Gulati head shot
Akhilesh Gulati

Principal, PIVOT Management Consultants

PIVOT Management Consultants

Akhilesh Gulati is the founder of PIVOT Management Consultants. Specializing in operational excellence, process redesign, TRIZ, and quality systems, PIVOT provides training and consulting in a variety of industries, successfully collaborating with hospitals, manufacturers, and global suppliers to drive systemic improvement and cultural transformation. Gulati also owns Akhil International, a printing and promotional products business. He holds a master’s degree in marine engineering and naval architecture from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, an MBA from UCLA, and is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and a Balanced Scorecard Professional. You can reach him at gulati@pivotmc.com.

Mon, 03/10/2008 - 22:00
Revolutionizing Quality Engineering with ChatGPTThose who learn how to use these tools will have an advantage over those who don’t
Tue, 06/20/2023 - 12:03
Maria stretched her arms, taking in a deep breath as she savored the lingering flavor of dark, rich black coffee. She waited for the system to log in and connect to her biweekly meeting with her informal innovation group, a bunch of semiretired…
Do You Think Inside the Box, Outside the Box, or at the Edge of the Box?To solve thorny problems, you can’t have either a purely internal or external view
Thu, 03/23/2023 - 12:03
Efrain entered his office on a bright, sunny morning, a smile on his face. He poured a cup of coffee and took his seat behind his desk. From his vantage point, he could see his staff walking in and settling down to the day’s work. His executive…
Data-Driven Decision MakingAnd the role of intuition
Thu, 10/08/2015 - 11:14
The big data revolution is requiring a seismic shift inside organizations, both in the way we build relationships and the way we make decisions. Each is now driven by data rather than intuition. In general, decision making is accomplished via a…
An Overlooked Improvement Opportunity in RetailBlack Belts could use predictive analytics to transform the convenience store industry
Tue, 07/21/2015 - 13:52
Convenience stores are located on most street corners the world over. These small enterprises offer customers a wide variety of items and often have gas pumps outside as well. Considering how long convenience stores have been around and the…
Have Data, Will CureData analytics for patient satisfaction and efficiency in healthcare
Tue, 06/16/2015 - 11:42
The dynamics of the healthcare environment are changing rapidly. Small primary care practices are confronting a host of regulatory, technological, and practice challenges, not the least of which is patient expectation and evaluation. The challenges…
Profit Optimization PlanningMake the most of your Black Belts
Thu, 03/19/2015 - 12:29
Regression equations, fitted lines, and sampling are familiar terms to people in the quality field. There are tools that we use (i.e., planning matrixes, tree diagrams, and flowcharts) to help our organizations optimize processes. These tools aren’…
Leveraging Quality Tools Throughout the OrganizationApplying design of experiments to marketing
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 16:47
Design of experiments (DOE) is a term familiar to most quality professionals. Some use it on a regular basis and others try their best to avoid it. Most of those who employ this problem-solving tool have done so mainly on behalf of quality…
Limit Your Way to InnovationDetermine constraints to achieve competitive advantage
Thu, 11/20/2014 - 13:13
In today’s world, it’s almost expected that product or service innovation will yield competitive advantage. So how does one innovate? One approach is to hire genius employees and to combine the attributes of a number of tools (e.g., theory of…
The Underlying Philosophy of TRIZBeen there, done that
Thu, 09/11/2014 - 10:36
An important concept within TRIZ is that someone, somewhere, has already solved your current problem. In other words, they have “been there, done that.” Or course, the problem has to be clearly stated, in a generic sense, to enable the recognition…
Effective Problem Solving Calls for Adaptable Detective WorkFinding the root cause vs. treating the symptom
Tue, 08/19/2014 - 16:40
Editor’s note: This article continues the series exploring structured innovation using the TRIZ methodology, a problem solving, analysis, and forecasting tool derived from studying patterns of invention found in global patent data. The TRIZ…