The questions below cover the most common things prospective clients want to know before engaging Stratocube. If your question is not included here, contact us directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
| FAQs | RESPONSE |
| Do you replace my team? | No. We work alongside your existing team, not instead of them. Knowledge transfer is built into every engagement. When we leave, your team should be more capable than when we arrived, and the improved system should belong to them, not to us. |
| Do we need perfect data? | No. Most organisations with operational pain do not have perfect data; if they did, they would likely have already solved the problem. We work with what is available, validate what matters, improve measurement where it is unreliable, and build confidence in the data as part of the improvement process. |
| How do you stop improvements from fading? | Through a combination of governance cadence, clear process ownership, visual management (where appropriate), and a control plan that fits the way your improved operation would actually function, not a theoretical version of it. Sustainment is not an add-on; it is designed into the improvement from the start. |
| Is the offering only for manufacturing? | Definitely not. The operational constraints we address: poor flow, rework, handoff failures, weak accountability, and unstable output, amongst others, are not unique to manufacturing. They appear with equal frequency in industrial and financial services, defence, regulated environments, and complex service operations of all kinds. If your organisation has operational complexity and a performance problem that is costing you time, quality, or money, contact us, and we will tell you honestly whether we can help. |
| Will you be on site, or is this done remotely? | For most diagnostic and implementation work, on-site presence is essential. You cannot understand an operation from a distance. We work at your facility, on the floor, with your team, observing real processes in real time. Remote support can complement on-site work for data analysis, reporting, and management reviews, but it does not replace it. |
| How long does a typical project run? | A Diagnostic typically runs 2 to 4 weeks. A Lean improvement engagement runs 4 to 12 weeks, depending on scope. A Six Sigma project runs 8 to 16 weeks. Projects can be run concurrently with governance work. The right duration is always scope-driven; we do not pad timelines or create dependency. |
| What sectors do you work in? | Our primary focus is manufacturing, production, industrial and financial services, defence, and regulated environments. If you are unsure whether your sector fits, contact us, and we will give you an honest assessment. It's as important to us as it is to you that the fit is right. |
| What size organisations do you work with? | Whilst we often work with mid-market businesses and specialist operational divisions of larger groups - size is less of a determining factor than the actual situation itself. If your operation is working hard but not delivering the results it should, if workarounds have quietly become processes, if certain problems keep returning, or if managers are spending more time chasing than leading, then an independent perspective is likely to add real value, regardless of how large or small the business is. The organisations we work best with are those where leadership is close enough to the business to know something is wrong, but have been inside it long enough that familiarity has made the root causes somehow less obvious to see clearly. If that description resonates, a conversation is probably worth having. |
| Can you work with our internal continuous improvement team? | Yes, and not only is this desirable, but this is often the most effective model. If you have internal Lean or CI capability, we can work alongside that team, provide technical depth where needed, and transfer skills that build their capability. We are not threatened by internal expertise - we are strengthened by it. |
| What happens after the engagement ends? | We design every engagement so that it does not require our continued presence to sustain results. At close-out, we provide a handover package that includes the updated process standards, governance system, measurement approach, and a sustainment roadmap - depending on the needs and the scope. For clients who want ongoing advisory support, we can agree a light-touch retainer arrangement, but it is always optional, never a condition of the engagement. |
| What does an engagement typically cost? | Engagement fees depend on scope, duration, and complexity. The Operational Performance Diagnostic is structured as a time-bounded, commercially accessible entry point, and is the most efficient way to establish scope before committing to a larger programme. Contact us for a no-obligation scoping conversation, and we will provide a clear indication of cost based on your specific situation. |