Workshop on Operational Process Improvement and Productivity Management (Managers’ Road Map to Productivity Improvement)

Program Overview:

Managers in todays’ business world are expected to do more with fewer resources. This course is not a cost reduction program, but an approach to optimize end to end processes towards having maximum value for everybody through a systemic identification of waste, duplication and non-value adding activities and elimination of losses. Participants will learn how to apply an operational improvement model that every manager can apply for sustained improvement by using team work approach to pinpoint improvement opportunities.

For Whom:

This program is designed for business unit managers, managers of operations, process & logistics managers, plant / production managers, administrative managers, SME business owners. Managers who oversee process activities will equally benefit from this program.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• apply a systematic approach to achieving operating improvement in their departments;
• apply team approach in finding new ways to improve results;
• change team members’ perspectives about customer service;
• map out detailed processes to identify waste, duplication and non-value adding activities for elimination;
• benchmark operating performance to establish best fit practices;
• prioritize opportunities to set challenging, measurable, and achievable goals;
• select committed project teams for innovation and operational process improvement; and
• set relevant KPIs to measure the results of changed improvements.

Course Outline:

Day 1: Achieving Operational Excellence: Overview

• Defining organization’s vision, mission and strategy
• Defining organization customer: Who is our customer?
  • Defining the needs of customers
• How operational change will impact on our customers
• Requirements for operational success
  • Case study on Re-engineering work processes
• Principles of sustained improvement

      Change Management: Buy-in / Involvement Process

• Developing commitment across board
• Moving from Manager to Leader / Coach
• The Empowerment Approach: Empowering subordinates to make meaningful changes

2: Measuring Operating Performance: Before, During and After the Changes

• Creating the Mission: Involving All to create the mission for a common buy-in
• Establishing key indicators of performance
• Setting a SMART goal
• Benchmarking your performance: How and When
• Planning for improvement: Allocating responsibilities for change and improvement
• Team working for new process management

Day 3: Identifying Inconsistency in Customer Service 

• Identifying variation: Reason for inconsistent customer service
• The major causes of variation
• Breakdown of work process: Causes and problems

Selecting the Project Improvement Team

• Selecting and motivating the right people
• Involving management and other departments support

Day 4: Defining Your Current Operating System: Using Process Mapping

• What is Process Mapping?
• Features and phases of a Process Map
• Prioritizing your opportunities: Using the 80/20 rule (The Pareto Principle)
• Methods of documenting your current process: Deciding which will work for you.
• Improving a process: Using the eight steps

       Process Improvement Strategies 

• Determining which steps add value and which do not
• Deciding whether to modify the process or

 eliminate it completely

• Developing action plans for change
• Categorizing challenges to focus on within

your areas of control

• Decide on what to outsource
• Dealing with issues outside your control
• Documenting the new process
• Getting management buy-in to improve consistency

Day 5: Implementing Strategic Changes

• Getting management support and approval for

radical improvements

• Selling your ideas
• Making an effective presentation
• Possible reactions of people to change and

how to dealing with them

• Case study on effective presentation and

how to handle objections.

Training Methodology

Lectures, discussions, exercises, case studies, audio-visual aids will be used to reinforce these teaching/learning methods