Operational Excellence for Leaders

Guiding Breakthrough Strategies for Enhanced Competitive Advantage

Format availability:

In-Person

Duration:

5 Days

Introduction to the course

Organizations need products that people want, and since technology and people’s needs change over time, you must continually improve your products and services, and this is where an organization’s operations should focus in. You are about to make an investment, an investment of your valuable time. As a leader, you could spend your time on many different activities in order to grow the business that you work for. 

This Operational Excellence (Op Ex) for Leaders training course will equip the you with the knowledge, skills, and behavioural competencies required to lead an Operational Excellence programme and contribute significantly to the bottom line of your organisation, reducing variation, defects, cycle times, lead times, waste, and costs within your operations.

Operational Excellence goes beyond continuous improvement, cost minimisation and productivity maximisation. Op Ex supports the drive for sustainable profitability and growth within your organisation by adopting a holistic approach to improvement. The essence of Op Ex is an organisational culture that achieves long-term sustainable growth and performance development by enhancing employee empowerment and motivation. The core of Op Ex is applying the right tools to the right processes in the right culture. It is a crucial element of organisational leadership focusing on the continual development of organisational culture and operational processes.

This training course is designed for leaders and practitioners wishing to transform their organisations through strategy and culture, and through the application of operational excellence approaches, methodologies, processes, and tools.

This KC Academy Operational Excellence for Leaders training course will highlight:

  • The business case for Operational Excellence (Op Ex)
  • The project-based approach to achieving strategic operational objectives
  • A variety of practices and methodologies for Operational Excellence
  • Lean organization principles and practices
  • Leading cultural change for Operational Excellence

Course details

By the end of this Operational Excellence for Leaders training course, participants will be able to:

  • Align strategy and operations management to enhance organization’s competitive advantage
  • Prioritise and link improvement activities to achieve the organisation’s strategic objectives
  • Review processes, suggest improvements and monitor the progress of the changes
  • Evaluate proposed projects and work processes to improve effectiveness and efficiency of business operations
  • Focus on developing people and having a clear understanding of where the business is going
  • Lead the implement lean organization principles, methodologies to achieve key operational excellence goals – easier, better, faster, and cheaper
  • Influence organisational culture and employee behaviour to support Operational Excellence

This Op Ex for Leaders training is based on a combination of (a) coach led training, (b) practical application of techniques through individual and group activities, and (c) discussion and reflection of delegates’ real-life experiences. The training course manual provides a guide to all tools, techniques, and methodologies covered for future reference.

Organisations will benefit from participants adopting holistic thinking, avoiding the sub-optimisation that can result from fragmented improvement activity. The benefits are as follows:

  • A business that can adapt to changing markets and customer needs rather than react to them
  • A culture of striving for Op Ex to enhance value creation and sustain business growth
  • Aligning improvements to strategic imperatives
  • Engaging all stakeholders in the improvement efforts
  • Reducing defective products and waste across the whole value stream
  • Promoting organisational learning and engagement
  • A significant competitive advantage - it will be hard to compete with a company that has achieved Operational Excellence

This Operational Excellence for Leaders training course will enable the participants to identify, evaluate, and improve issues affecting them in the workplace.

  • Leading and guiding implementation and practices for operational excellence
  • Applying project-based management skills to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of initiatives for operational excellence
  • Mastering practices and methodologies for operational excellence
  • Guiding and supervising the implementation of lean management in their organizations
  • Leading the corporate cultural transformation effectively in the contexts of operational excellence

This KC Academy Operational Excellence for Leaders training course is appropriate for everyone in the organisation but may be of special interest to anyone charged with driving the improvement of operating performance.

