Operational Excellence Training Courses

These operational Excellence Training courses offer an enhanced business management system that utilizes techniques which go beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced scorecard. The 9-step methodology provided in these Operational Excellence training courses in the United States, Canada and other parts of the world structurally integrate performance metrics (reported from a process output point of view) with the processes that created them.  In addition, focus is given to undertaking organizational business enhancement efforts which are beneficial to improving key performance indicators (KPIs) that benefit the big picture.  Attendees to these training offerings (and their organizations) experience the value of the described 9-step Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) operational methodology for accomplishing this KPI-metrics-improvement objective.

9-step IEE system in Operational Excellence Training Courses

Operational Excellence Training Needs and Traditional Shortcomings

Operational Excellence (OE) is described by Wikipedia as an element of organizational leadership that stresses the application of a variety of principles, systems, and tools toward the sustainable improvement of key performance metrics.

The last six words of this Operational Excellence training definition (i.e., sustainable improvement of key performance metrics) should be given much focus when considered what approach to use in deployment and operational excellence training courses.

Traditionally, one of the following two improvement program methodologies are often undertaken by organizations in their operational excellence training courses and its deployment. These two basic techniques are:

However, these techniques have issues, as described in the next session.

Issues with Traditional Operational Excellence Training Courses and Implementations

The issues with the above described traditional deployments are:

  • Process improvement operational excellence training course methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma: Typically these process enhancement efforts have little, if any, linkage to organizational key performance metrics. These improvement programs often result in a hunt for project to execute as opposed to determining what metrics need to be improved in the business. Process improvement, operational excellence, performance reporting, and lean Six Sigma deployment departments all have similar issues.  These functional deployment efforts often become sales department for their wares, have projects that fall off implementation practitioner′s plates, execute projects that do not benefit the big picture, and/or encounter a deployment downsizing/elimination when times get financially tough. Another downsizing/elimination reason is that the leadership, who is driving the effort leads, moves on to a different position.
  • MBO operational excellence metrics and improvement efforts that lead from strategies: Often strategies created from an execute retreat are worded with subjective words like we are to be the best of the best.  These strategies are then to be cascaded throughout the organization.  Interpretation of how these strategies are to be executed is often be subjective. In addition, these strategy can change next year with new leadership and/or thoughts that have been subjectively determined.  Programs to implement these strategies include the Balanced Scorecard and Hoshin Kanri/Hoshin Planning.  Traditional goals are then to be established throughout the business with linkage to these strategies.  However, this approach can lead to very unhealthy behaviors where organization can play games with the numbers to achieve bonuses linked to these metrics; e.g., Wells Fargo fake accounts. In addition, there can be much wasted efforts firefight the same problems over and over again, where the real process source was never determined in a structured improvement effort. In addition, performance metrics that are tracked and given focus can change with time dependent upon how the strategy is worded, even though the core business has not changed.

Process Performance Metric Reporting in Operational Excellence Training Courses

To address Wikipedia operational excellence definition statement ″sustainable improvement of key performance metrics″, organizations need to report process outputs throughout their organization from a process output point of view.  If this is not done, how can one be able to show how an actual improvement was made?   Red-yellow-green scorecards, tables of numbers, pie charts, spreadsheet of numbers and simple time-series graphs don’t address this need, as described in a one-minute video.

The 30,000-foot-level metric used and described in IEE OE training addresses this measurement need.  A 30,000-foot-level metric report-out involves two steps.  The first step is to assess whether a process is stable.  A process may have provided a consistent high-level common cause variation output for two weeks, two months, or two years.  If a process is stable from a high-level airplane point of view, the process is said to be stable.

When a process is stable, a 30,000-foot-level metric report-out states that the process is predictable, where raw data from the recent region of stability is used to provide this estimation.  A prediction statement is then provided at the bottom of the one-page stability and prediction report-out, using terms that everyone can easily understand.  For example, the estimated non-conformance rate for a particular process is 2.8%, when a specification exists.  Or if a specification does not exists, the estimated process output response has a median value of 92 with 80% frequency of occurrence between 85 and 99.  Data does not need to be normally distributed for each of these estimations.

