How to Answer “How Do We Know This Will Work?”

You need your business to perform better in 2026. Should you start by setting a big strategic goal, or by diving into the details of your current state? A process improvement consultant would tell you that you can’t do one without the other.

Leaders often plan to tackle their processes after they’ve set their strategic direction and developed a project plan. The logic sounds reasonable: “We’ll optimize later.”

But setting strategy before you understand your processes means you miss the chance to base your business case on data (not just desire) and influence key design decisions. When your process work yields surprising new information, you’ll have limited runway to make adjustments; this raises risks and can hurt your credibility.

At Solve, we see process improvement differently: as a strategic enabler, not a back-office exercise. Done early, it helps you answer one of the toughest questions for a new initiative: “How do we know this will work?”

Engaging a process improvement partner upfront helps you:

• Pinpoint root causes, not just symptoms

• Quantify what’s possible in cost savings and efficiency gains

• Design a future state with clear KPIs and a roadmap your teams can own

This is how you create a strong business case and set yourself up for success.

Why do you need a consultant for this?

Internal teams may know their processes inside and out, but they are also beholden to the current state and may struggle to challenge assumptions or uncover hidden opportunities.

Solve brings an understanding of what’s possible for the business, based on our years of hands-on experience focused on delivering these types of transformations across over 15 industries. We also understand the level of stakeholder management that is required to get big, bold change across the line – change we’ve delivered, like increasing revenue by 150% without increasing overhead, or reducing headcount by 35% while sustaining service delivery.

If you’re planning ambitious improvements to your business in 2026, one often-overlooked way to manage the risks is to bring in a process improvement consultant early.

If this is where you’re at, we’d love to help. Reach out to WorkWithUs@solveconsulting.ca to talk about an initial assessment.