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.
ABOUT THE KPI LAB
To be the go-to partner for manufacturers driving OpEx 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.
OUR VISION
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.
WHY WE EXIST
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.
OUR OPERATING SYSTEM
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, Strategic Partner
MEET THE FOUNDERS
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
Strategic 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."
WHO WE WORK WITH
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
HOW WE WORK WITH
People & culture are the through-line in everything we do. But every engagement anchors on one of three service pillars:
Process Improvement
Building teams that see their own work clearly enough to change it. Lean Bootcamps, Kaizen events, & custom process work.
Explore Process Improvement →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 →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.
COMMON QUESTIONS
FAQ
What's the difference between problem-solving training & Lean training?
Lean training teaches you a set of tools — Value Stream Mapping, 5S, standard work — for eliminating waste in a process. Problem-solving training teaches you a way of THINKING that makes any tool more effective. You can do Lean without being a great problem-solver. You can't do sustained continuous improvement without one.
How long does it take to build a problem-solving culture?
Real behavior change takes 12 months of consistent practice, coaching, & sustainment. That's why our Problem-Solving Protocol is structured as a year-long cohort — not a workshop. Bootcamps can create momentum in three days, but the muscle memory needs a year.
Do you work with non-manufacturing organizations?
Yes. Our problem-solving work translates to any organization with cross-functional friction, recurring escalations, or middle-management-heavy operations — financial services, healthcare, professional services, government, nonprofits.
What's the ROI of problem-solving training?
One trained problem-solver typically saves 5× the cost of turnover, rework, & missed opportunity in year one. Compounding returns after that. But the real ROI is capability that outlasts the engagement.