Process improvement consultant vs in-house center of excellence (COE): Choosing your process improvement approach
At a glance
The choice between a process improvement consultant and an in-house center of excellence (COE) affects speed, governance, and long-term impact.
Consultants deliver expertise and quick wins, while COEs build lasting institutional capability.
Both models fail when improvements stay theoretical instead of becoming executable workflows.
Moxo turns strategy into action with Flow Builder, SLA controls, automations, Magic Links, AI agents, dashboards, and audit trails secured by SSO/SAML.
Process improvement: Should you hire a consultant or build an in-house team
When it comes to enhancing business operations, companies often face a critical decision: should they bring in an external process improvement consultant or invest in developing an in-house center of excellence (COE)? Both paths offer distinct advantages for streamlining workflows and boosting efficiency, but the right choice depends on your organization's specific needs, resources, and long-term goals. This guide explores the key differences between these two approaches to help you decide which is the best fit for your business.
Why this decision matters
According to Forbes citing IDC, inefficient processes can drain 20 to 30 percent of annual revenue. This has pushed leaders to evaluate whether to bring in external consultants to accelerate improvements or to invest in COEs to embed continuous improvement long-term.
The choice isn’t simple. Consultants provide speed, external benchmarks, and objectivity. COEs deliver lasting capability and governance. The smart move is often a hybrid but either way, improvements must be standardized in a platform like Moxo, where workflows, controls, and reporting ensure they deliver ROI and survive organizational shifts.
When to hire vs build
Both consultants and COEs have distinct strengths. The table below highlights when each is most effective.
Example: A healthcare provider hired consultants to quickly streamline patient intake. Once stabilized, they built a COE to own continuous optimization—both leveraging Moxo workflows for consistency.
Cost & time trade-offs
Cost and speed are often the deciding factors. Here’s how they compare:
A Bain study found that organizations with COEs are 1.5x more likely to sustain cost reductions. However, external consultants remain invaluable for organizations needing quick action or external benchmarking.
Standardizing on Moxo either way
Consultant or COE, the missing link is often execution. Improvements documented but not operationalized tend to fade. Moxo ensures that redesigned processes become a day-to-day reality:
- Consultants can map improved processes in Flow Builder, deploy them instantly, and prove ROI through dashboards.
- COEs can use the same workflows for governance, enforce consistency through SLA-based controls, and refine over time.
- Both can extend processes externally via Magic Links and use AI agents to accelerate repetitive tasks.
Case snippet: A consulting firm redesigned client onboarding, then embedded it in Moxo client onboarding workflows. Once consultants exited, the COE continued iterating, supported by Moxo dashboards and templates. The result: a 40% drop in onboarding time and improved compliance reporting.
Governance & knowledge transfer
The greatest risk in consultant-only approaches is knowledge leaving the organization. The greatest risk in COE-led approaches is knowledge fragmentation across teams.
Moxo prevents both by:
- Capturing workflows in Flow Builder.
- Enforcing process rules with controls and SLA thresholds.
- Logging every action via Moxo audit trails.
- Delivering management dashboards segmented by process, team, or role.
This ensures governance and knowledge persist, regardless of consultant exits or leadership changes.
Decision checklist
Before choosing between consultant and COE, consider:
- Do we need fast ROI (consultant) or sustainable capability (COE)?
- Do we have executive sponsorship for an internal COE?
- Are processes mature enough for automation, or do they need redesign first?
- How will knowledge transfer be managed?
- Which system will ensure improvements are embedded, measured, and auditable?
With Moxo, the last question is answered—because it standardizes improvement no matter who leads.
Build it in Moxo (step-by-step)
Flow Builder (forms, file requests, approvals, eSign)
- Consultants: Quickly design improved workflows with Moxo Flow Builder, including forms, approvals, and e-signatures, to demonstrate proof-of-concept.
- COEs: Use Flow Builder to maintain governance, document standard processes, and create reusable templates for scaling improvements.
Controls (branches, decisions/milestones, thresholds/SLAs)
- Consultants: Add branches and SLA controls to test thresholds during pilots, identifying bottlenecks fast.
- COEs: Set long-term governance rules with decision milestones and escalation paths to ensure consistency.
Automations & integrations (CRM/ERP/DMS, DocuSign/Jumio/Stripe as relevant)
- Consultants: Demonstrate value quickly by wiring automations into client systems using Moxo integrations.
- COEs: Scale integrations across departments, ensuring enterprise-wide consistency and efficiency.
Magic Links for external participants (clients/vendors/partners)
- Consultants: Engage clients or vendors instantly in pilots using Magic Links, without needing accounts.
- COEs: Use Magic Links to extend workflows securely across ecosystems for long-term collaboration.
Management Reporting (completion %, duration, bottlenecks)
- Consultants: Use Moxo dashboards to prove ROI by tracking completion %, cycle times, and bottlenecks.
- COEs: Rely on dashboards and Moxo security (SSO/SAML, audit trails) for long-term compliance, governance, and leadership reporting.
How Moxo helps
Whether you rely on external consultants or build an internal Center of Excellence (COE), success in process improvement depends on execution, visibility, and shared accountability. Moxo provides a system that helps both consultants and COEs standardize, automate, and monitor improvement initiatives in one place.
For consultants: deliver structured, client-ready workflows
Moxo’s no-code workflow builder lets consultants turn process recommendations into actionable, interactive workflows for their clients. Each project can include forms, approvals, and automations that reflect the client’s exact operational needs—no custom coding required.
Through branded client portals, consultants can collaborate directly with stakeholders, collect documents, and share updates securely. Document collection workflows and audit-ready logs ensure that every step of the engagement remains visible and verifiable.
For in-house COEs: standardize and scale best practices
An internal COE can use Moxo to codify organizational standards into workflow templates that teams can deploy instantly. Automation handles recurring tasks like approvals, reminders, and escalations, while integrations connect improvement workflows to existing CRMs, ERPs, or project management tools.
Moxo’s performance dashboards make it simple for COEs to track improvement KPIs—such as cycle time, first-pass yield, or compliance rates—and compare adoption across departments.
A shared platform for measurable improvement
Both models benefit from Moxo’s enterprise-grade security with SOC 2 and GDPR compliance, encryption, and full audit trails. Consultants can deliver transparency to clients, while COEs maintain control and governance at scale.
With Moxo, organizations don’t have to choose between consultant expertise and internal ownership—they can combine both within one secure, workflow-first platform that turns recommendations into measurable, lasting improvements.
Leverage for speed and expertise
The consultant vs. COE debate is not an either-or decision. Many organizations leverage consultants for speed and expertise, then establish Centers of Excellence (COEs) for governance and long-term sustainability. The real differentiator lies in whether those improvements become operationalized across the business.
With Moxo, they do, through workflows, automations, controls, AI, and reporting that turn strategic improvements into measurable outcomes.
Get started with Moxo to see how the platform can support your model and drive lasting transformation.
FAQs
Should I hire a consultant or build a COE first?
It depends on priorities. Consultants deliver quick ROI, COEs deliver long-term sustainability. Moxo supports both.
How does Moxo help consultants?
Consultants use Moxo workflows to implement improvements quickly and demonstrate value with dashboards.
How does Moxo help COEs?
COEs govern processes using Moxo templates, enforce SLA thresholds, and measure outcomes with reporting.
What are the costs of each approach?
Consultants cost more upfront but require less ongoing investment. COEs cost more to build but compound ROI. Use the ROI calculator to model your case.
How do I ensure improvements stick after consultants leave?
By embedding workflows in Moxo with audit trails, automations, and dashboards, improvements live beyond individuals.
