ABSTRACT
Anything worth doing right usually requires funding. This chapter provides some basic costs to consider when building the budget for a higher educational institution: external consultant fees; internal lean facilitator(s); lean event/training costs; and implementation/innovation fund. Once a preliminary budget has been outlined, leaders need to decide whether the institution is willing to invest dollars and staff time to fuel this initiative. A good facilitator must be flexible and adaptable, able to multi-task, capable of reading an audience, and organized; in addition, he/she should have strong relationship skills and excellent problem-solving skills. When hiring an external consultant/trainer, it should be ensured that the person has a solid background in continuous improvement and has proven experience working with colleges/universities. Depending on who is available and the budget, one may need to use a combination of various consultants and facilitators based on the different skill sets needed.
