As change leaders we all appreciate the need to develop individuals and teams in different improvement methodologies to enable both transformational and incremental change. Every Operational Excellence Programme has a learning element but what competences are we trying to develop and, in which roles?

I am regularly asked: ‘What is the best training course for my improvement team to attend to help them deliver change within our business?’ This is a relatively easy question for me to answer once I am aware of what their challenge is likely to be, the outcomes they are targeted with and the area of business they will be working in.

To deliver a successful Operations Excellence programme, however, we need to think much broader about what capabilities we need to develop with which groups of employees and how we can create them. We also need to answer questions such as ‘is standard Lean training appropriate at every level of my organisation?’ and ‘what are the most effective delivery methods for our own individuals to learn?’

I have been fortunate to witness many different learning programme over the past 12 years and have identified elements of both best practice and common pitfalls.

In this article I summarise some key points to consider when designing an Operational Excellence Capability Building Programme, such as the competences you may be trying to develop, the learning delivery methods, standard vs bespoke material and the option of internal and external accreditation.