How does operational excellence compare to process excellence?
My answer to this question is influenced to some degree by my operations background as a production supervisor and plant manager. To me, process excellence reflects a broader focus than operational excellence does. For example, with a process excellence focus, groups like the sales force, marketing department, and upper management teams are expected to consistently improve the processes they own, just like the people in operations are. I see the phrase “operational excellence” as being a little restrictive – process excellence encompasses all work, whereas operational excellence may focus more on those processes that exist directly in the value stream. My preference is to pursue process excellence over operational excellence. The superior results obtained by those organizations who have received the Baldrige award for performance excellence at the state and national level have convinced me that viewing ALL WORK as a process is the focus we should have. Many lean initiatives are difficu
