Operational Excellence-Strategies to Ensure Successful Execution

Some principles I have acquired over 40 years working for a major ground combat vehicle supplier to ensure delivery of engineering commitments:

People

People are the first and most important thing to get right.

Make sure you have enough people. Adding to the workforce typically is not a favorite task for a manager. It takes time. But when a manager does not properly prioritize staffing, it results in unwanted behaviors that can lead to burnout, inability to mentor younger engineers, missing commitments and shirking continuous improvement (CI). 

Make sure team leads are capable. Assigning someone who is not capable is one of the most difficult problems to solve. Many times, attempts are made to resolve the problem by modifying the process, changing team members or providing additional training. All of this takes time, and you are getting further behind while confidence is lost in the team’s ability to perform. Managers often underestimate the amount of oversight required to compensate for an underperforming lead. This limits the amount of throughput they can handle and increases their stress level.

Delegate to the lowest level. This probably is the single most important factor in maximizing efficiency and employee satisfaction and engagement. However, it needs to be more than lip service and requires a manager to let go and trust those under them. Without deliberate attention to keep decisions at the lowest level, they will creep back up. (The quickest and easiest solution for a problem, as the manager, often is to do it yourself. While this may be the right answer at times, make sure you are not disempowering your leads).

Simplify the organization structure to ensure roles, responsibilities, authority and accountability are clear and aligned. Executing work through matrixed, integrated teams focused on products is an excellent approach to maintaining focus.

Set the example. Don’t ask anyone to do something you would not do.

Collocate if possible. This is one of the best ways to quickly focus a team.

Reward. Take the time to acknowledge success. There are many ways to reward an employee; don’t underestimate how much a simple acknowledgment means.

Be tolerant of mistakes. They will be made as you drive RRAA (roles, responsibility, authority and accountability) down to the lowest level and encourage employee engagement. Keep in mind a person often learns more and develops quicker from mistakes than successes.

Process

Schedule is king. Focus on meeting schedule, and cost typically falls in line. In most situations, meeting schedule is the lowest-cost approach.

Use an intermediate schedule (a meaningful rollup of all activities in 1-2 pages) to communicate program scope and status. This can be easily comprehended and minimizes surprises by identifying areas that are behind schedule. Use charts to explain the impact of late activities and the path forward.

Build float that you control/own into your schedules. This significantly increases your probability of completing on time.

Ensure that any handoffs from others (e.g. funding, customer information and material) are on the schedule. Your tasks should be linked to the receipt of the handoffs rather than absolute dates.

For cost, use an Earned Value Management System (EVMS) lite to measure performance and understand how actuals compare to the plan. Full EVMS can be a burden, but a tailored approach such as EVMS lite is one of the best ways to manage a project.

Quality is a given – the product has to work! Make sure the team understands that the push to meet schedule does not mean sacrificing quality.

"Managers often underestimate the amount of oversight required to compensate for an underperforming lead. This limits the amount of throughput they can handle and increases their stress level."

Managing risk is a good way to avoid issues. The risks need to be identified (I like if/then statements), funded, a mitigation plan developed and statused. Simple forms can be used to provide all pertinent information.

The focus on continuous improvement needs to be constant. However, balancing execution with implementing CI efforts must be a deliberate decision.

Establishing a communication cadence on a common calendar will help ensure that all stakeholders are informed at the right levels.

Business Systems

A systems approach will help ensure the total value stream is being considered and an appropriate focus is on internal handoffs.

Use a parametric approach for internal investment to have products ready to meet ever-changing customer needs. Focus on process as well as products – the combination will ensure you stay ahead of the competition.