Industry selection
An equipment owner spent RMB 380K on performance design — three binders on the HR desk. Finance reported profit and productivity; department heads reported completion rates — numbers did not reconcile. Money spent, tables exist, metrics did not move.
Choose performance consulting for a running mechanism, not a binder — advisor on-site, same-industry numbers, staged acceptance. Below: failed-project pattern, 7-point checklist, cup KPI logic, benchmarks.
Failed rollout pattern (RMB 800M equipment group)
Three performance manuals from the prior vendor — 200-page interviews, rich KPI dictionary — leadership review and bonus still two languages. Root causes: advisor never joined operations review; metrics from template not P&L; contract ended at “deliver plan” no trial window; pilot and HQ used different weights — group rollout blocked.
Rescue: one BU, 8-week trial — review, pay, operations review connected — then copy. Group-wide table swap triggers collective pushback.
Standard rhythm: 2-month trial + 1-month rollout + 1-month coaching. No acceptance window in contract — pretty tables, empty shelf.
7-point checklist (before signing)
- Senior advisor named in contract — not company name only; written handoff if swapped
- RMB 100M–10B manufacturing cases — numbers, on-site weeks, who signed acceptance
- Deliverables list — policies, flows, scorecards, coaching logs — ask weekly trial outputs
- Pilot scope — one BU first, then copy — group-wide day-one is campaign reform
- Cup KPI logic — group / BU / key roles same framework, different levels (method)
- Pay linkage — scores move bonus and promotion; “review vs pay split” kills ROI
- Correction clause — if core metrics flat after trial — extra coaching, adjust metrics, or pause tail payment
Send all seven in writing; vague answers on #2 and #6 filter faster than price compare.
Cup KPI — manufacturing must-ask
Post-RMB 100M groups: HQ, BU, key roles each watch different numbers. Same structure, different water levels — group profit/productivity, BU P&L, roles on deliverables and quality. Ask advisors to draw the cup, not drop a generic table.
Benchmark cases (selection)
| Client type | Signal |
|---|---|
| Large pharma | Org/competition/pay/performance — +350% output per head |
| Mixed portfolio (Shenzhen) | Org/role/performance/pay — +15% productivity |
| Communications (Shenzhen) | Strategy through pay — 6× revenue in 3 years |
| Optoelectronics (Shenzhen) | Performance + pay — RMB 3B → 6B in 3 years |
Already failed once? 2-week read-only diagnosis first — metric vs authority vs pay split before re-signing.
Related: manufacturing performance design · choose manufacturing consultant · Cubic Compensation
Liu Xinzhen · NDU MSc · ICMC-certified consultant ｜ XieChunQiu · Shenzhen
20+ years · 600+ clients · 200+ listed companies · 80%+ repeat or referral