This Operational Excellence for Leaders training course will benefit in personnel in the executive roles in all types of organisations. It will particularly benefit:

  • C-level Personnel
  • Departmental Heads
  • Managers
  • Team Leaders
  • Operations Personnel

Daily Agenda

DAY 1: The Business Case for Operational Excellence (Op Ex):
  • The discipline of market leaders
  • Overview of Op Ex - Framework, Principles, and Benefits
  • Strategy alignment and execution tools - McKinsey’s 7S, Balanced Scorecard, and Strategy Map
  • The linkage between Strategy & Operations Management
  • The dynamics of an organization’s “Golden Triangle” – People, Process, and Systems
  • Roles of Op Ex in Good Corporate Governance
  • Integrated Management Systems – Quality, Environmental, and Safety & Health
DAY 2: The Project-based Approach to Achieving Strategic Operational Objectives:
  • Overview of Project-based Management
  • Project pipeline development and prioritisation
  • Project Management fundamentals - Lifecycle, Constraints, Tools, and Deliverables
  • Evaluating a project’s business case proposal
  • Key competencies for project managers
DAY 3: Practices & Methodologies for Operational Excellence:
  • Continuous improvement (C.I.) – Philosophy, Action Plan, and PDCA cycle
  • The Nine Tough Questions on C.I.
  • Applying a problem-solving model - A3, 8D, and DMAIC  
  • Key analytical and creative thinking tools
  • Analysing business processes
  • Key tools for process modelling and analysis
  • Theory of Constraints (TOC)
DAY 4: Lean Organization Practices:
  • The history of lean movement
  • Lean management - 4P framework and 14 principles
  • Finding & eliminating wastes
  • Visual management & controls – 5S, Kanban, Andon, and Standard Work
  • Costs of Quality (COQ) - Types, Benefits, and Measures
  • Case Study: Op Ex in Manufacturing, Service, or process-based organizations
DAY 5: Leading Cultural Change for Operational Excellence:
  • Leadership in Operational Excellence
  • Understanding the Cultural Web
  • Elements of Corporate Culture Analysis
  • Applying a model for organizational change
  • Building high-performing teams (HPTs)

Frequently Asked Questions

There are no prerequisites. Our courses are open to students of all backgrounds who are 18 years of age and older. All courses are conducted in English. Video lectures include English subtitles and the option to slow-down, pause, or replay lectures for better retention. Discussion boards are a critical component of each of our courses; therefore, we suggest students have a conversational knowledge of English when pursuing a Certificate of Completion. For any of the art writing courses, students need to be 100% proficient in written English.

You should have an up-to-date web browser such as: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Internet Explorer. For more detailed information, please see the guides for supported browsers and basic computer specifications. Our Online Courses can be accessed on a mobile or tablet device, although we strongly encourage you to have access to a desktop or laptop computer and reliable internet connection for certain course components. Former students have told us it is easiest to read discussion threads and complete written assignments on a laptop or desktop computer.

Registration is available on our website. Just follow these simple steps: Click the “Apply Now” button in the top right corner of your screen. Select “Online Courses.” Choose your course(s). You will be asked for basic contact information and your credit card payment. We require full payment at the time of registration and all tuition is billed in US dollars. Be sure to check with your bank or credit card company, as your financial institution may charge a foreign transaction fee.

Our classes are kept small, at no more than 30 students, to better facilitate and encourage personalized interaction with the instructor and fellow participants. Your classmates come from all over the globe and contribute their global perspectives and experience. Some are currently working within the arts while others are just beginning. All classmates share in their passion for the art world.

It is recommended that you begin your course promptly. If you do need to start the course a few days late, contact your instructor as soon as possible after the course has opened to discuss your options. Registration closes on the Friday after the course begins.

Enroll now

Click on a date to enroll and save your seat
London
12-16 May 2025
Fee: $5,950
Barcelona
28 Jul-01 Aug 2025
Fee: $5,950
Dubai
01-05 Sep 2025
Fee: $5,950
Lisbon
20-24 Oct 2025
Fee: $5,950
London
08-12 Dec 2025
Fee: $5,950
Course customization available
Course customization available

This training course is available to be conducted at your own pace & at your own time. Request for a quotation now and our training advisor will contact you shortly

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