Operational excellence managers assist their companies in streamlining procedures in order to operate more efficiently and profitably. They must possess strong leadership qualities as well as the ability to be persistent and self-directed. A four-year bachelor’s degree in business administration is usually followed a two-year master’s degree in this field for someone interested in becoming an operational excellence manager. This type of manager works to reduce waste in the manufacturing process and researches customer opinions on the company’s products. He or she also trains employees and produces and analyzes financial reports.
The application of lean manufacturing principles to help an organization become more productive is one of the major responsibilities of an operational excellence manager. These ideas essentially address how a company can eliminate wasteful parts of the manufacturing process — anything that doesn’t add value to a potential customer. A manager’s goal is to assist the company in producing only what a client is willing to pay for in order to avoid wasting time, money, or other valuable resources.
In this industry, soliciting customer feedback on a company’s performance is also a job position. For example, a manager of operational excellence might create surveys to assess customer satisfaction with various products. His or her goal is to gather ideas on how to improve the company’s offerings from the perspective of customers so that it can better retain existing customers and attract new ones. Building relationships with buyers can also help a company increase its profit margins.
Finance principles must also be understood professionals in this field. A person attempting to increase a company’s productivity must work with the finance department to produce reports on the company’s revenues versus the costs of producing products. An operational excellence manager compiles these documents on a regular basis to see how well his or her lean efforts are working.
In this line of work, employee training is also crucial. Operational excellence managers must teach the concepts of lean manufacturing to other supervisors and employees, as well as specific ways to cut costs while maintaining quality. As a result, these business leaders must be proficient in verbal communication and presentation. They should also attend industry conferences to keep up with the latest developments in the field.