Best Practice & Benchmarking

Practical ideas, perspectives and industry experience from IPA, our members and specialists.

14 September 2026 • Efficiency Works

Kaizen vs Lean: What’s the Difference and How Do They Work Together?

Kaizen and lean are two of the most widely used terms in process improvement — and two of the most commonly confused. Many ...

09 September 2026 • Efficiency Works

Lean Supply Chain Consulting: Cut Lead Times and Reduce Stock Costs

Australian businesses are carrying more stock than they need, waiting longer than they should, and paying more than ...

30 August 2026 • Sologic

The Problem with “Just Ask Why” (and What to Do Instead)

“Have you tried the Five Whys?” It’s usually the first thing people reach for when something goes wrong. And to be fair, ...

25 August 2026 • Sologic

A Near Miss Is Not a Lucky Escape. It Is a Warning.

Some incidents do not end in injury.

23 August 2026 • Sologic

The Problem Usually Gets Messy After the Meeting

The first problem-solving conversation is often the easiest part. Everyone is in the room. The issue is fresh. People ...

19 August 2026 • Sologic

Human Error Is Often Where the Investigation Stops Too Soon

“Human error” is one of the easiest explanations to write down after something goes wrong. It sounds reasonable. It is ...

17 August 2026 • Sologic

The Problem With Wanting RCA to Be Fast

In most workplaces, speed is rewarded. A breakdown happens. Production is interrupted. Customers are waiting. Leaders want ...

11 August 2026 • Daniel Harper

Climate Transition Risk as Strategic Leverage: Turning Uncertainty into Competitive Advantage

For many organisations, climate transition risk still sits in the ESG reporting column — a compliance exercise, a board ...

05 August 2026 • Sologic

Why Your Corrective Action List Keeps Growing But the Risk Stays the Same

A long corrective action list can look like progress. More training. More checks. More meetings. More procedure updates. ...

02 August 2026 • Sologic

Why good-looking corrective actions still fail?

29 July 2026 • Sologic

The Problem Is Rarely Where The Noise Is Loudest

When something goes wrong, the visible failure usually gets all the attention:

29 July 2026 • Sologic

The Mistake Teams Make When Investigating Pipeline Failures

Let’s talk about a situation that comes up more often than it should.

28 July 2026 • Marcus Ellery

Net-Zero Process Mapping

A few years ago, most conversations about process improvement were pretty straightforward. You’d map a workflow, look for ...

23 July 2026 • Sologic

What is Root Cause Analysis?

Root Cause Analysis - What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Works Root cause analysis (RCA) is a structured, evidence-based ...

30 June 2026 • Daniel Harper

Kicking the KPI Habit: Designing Purpose-Aligned Performance Metrics

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were once the gold standard of performance management. But increasingly, they’ve become a ...

11 May 2026 • Sophie Reynolds

Learning from Incidents: How to Build a No-Blame Approach

When something goes wrong in the workplace, the natural reaction is often to find out who was responsible. But pointing ...

13 April 2026 • Daniel Harper

Indigenous Economic Participation as Strategic Opportunity

In many organisations, Indigenous engagement still sits within corporate affairs, sustainability, or reconciliation ...

30 March 2026 • Daniel Harper

Outsourcing Strategy: Balancing Scalability and Capability in a Skills Crisis

Australia’s labour shortage is no longer cyclical — it’s structural. Across NSW and QLD, organisations in infrastructure, ...

19 March 2026 • Daniel Harper

Polycrisis Strategy: Preparing for Overlapping Business Disruptions

For years, corporate scenario planning focused on single-variable disruptions. A recession. A regulatory change. A supply ...

11 March 2026 • Evan Powell

The Most Costly Inventory

Engineering spares are a business’s insurance policy. An insurance policy against breakdown. An insurance policy to protect ...