It Is Almost Never the Software
Vendor-neutral ERP and operations advisory for mid-market manufacturers.
By the time most manufacturers call me, the ERP has already been blamed — and a replacement is on the table. That is usually the most expensive wrong answer. A new system does not fix broken processes. It relocates them, at a higher price, with no one left to blame.
For more than 25 years I have worked inside manufacturing companies — on the floor, in the systems, and in the boardroom — plus 11 years supporting ERP from the I.T. side. I advise owners, COOs, and CFOs on untangling operations, fixing broken ERP systems, and making confident decisions without hiring full-time executives.
Why I Get Different Answers Than Other Consultants
Most assessments interview management and report back what management already believed. That is why so many of them produce a roadmap that changes nothing.
Managers and supervisors know what the process is supposed to be. Operators know what is actually happening — which routing step gets skipped every shift, which count gets eyeballed, which screen gets clicked through because it is faster, and which workaround quietly became the real process. None of that is written down. None of it surfaces in a conference room.
Operators tell me because I have held their position. I know what it is like to be measured on output while running a system that makes the job harder, and to be asked about it by someone who has never run the machine. That is not a credential I claim on a slide. It is a conversation they can tell is different inside of two minutes.
The truth is on the floor. I go get it.
Assessments
Know Before You Commit.
Link to: Assessments
Operational Assessment
Find out where operations, data, or decision-making are slowing your business down.
Starting at $3,750
Link to: Assessments
ERP Health Check
Already have ERP? Find out why it is not working the way it should.
Starting at $5,000
Link to: Assessments
ERP Recovery Assessment
Your ERP implementation went wrong. Find out what happened and what to do next.
Starting at $7,500
Link to: Assessments
Not Sure You Are Ready for ERP?
Start with our ERP Readiness Assessment — a lower-cost first step before you spend money on a system.
Who This Is For
This is for you if:
This is not for you if:
You believe a new system will fix a broken process
How I Work: The Ground Truth Sequence
Seven stages sit underneath these three phases, each with a gate. Nothing advances until the one before it is verified. That order is the work.
1. Find the Truth
Establish what is actually happening on the floor versus what the system says, and where process and governance controls are missing.
2. Fix the Foundation
Ownership, controls, and the records the system reasons from — repaired in the order that makes each one hold.
3. Restore the Trust
The finish line is not an accurate ERP. It is leadership making decisions from it, and the shadow spreadsheets finally going away.
About
About Lee Stout
I have spent 25 years inside manufacturing companies, plus 11 years supporting ERP from the I.T. side — not advising from the outside.
My role is not to impress you. It is to get you to better decisions faster and keep you out of expensive mistakes.
If you value clarity, accountability, and straight answers, we will work well together.
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Independent Business & Systems Advisory.