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FAQs and glossary
Questions we hear often
Plain answers, and the terms you will meet in our programmes.
FAQs
Common questions
What is Operational Excellence?
Delivering more value with the same assets and people, consistently, by finding and fixing performance gaps, running good processes and making sure people adopt better ways of working.
Which programme should we start with?
If you do not know where value is being lost, start with OPI. If the same problems keep coming back, Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Problem Solving. If you have many measures but little follow-through, KPI and Performance Management. If you are rolling out a change, ADKAR®. If work is slow across departments, BPM. If you need new solutions for customers or staff, Design Thinking. If projects slip or grow in scope, Project Management.
What is the difference between the 2-, 5- and 15-day OPI programmes?
The 2-day programme gives leaders the full method and applies it to their own situation. The 5-day programme adds many exercises and simulations. The 15-day programme develops internal consultants through a large live project over about six months.
Do you use AI?
Yes, to speed up analysis, idea generation and drafting in every programme. People check the outputs and make the decisions.
Can programmes be tailored?
Yes. Cases and examples are tailored to your industry and priorities.
Which industries do you work with?
Operations-led and asset-intensive organisations such as energy, utilities, rail and transport, manufacturing and facilities.
Glossary
Terms in plain language
Consistently delivering more value with the same assets and people.
Operating Performance Improvement: find, size and close performance gaps.
A leadership checkpoint where a project is approved, amended or deferred.
Financial Logic Tree: links operational levers to financial results.
Overall Equipment Effectiveness: availability × productivity × quality.
Sizes the value of each lever (price, design, efficiency).
Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive: no overlaps, no gaps.
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound.
Asking “Why?” repeatedly to reach a root cause.
Four levers for people to change: role-modelling, understanding and conviction, talent and skills, formal mechanisms.
Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement: Prosci’s model for individual change.
The earliest ADKAR® element a person or group has not yet reached.
Business Process Management: designing, running and improving end-to-end processes.
Business Process Model and Notation: a standard way to draw process maps.
Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers: a one-page process overview.
Using system event logs to see how a process really runs.
A human-centred, iterative approach to creative problem solving.
A quick, cheap version of an idea used to learn from users.
Talk to us about your performance gap
Email our consulting advisor at advisor@oscarinitiatives.com or call +60 16 323 7799.