We build accountable operating systems inside IOUs — electric, gas, and power generation — where AI adoption and Lean discipline run as one governed system, not competing initiatives. $480M+ in documented hard savings says it holds.
These are not estimates. Documented. Audited. Measured.
Your Lean, SAP, and AI programs were designed in isolation — and now they're colliding. Maturity scores move on paper while nothing changes at the unit level. Savings projections don't survive Finance's reclassification process.
Your operating system was built over decades of layered O&M and capital initiatives. You don't need another program. You need someone who can see the whole board before the next rate case filing.
You're doing the right work but missing the governance and accountability infrastructure to make it stick. Regulatory timelines don't wait for internal alignment.
ANDON STATUS — ▮ RUNNING · ▮ ATTENTION · ▮ STOP THE LINE
Lean maturity scores improving on paper — unchanged at the unit level.
AI tools deployed across the enterprise — without governance, owners, or audit trails.
Command centers rich in data — empty of decisions.
Lean, digital, and strategy programs — each designed in isolation, all colliding in the field.
Savings reclassified by Finance — before the rate case ever closes.
Leaders trained — behavior unchanged ninety days later.
This is the difference between a dashboard and a command center: every amber has a named owner and a countermeasure. Every red stops the line. Hover any tile.
"I don't consult from the outside. I build operating systems from the inside — and I stay until they run without me."
Every engagement starts with a diagnostic. We identify the specific breakdown — not a category of problems. Then we build the system, coach the people, and measure the outcome in dollars, maturity points, or both.
No retainers for observation. No frameworks delivered as slide decks.
"When structure meets commitment, operational excellence becomes not an initiative — but the way work gets done."Download Case Study →
Our purpose: to be the strategic partner that empowers utility leaders, boards, and policymakers to deliver safe, reliable, and affordable energy — advancing prosperity, public trust, and operational excellence across the industry.
Optima Advisory Partners was built on 11 years embedded inside a large Western IOU — across electric, gas, and power generation operations. Not advising from the outside. The work was running programs, not recommending them.
On the electric side: built Lean waste elimination from the ground up with a direct affordability mandate — savings tied to rate case outcomes, not internal scorecards. In power generation: scaled a full Lean operating system across all five Lean plays — leader standard work, visual management, daily management, problem solving, and standard work.
The $480M+ in documented savings isn't a case study. It's an audit trail built from the inside — through 162 A3 problem-solving sessions, 500+ leaders coached, and a 92.9% program scorecard held across multiple operating organizations in a compliance-driven environment.
We work with organizations where regulatory exposure, O&M performance, and capital accountability have to coexist — and where the cost of a broken operating system shows up in rate cases and FERC filings, not just missed KPIs.
Start a Conversation →A 30-minute diagnostic conversation. No pitch deck. No proposal. We identify the specific breakdown and tell you exactly what it would take to close the gap.
Every IOU is deploying AI tools, agents, and analytics right now. The question isn't whether your organization adopts AI — it's whether your operating infrastructure can absorb it without creating risks your regulators will find first.
Not a training event. AI fluency embedded in leader standard work, visual management, and the daily operating rhythm — so adoption compounds instead of decaying.
A use-case framework that decides what gets built, who owns it, and how it's audited. Pilots by enthusiasm become liabilities in a compliance-driven environment.
A3 thinking, standard work, and waste elimination give AI somewhere to land. The five Lean plays are how AI value survives contact with field operations.
Hard savings tracked through expense and capital reclassification with a direct line to audited outcomes — so the value shows up in the rate case, not just the slide deck.
Every AI tool in production has a named owner and an audit trail.
AI use cases are prioritized through a governed framework — not pilots by enthusiasm.
Frontline leaders can explain what your AI tools should — and shouldn't — be used for.
AI outputs feeding operational decisions get verified before they drive action.
Your AI adoption plan would survive a regulatory data request today.
Someone is accountable — by name — when an AI tool gets something wrong.
Lean maturity gains show up at the unit level — not just on the scorecard.
Your command center drives decisions — not just dashboards.
Projected savings survive Finance's reclassification into the rate case.
Leader standard work happens without corporate prompting.
Daily management surfaces problems the same week they occur — not at month-end.
Your last transformation program still runs now that the consultants are gone.
0/12 ANSWERED
AI governance, use-case frameworks, and AI literacy programs built for compliance-driven environments — adoption infrastructure, not adoption theater.
The five Lean plays — leader standard work, visual management, daily management, problem solving, standard work — designed as one system.
Hard savings validation with a direct line to audited outcomes.
From data-rich dashboards to decision-driving operations.
OE, digital, and strategy unified into a single governed system — before they collide in the field.
500+ leaders developed through coaching and A3 facilitation. Behavior change that holds after the engagement ends.
Structured change governance for regulated operations — so transformation lands without creating the failure modes your regulatory filings will remember.
"I don't consult from the outside. I build operating systems from the inside — and I stay until they run without me."
Identify the specific breakdown — and the accountability gaps underneath it. No pitch deck. No proposal-shaped diagnosis.
Operating system architecture built for regulated environments — Lean, AI, and financial governance as one system.
Implemented alongside your team, inside your operating rhythm — not delivered as a deck and a goodbye.
Outcomes documented, ownership transferred. The system runs without us — that's the exit criteria.
Builds the behavioral accountability and operating rhythm that sustains maturity improvement after the engagement ends.
Integrates operational excellence, digital transformation, and strategy into a single governed, measurable system.
Tracks expense and capital reclassification, waste elimination, and unit cost performance — with a direct line to audited outcomes.
Power generation organization-wide, at a large Western IOU. Nine months from baseline to a measurable shift in how work gets done.
"When structure meets commitment, operational excellence becomes not an initiative — but the way work gets done."
Eleven years embedded inside a large Western IOU — across electric operations, gas operations, and power generation. Not advising from the outside. Building, running, and transferring the operating systems that delivered $480M+ in audited hard savings.
That record was built through 200+ structured improvement sessions, 500+ coached leaders, and an AI governance architecture deployed organization-wide — every number documented, every outcome with an audit trail.
Thirty minutes. A diagnostic conversation about the specific breakdown in your operation. No pitch deck. No proposal.
▸ RESPONSE WITHIN ONE BUSINESS DAY · AMES@OPTIMAAP.COM
The Gemba is where the real work happens — and where we always start.
You can’t fix what you can’t see. That’s why our transformation work begins at the source — on the floor, in the field, with the frontline.
We listen. We observe. We uncover what’s really driving cost, complexity, and constraint.
Then we help you clear the fog and lead forward with confidence.
Collaborative workshops that transform operational challenges into actionable roadmaps for efficiency and growth.
Systematic approaches to eliminate waste and build sustainable processes that evolve with your business needs.
Leverage proven best practices tailored to your unique operational environment for measurable results.
Expert Solutions for Complex Challenges
We're passionate about transforming operational challenges into opportunities. Our systematic approach combines lean principles with deep industry knowledge to deliver solutions that not only cut costs but create sustainable value for your organization and stakeholders.
$500M+
in cost savings (and growing)
93% Success
We boast a 91% initiative success rate from idea to operationalization (industry average is 33%)
5-10X
return on investment within the first year
