We build people
while we build things.
We're a problem-solving & operational excellence studio. Our clients hire us to fix a process, launch a Kaizen, or map their capacity. What they leave with is a team that can do those things without us in the room.
A B O U T T H E K P I L A B
To be the go-to partner for manufacturers in Wisconsin— & to bring problem-solving tools, methods, & mindsets to teams anywhere who want to build problem solvers.
We work across manufacturing, biopharma, energy, healthcare, financial services, & consulting — anywhere with operational flow, cross-functional friction, or leaders who need to think differently. Wisconsin is home. Great work happens everywhere.
O U R V I S I O N
Most consultants tell you what you already know.
Talk to anyone who's hired a big-name firm. The pattern's familiar: they show up, run the interviews, deliver a beautiful deck… & hand you back a list of everything your team already knew was broken.
Nothing changes. Because the list wasn't the problem.
W H Y W E E X I S T
The problem was — & always is — how do you actually transform behavior?
That question is why The KPI Lab exists. We don't drop off a report. We don't teach a workshop & leave. We coach your people through the work — the real work, on the real floor, with the real problems — until they can do it themselves.
We call it coach-sulting. The engagement solves the problem in front of you. The relationship builds the team who solves the next one.
O U R O P E R A T I N G S Y S T E M
Do what you say you'll do
We don't play loose with commitments. We follow through. Period. If something changes, we say it early — not when it's already a problem. Reliability builds trust faster than brilliance.
Say the thing (clearly & early)
We value clarity over comfort. We communicate directly, simply, without fluff. We don't wait for "perfect wording" to speak up. We surface problems — we don't hide them.
Assume positive intent (then get curious)
We don't create stories — we create understanding. We assume people are doing their best with what they know. We ask questions before jumping to conclusions. We stay open, especially when it's hard.
Own it (all of it)
We don't pass problems — we build problem solvers. We take responsibility for outcomes, not just tasks. We look in the mirror before pointing out. We turn "what happened?" into "what can we do?"
Play on purpose
Because play is the opposite of survival mode. We bring energy, humor, & humanity into the work. We create space for creativity & experimentation. We don't take ourselves too seriously — but we take the work seriously.
Move. Try. Learn.
Perfection is boring. Progress is where the magic is. We bias toward action. We run small experiments instead of waiting. We learn out loud & adjust fast.
Build people while you build things
The work matters. The people matter more. We coach instead of fix. We call out strengths & growth. We leave people better than we found them.
Bring the real problem
No fluff. No dancing around it. We name what's actually happening. We separate facts from stories. We solve what's real — not what's easy to say.
Our Core Behaviors
These aren't posters on a wall. They're how we work with each other, with our clients, & with the people we're building. Coachable, observable, undeniable — if you watched our team for a week, you'd see these.
“We are going to get your clients results — & your people are going to have a better life. We are going to love them, develop them, believe in them. Your metrics will move. And these people’s lives will be transformed.”
— Leah Roe, Co-Founder
M E E T T H E F O U N D E R S
The team behind the work
Sarah Tilkens
Founder & CEO, The KPI Lab
Ten years leading Lean transformations at GE Healthcare & across Wisconsin's top manufacturers. Certified Co-Active coach. Facilitator of the Wisconsin AME Consortia. Speaker at ASQ, WIM, GBP, & AME.
"I can walk onto a production line & read it like a book."
Leah Roe
Co-Founder & Partner · Founder, The Perk
Leadership development & culture. Creator of The Perk's Middle Manager Protocol™ (trained thousands of middle managers across manufacturing, biotech, financial services, & consumer goods). Certified coach. The reason our clients don't just get better results — they get better people.
"Better humans + better results."
W H O W E W O R K W I T H
Manufacturing is home. Everyone with flow is welcome.
Our tools were born on the shop floor, but the way we think about work translates anywhere. If your organization has a process that moves — & people who need to think through it — we can help.
Small precision mfrs to Fortune 500 plants. Where we cut our teeth & where the bulk of our long-standing relationships live.
Manufacturing
Regulated environments where process rigor meets cross-functional complexity. Ipsen, UW Health, GEHC.
Biopharma & Healthcare
Financial services, professional services, government, nonprofits. Anywhere middle managers need to think differently.
Non-manufacturing services
If you're a Wisconsin manufacturer, check out our AME Wisconsin Consortia — the community we facilitate for CI leaders across the state.
Three ways to work with us
H O W W E W O R K
People & culture are the through-line in everything we do. But every engagement anchors on one of three service pillars:
CATEGORY
Process Improvement
Building teams that see their own work clearly enough to change it. Lean Bootcamps, Kaizen events, & custom process work.
Explore Process Improvement →
CATEGORY
Problem Solving
Building teams that dig for the REAL problem — before anyone reaches for a fix. Bootcamps, 12-month cohorts, & coaching programs.
Explore Problem Solving →
CATEGORY
Productivity
Stop guessing at capacity. Deep-dive assessments that reveal what your operation is actually capable of.
Explore Productivity →
We coach instead of fix. We build people while we build things.
If that sounds like the kind of partner you've been looking for — let's talk.
C O M M O N Q U E S T I O N S
FAQ
Where are you based?
Wisconsin. We travel for engagements, but our roots — & the majority of our long-tenured relationships — live in the Milwaukee metro & across the state's mid-market manufacturing base.
Do you only work with manufacturers?
No. Our roots are manufacturing, but our work translates. We've done problem-solving & leadership work across biopharma, healthcare, financial services, & consulting. If your work has flow & your team needs to think through it, we can help.
What's "coach-sulting"?
It's our word for the model. Consultants deliver a solution. Coaches build the capability in your people. We do both — we help you solve the problem in front of you AND leave your team capable of solving the next one without us in the room.
Who founded The KPI Lab?
Sarah Tilkens founded The KPI Lab after 15 years of Lean transformation work at GE Healthcare & across Wisconsin manufacturing. Leah Roe (founder of The Perk) is her co-founder & partner — bringing 10+ years of leadership development & culture work into the practice.