OEP Typical Deployment Strategy
There is no single approach for developing and growing an Operating Excellence Program (OEP). Each organization will have a unique journey, with successes and failures, and if managed correctly the end result is a transformational experience. There is a common sequence of events, however, that many OEPs follow.
Timing
There is no exact timing for OEPs. There are too many factors unique to each OEP to model with any degree of precision. OEPs should always be considered multi-year initiatives. Cultural transformation takes time to integrate into an organization's DNA. There is a deployment timeline, but OEPs truly never end. Resource requirements will change, but successful OEPs will always need support and governance, and a small centralized team to drive the program forward.
Phases
An OEP deployment generally goes through 4 phases of work. First, an OEP gets chartered and a team is mobilized to build the program. The team then decides what best practices to implement and how to structure the work. Once the program is designed it is rolled out in waves until the entire organization is covered. As soon as a rollout wave is complete, support is required and is ongoing for the life of the program.
Typical OEP deployment key activities by phase:
Mobilize
- Hire or assign the Program Leader.
- Identify the “Burning Platform” for the program - this is part of the communication plan, it is important to identify why the organization's leadership is sponsoring an OEP and what it expects.
- Develop a “Guiding Coalition” to guide the work - this is the group of senior leaders than can and do support the work.
- Acquire Process Experts to support the program - this can be external resources in the beginning to help launch the program.
Design
- Establish Program Governance Processes - not every process needs to be imlemented at once, but processes need to be put in-place to make sure the program is deployed correctly and consistently.
- Develop an Enterprise Process Model (EPM) - the EPM is a visual display of the top level processes and becomes a communication tool for the program.
- Identify Executive Process Owners for top level processes - not every process is addressed at once, but by identifying the top level owners the Program Leader can start building their capability and preparing leaders for change.
Rollout
- The program should be rolled out to one area of the organization at a time. This allows managing the scope of the program and ensure the designed approach resonates with participants and works for the specific operating environment. After each rollout, the Program Leader can implement changes based on feedback and results.
Support
- Establish Feedback Loop - no rollout happens perfectly. The Program Leader needs to accept feedback and continually work to improve the deployment model for each successive iteration.
- Execute Support Model - support begins as soon as the program is rolled out to a process. Requirements will change over time, but the initial plan needs to be in-place as soon as rollout begins.
Next
Review the History of Quality and Process Improvement methods and how they support OE, or continue to the next module to review core process concepts that are the foundation of OEPs.
The Poet-Net Solution
Poet-Net is designed to support any size Operational Excellence Program. It is methodology agnostic, focusing on proven best practices and allowing organizations to set their level of engagement. We provide tools to support large improvement projects and a knowledge management solution that allows cost effective training and continuous improvement efforts.
One of the challenges with starting any OEP is the upfront costs and resource commitment. Training, full-time staff, and consulting costs can add up quickly. The Poet-Net solution allows a program leader to engage his or her organization at a fraction of the cost of a single FTE, and then grow the OEP as employees gain experience with the content and tools provided.