Integrating Predictive Process Output Reporting with the Processes that Created Them in Operational Excellence Training Courses

To address Wikipedia operational excellence definition statement ″sustainable improvement of key performance metrics″, it is implied that organizations need to structurally link performance metrics with the processes that produced them.  An enterprise cannot achieve this objective where one function is responsible for reporting key performance indicators (KPIs) to meet management by objective (MBO) targets, while another function is to be working on process documentation and improvement.

The Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) value chain, which is described in these operational excellence training courses, provides a structured means to link predictive performance metrics with the processes that created them.  With his structural linkage, there needs to be a cultural understand that if a common cause process output response is not satisfactory then process steps and/or their inputs need improvement.

In addition, an IEE value chain can have automatic updates from corporate data bases using Enterprise Performance Reporting System (EPRS) software.

Determining Process Improvement Efforts that will benefit the Enterprise as a Whole in Operational Excellence Training Courses

To address Wikipedia operational excellence definition statement ″sustainable improvement of key performance metrics″, organizations need a system to determine what metrics need to be improved so that the big picture benefits.

What often occurs in organizations is that a directive is given that a process is to be improved with no mention of which metric is to be enhanced as part of the effort.  The desire of a business might be to reduce cost through one or more improvement projects.  Often with this approach no structured statistical analyses were performed to determine which area of the business should be enhanced through this effort.  This approach to process improvement approach often do not have any specific performance metric that are to be improved, where reporting is from a process measurement output point of view.

Another common occurrence is to have metrics and performance goals set for every reported metric in a very large spreadsheet within a stated time interval; e.g., next quarter. Lloyd Nelson stated in Deming’s Out of the Crisis book, ″If you can improve productivity, or sales, or quality, or anything else, by 5 percent next year without a rational plan for improvement, then why were you not doing it last year.″ If one agrees with this statement, a conclusion that can be made is that a MBO approach to manage the business has issues.  For example, this metric goal driven approach for metrics can lead to unhealthy, if not destructive behaviors.  With this approach, functions might play games with the numbers to make things appear better than they are.

In IEE operational excellence training, this MBO issue is overcome through the creation of an Enterprise Improvement Plan (EIP). With the IEE EIP approach, KPI metrics are analytically/innovatively determined so that the big picture benefits.

With this methodology, an owner of a 30,000-foot-level metric that is to be strategically improved is asking for timely improvement efforts to be conducted by his/her team. A transition in the 30,000-foot-level individuals chart(s) to an enhanced level of performance is to be the indicator that an improvement has been made to the process. With this approach, improvement projects are viewed as very important and do not fall off people’s plates, since the owner of the metric will be reporting to their leadership change about the status of their 30,000-foot-level metric’s performance and process enhancement efforts.

Several examples are available that illustrate the transition of traditional scorecards to 30,000-foot-level reporting, with noted advantages.

IEE provides a framework for organizational to achieve end to end process excellence.  In addition, IEE helps organizations move toward achievement of the three Rs of business; i.e., everyone doing the Right things and doing them Right at the Right time.

Operational Excellence Training Courses Material and Execution Roadmap

Traditional OE training gives focus to the tools that can be used to improve processes.  In these learning sessions, tools are taught but not integrated in a formal roadmap showing how the tools can be integrated so that the big picture benefits.

In the IEE operational excellence training courses , a 9-step system is provided for the business.  This systems approach to viewing an organization, as described in an IEE video, can reduce much business management waste.  In addition, a detailed Lean Six Sigma Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) roadmap is provided in the training.  Attendees are provided more than a deck of slides in this training. They receive one or more books from an IEE five book series.

References are made to the book and volumes during these operational excellence training courses:

IEE books in Operational Excellence Training Courses

Described below are various IEE operational excellence training offerings.

Integrated Enterprise Excellence Deployment: A Next Generation Operational Excellence System

NEW!  A one day executive, three day champion, and one week implementer training is now available.  For more information, see Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE): A Next Generation Operational Excellence System .

