What Is Operational Excellence?

Quality on-time delivery indicates something working well in operations, but does it mean an organization can accurately claim operational excellence?  What characteristics would you expect to be able to see when visiting an operationally excellent company?

Just as quality used to be a competitive advantage but has long been expected performance, on-time delivery is fundamental, not indicative of excellence.

Do you have a repeatable reliable process for staying in tune with the voice of the customer?  Does that system then test that voice against your mission and values?  Do you work with the entire supply chain, both directions, to minimize cost and time while maximizing ability to meet and exceed market needs? Do your suppliers love working with you?  Your customers? Your employees?  Do you effectively capture the knowledge gained through problem solving to leverage it now and in the future?

Any “no’s” to those questions means operational excellence is still a goal for you, not a current reality.  Keep working!

One thought on “What Is Operational Excellence?

  1. Good post, Becky;

    Today, the first indicators I look for in a company “aspiring to excellence” is first, the behavioral atmosphere, which one can sniff in about 15 minutes. The second is evidence of work level problem solving. If those two factors are present, the company is not complacent. If really good, they compare themselves less with the competition than with their own prior performance.

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