What Does an Operational Excellence Manager Do?

Operational excellence managers are individuals who help their companies to streamline their procedures so that they operate more efficiently and profitably. They must have solid leadership skills and be persistent and self-directed. A person who is interested in becoming an operational excellence manager typically has to complete a four-year bachelor’s degree in business administration followed by a two-year master’s degree in this subject area. This type of manager strives to keep a company from being wasteful in the manufacturing process and studies customer views on the organization’s products. He or she also produces and analyzes financial reports in addition to training staff.

One major responsibility of an operational excellence manager is to apply lean manufacturing principles to help an organization to become more productive. These concepts essentially address how a business can trim off parts of the process of producing a good that are wasteful — anything that adds no value to a potential customer. A manager’s goal is to help the company to only produce what a client actually is willing to pay for so that it does not lose time, money, or other valuable resources.

Soliciting customer opinions on a business’ performance also constitutes a job position in this industry. An operational excellence manager, for example, might create surveys to gauge customers’ satisfaction with various products. His or her goal is to get ideas on how to improve the business’ offerings from a client’s standpoint so that the organization better retains customers and attracts new ones. Building relationships with buyers further helps a company to increase the amount of profit that it makes.

Professionals in this field must have an understanding of finance principles as well. A person who strives to improve a company’s productivity has to collaborate with the entity’s finance department to produce reports on the business’ revenues versus the costs involved in generating products. An operational excellence manager regularly puts together these documents so that he or she can determine whether his or her lean efforts are working.

Training employees is additionally critical in this career area. Operational excellence managers have to teach other supervisors and personnel the concepts of lean manufacturing and cover specific ways that they can cut costs while still maintaining quality. For this reason, these business leaders need to have solid verbal communication and presentation skills. They also should attend industry conferences so that they remain up-to-date on developments in the field.

An organization's operations must be managed effectively, efficiently, and with the least amount of waste, and an operational excellence manager is in charge of planning, executing, and continually improving the procedures, systems, and practices that guarantee this. This individual works to optimize processes for optimum value generation and assists in identifying and removing any impediments standing in the way of the organization's goals.

The main duties of an Operational Excellence Manager include process design and optimization, change management, data analysis, and initiatives for continuous improvement. They must also find ways to boost customer happiness, save expenses, and increase organizational efficiency. They must also work together with cross-functional teams to develop process changes and guarantee adherence to regulatory and quality standards.

One needs a mix of hard and soft talents in order to manage operational excellence effectively. Technical skills include an understanding of data analysis, project management, and process design, while soft skills like leadership, problem-solving, and communication are essential for managing cross-functional teams and fostering change within a company. Moreover, expertise in Six Sigma, lean manufacturing, or other approaches for process optimization is highly regarded.

The need for Operational Excellence Managers is high across sectors, which is good news for their career prospects. The need for Operational Excellence Managers will stay strong as businesses look for new methods to boost productivity, cut waste, and boost profits. The wide variety of abilities needed for this position also offers opportunities for professional development.

Operational Excellence Managers often deal with opposition to change, a lack of cross-functional cooperation, and issues assessing the effects of process changes. Moreover, organizational silos and a lack of support from the leadership might prevent the adoption of process reforms. Effective communication, stakeholder involvement, and a focus on creating a culture of continuous improvement are all necessary for overcoming these obstacles.