneously

Image of a man and two women working together representing representing the benefits of working with both strategy and operations consultants simultaneously.

You could consider working directly with a strategy or an operations consultant to support individual initiatives; however, we've found the most successful in providing both consulting options in a single engagement. These two consulting focus areas work very well together. As we've outlined, operations often support your short and mid-term implementation of plans, while strategy focuses on long-term strategic decisions and investments.


Ultimately, the company will need to implement long-term decisions, and that's where the handoff from strategy to operations consulting occurs. If these two consulting processes are coordinated closely and engaged simultaneously, the operations team can prepare the necessary internal changes to put the strategic plans in place as soon as they are ready. Often, strategic plans require process improvements, new technology or locations to be set up, and potential reorganization and retraining of teams. All of these projects are handled to perfection by expert operations consultants.


When you hire a firm that can help with strategy and operations consulting, you gain a well-crafted pipeline of decision-to-action plans. There are no delays in enacting strategic plans while you find the operations consultant after working with a strategic consultant, and there's no loss in the feedback loop of operations informing the strategic teams on the outcomes of the plans once put in place, especially when the strategic plans need to change based on the operational realities. You get the best of both worlds when working with both forms of consulting simultaneously, creating a continuous improvement cycle that is often easier to achieve with both forms of expertise than one.


That's why our organization offers both operations and strategy services. We're happy to work with your organization on strategic or operational improvements individually, but we excel when we come to the table with full support options. With Universal Creative Solutions as your trusted partner, you can confidently navigate the complexities of the modern business world, knowing that you have the expertise and support needed to streamline operations, enter new markets, or develop a comprehensive strategic roadmap. Let us help you shape your organization's future and achieve sustainable growth.