IEE Operational Excellence Overview Training (1-hour)

This one-hour operational excellence overview training describes how organizations can go beyond lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard utilizing the 9-step Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) system.  This operational excellence one-hour overview training can be viewed/conducted:

  • On-line
  • On-site
  • Sponsored public university offering
  • Professional society sponsored meeting/conference events
  • Recorded webinar

The following is a summary of this training:

Objective

Operational Excellence looks to be great, but how can a system be created that truly guides organizations “toward sustainable improvement of key performance metrics”?  What are the challenges to create such a structure and what can be done to overcome these obstacles?  This presentation will illustrate how to both address these issues and provide a roadmap for the establishment of a long-lasting OE system, where there is much organizational benefit.

Attendees to this session will learn how to:

  • Create predictive performance metrics that lead to the most appropriate organizational behaviors and reduce the amount of firefighting that often occurs in organizations.
  • Provide a structural linkage between an organization’s performance report-outs and the processes that created these metrics.
  • Formulate targeted business-area strategies that deliver the most big-picture benefit.
  • Identify and timely execute strategic improvement efforts that enhance the enterprise as a whole.
  • Improve status-meeting report-outs so that there is increased value from these sessions with less invested resources.

Testimonials

  • Forrest W. Breyfogle III provided a very engaging ASQ Austin general meeting session where he illustrated how lessons learned from Deming’s red bead experiment apply also to red-yellow-green scorecards.  He also showed how traditional control charting techniques and improvement efforts have issues and what could be done differently so that the enterprise as a whole benefits.  Surendra K. Patel, PhD, Managing Director, Renprotech Solutions LLC
  • The session provided good insight on Six Sigma methods including some surprising news about the XBAR&R chart and attribute charts. Mr. Breyfogle provided a good summary on what charts to use in a given situation. The information was very organized, beneficial and included an in-class question/answer quiz that we filled out during the session. All in all it was surprising beneficial for the short period of time that he had to present. SM
  • I liked your no slide format … When I think back about the title, “Why Six Sigma programs fail.”   My takeaways are: 1 We may not be  linking the metrics to the process flow and the support activities correctly, ignoring the enterprise level outcomes. 2. We misidentify common causes as special causes and waste resources trying to improve a process by addressing the “special” cause. 3. We may be using the wrong kind of SPC chart to measure the process, therefore getting biased or false conclusions about  stability of the process, special and common causes. 4. We could be focused on a optimizing a specific metric within a “silo” rather than optimizing the enterprise level performance. JJ
  • The example of the red beads was fun and easy to understand.  Group participation was a great way to increase networking while increasing understanding.  Fun meeting. Evaluation form feedback

IEE Operational Excellence Infrastructure Training (4 hours or 8 hours)

This four-hour hands-on operational excellence overview training builds upon the one-hour training session for going beyond lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard. Implementation and benefits of the 9-step Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) system is provided in more detail.  Delivery options for this operational excellence training include on-line, on-site, and sponsored professional society events.

The following is a summary of this training:

Objective

Competitive pressures are forcing executives to react faster to changing business conditions and customer requirements. Line managers and decision-makers need to have an efficient and effective system for day-to-day business operation with access to performance metrics that lead to the most appropriate activities. In short, what’s needed is a performance measurement and improvement system to drive financial and operational success.  The four hour IEE operational excellence training provides hands-on exercises in how to accomplish this objective.  A one-day alternative additional insight and discussion on the application of the IEE OE techniques in a specific organization, along with its benefits.

Attendees to this session will learn how to address the following questions:

  • Are business goals not being met? If so, what can be done to address the situation.
  • Do you have all the right tools, but still find yourself wasting time firefighting the same problems over and over again?
  • Are organizational metrics leading to the wrong behaviors?
  • Does your organization simply tell stories when reporting metrics but the metrics don’t seem to be improving?
  • Are the most beneficial organizational strategies being created and executed?
  • Are projects either not getting completed or, when completed, don’t seem to impact the bottom-line as much as claimed?

