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.

Thu, 11/13/2025 - 12:03
Structured Innovation: Ideal Final Result Identify the right problem to solve
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 11:40
Editor’s note: This article continues the series exploring the TRIZ methodology, a problem-solving, analysis, and forecasting tool derived from studying patterns of invention found in global patent data. TRIZ identifies 40 principles, of which the…
Structured Innovation: The Separation Principle Separate an interfering part or property from an object or system
Wed, 01/23/2013 - 09:58
Editor’s note: This article continues the series exploring the TRIZ methodology, a problem-solving, analysis, and forecasting tool derived from studying patterns of invention found in global patent data. TRIZ identifies 40 principles, of which…
Structured Innovation: The Segmentation Principle How divide and conquer applies to manufacturing
Wed, 01/02/2013 - 11:18
Editor’s note: This article is the first in a series exploring the TRIZ methodolgy, a problem-solving, analysis, and forecasting tool derived from studying patterns of invention found in global patent data. TRIZ identifies 40 principles, of which…
Time and Trust Issues at Work Overcoming the resistance to change initiatives
Tue, 11/27/2012 - 13:12
Brian had been running his machine shop as a third-tier supplier to the aerospace industry for more than 15 years, and it had been successful as a small shop. Over the years he had learned the importance of ongoing training and continuous…
Building a Company on Values Do your actions match your intentions?
Wed, 11/07/2012 - 15:55
Jerry, the president of a company that manufactured precision machine parts, noticed that the business environment had changed dramatically during the past four years. Although his company had done reasonably well in the aerospace industry,…
Thinking Beyond Lean Focusing on nonvalue alone is not the answer
Wed, 09/26/2012 - 12:00
Terry had been using lean techniques to improve his company for quite a while now. He’d held kaizen events, reduced inventory, provided training for his employees, and was quite pleased with the progress his organization had made. However, he felt…
Seeing a Lean Transformation Through Tinted Glasses We’re often oblivious to ideas elsewhere on the spectrum of possibility
Wed, 08/29/2012 - 10:58
Barry was excited about the journey he was to embark on. He had just contracted a professional organization in his industry that would help his company implement lean practices. These professionals understood Barry’s challenges: “Making it” isn’t…
Creating Adjacencies Discover your organization’s areas for disruptive change
Fri, 07/20/2012 - 10:36
Starting from scratch, Gil had slowly built a small business and was running it quite successfully. He was a professional at heart: He gained the confidence of customers and prospects, met their expectations, negotiated better prices, and provided…
Is the Glass Half-Full? Be sure everyone is talking about the same glass before answering
Wed, 06/13/2012 - 12:41
An optimist would say a glass is half-full, while a pessimist would say it’s half-empty. Someone with a mind for physics would say, “The volume of this cylinder is equally composed of a colorless, odorless liquid and a colorless, odorless gas. Thus…
Data First or Workflow First? Without understanding how things go wrong, detailed data analysis is a waste of effort
Tue, 05/22/2012 - 11:49
The IT department of a school district supported itself by providing application development, database maintenance, training, and other services to its internal clients, although no money exchanged hands. The school’s outreach unit, which provided…