Key Learning Objectives

  • Why Lean or Six Sigma as a traditional method alone is not an effective way to manage their your organization
  • How to integrate Lean or Six Sigma with other management disciplines
  • What is the IEE methodology
  • What are the tools and techniques of the IEE deployment road map and value chain system
  • How can you revitalize your current Lean or Six Sigma efforts to include IEE
  • Whether IEE is right for your organization’s business, activities and transactional, or service processes?
  • How much in terms of bottom-line benefits can you expect to achieve through IEE
  • How to cross-pollinate and collaborate with other executives to build an infrastructure that will support your business models and systems.

Key Learning Benefits

  • Increase productivity, and eliminate daily firefighting and non-value-add activities from business processes
  • Sustain a consistent, high-performance team environment and culture
  • Discover top- and bottom-line strategies to increase results in a fierce competitive and global market
  • Improve measurement criteria and report out of high-level business metrics (i.e. profit margin, market share, and more…)
  • Achieve and execute repeatable, strategic business plans
  • Build and sustain an effective infrastructure that supports the successful implementation of IEE
  • Create and translate strategies into projects that help to achieve targeted enterprise financial goals by blending analytics with innovation

Who Would Benefit

This workshop has been specially developed for those who are leading-thinking and data-driven professionals who would like to command and execute business decisions from a repeatable process and system, ensuring measurable success:

  • CEOs, CIOs, CFOs, COOs, CAOs and senior-level executives
  • Vice Presidents, Directors, and Managers (Quality, Operations, Six Sigma, Lean, Business Improvements, Process, Business Strategy, Line)
  • Business Unit Managers / General Managers
  • Master Black Belts and Black Belts

IEE Operational Excellence Implementation Training (2 weeks)

A two-week Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt training course provides how-to implement the IEE operational excellence details. Week one gives focus to step 2 of the IEE 9-step system, while week 2 addresses the other steps of the 9-step system.  Many hands-on exercises are included in the training.  One does not need to have a previous Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification; however, previous IEE Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training can be a beneficial prerequisite.

More information about this offering is available through IEE OE Master Black Belt training.

IEE Operational Excellence Training Course Locations and On-line Options

IEE operational excellence training has been conducted in many locations throughout the world by Forrest Breyfogle and others on the Smarter Solutions’ team.  Many one-hour webinars have been sponsored by professional societies.

IEE Master Black Belt training locations have included Austin, Texas; Toronto, Canada; Baltimore, Maryland; and Singapore.  There has been on-site company sponsorship of sessions, which have been opened to the public.

Four hour and one day operational excellence training sessions have been conducted in cities/countries such as Austin, Texas; Bucharest, Romania (Video) ; Brazil; Houston, Texas; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and San Antonio, Texas.

The one hour going beyond lean Six Sigma and the balanced scorecard methodology has been conducted at various professional society events in cities/locations (video) such as: Austin, Texas; Portugal; Scotland; Dallas, Texas; Fort Worth, Texas; Houston, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; Orange County, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Orlando, Florida, St. Louis, Missouri, and Pakistan (on-line).

Universities have used books from the IEE series in their training.  A solutions manual with accompanying datasets is available for exercises that are at the end of many chapters in Integrated Enterprise Excellence Volume III – Improvement Project Execution: A Management and Black Belt Guide for Going Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard.

ASQ references in their Lean Six Sigma Body of Knowledge the IEE series books and other texts written by Forrest Breyfogle.

What some have said about these operational excellence training courses is:

 

Operational Excellence Training Courses Testimonials

 

IEE Operational Excellence Deployment and Training

EPRS software allows the automatic updating of 30,000-foot-level metrics within an IEE value chain that includes the integration of the processes which created the metrics.  The EPRS software can reside on a server behind a corporate firewall that has access to organizational databases.

Installation and training in the use of the Enterprise Performance Reporting System (EPRS) software is available.  For more information contact Smarter Solutions, Inc. at [email protected] or +1.512.918.0280.

IEE Operational Excellence Coaching

One-on-one or group coaching is available for the creation of 30,000-foot-level predictive performance report-outs and/or details about implementation of the IEE EPRS system in specific work environments.

Contact Us to set up a time to discuss with Forrest Breyfogle how your organization might gain much from an Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) Business Process Management System and its Enterprise Performance Reporting System (EPRS) software.