Since Juran introduced the term Operational Excellence (OPEX) in the 1970s, it has grown in popularity, and today only a small number of large organizations don’t have an OPEX program. Despite its popularity with larger enterprises, OPEX is less popular with small business.

What is OPEX?

It is a systematic approach to continuously improving business processes and systems. OPEX programs focus on identifying and reducing waste, streamlining processes, optimizing resources, and improving quality to achieve better efficiency, profitability, and customer satisfaction.

Small businesses are the engines that drive economies. They lead innovation, create jobs, and sustain local communities. However, small businesses often need more resources, making competing with larger competitors or surviving disruptive changes such as the recent pandemic challenging. OPEX principles can help you remain competitive and grow.

Here are some reasons why you should consider the OPEX approach for your small to medium-sized business:

Improve efficiency and productivity.

Resources are often limited, meaning they must maximize what they have. OPEX can help you improve efficiency and productivity by identifying and eliminating waste, streamlining processes, and optimizing resources. With OPEX, you can stretch your cash and other resources and achieve better results.

Improve quality.

Quality is critical to building a loyal customer base and maintaining a good reputation. OPEX can help you quickly identify and address quality issues, helping you produce high-quality products or services that meet or exceed customer expectations.

Improve customer experience.

Today’s customers expect a seamless and personalized experience. OPEX can help improve customer experience by streamlining processes and reducing delivery and response times to customer issues. OPEX can help you deliver a better customer experience and build customer loyalty.

Reduce costs.

Small businesses often operate with tight budgets, and any savings can significantly impact your profitability. OPEX can help reduce costs by identifying and eliminating waste, optimizing resources, and streamlining processes. Your operation can be more productive, saving you money and other resources.

Outperform competitors.

Change is frequent and often disruptive today, and awareness of the latest trends and technologies will help you stay competitive. OPEX can help you adapt to changes quickly by improving your agility and flexibility. This means you can respond to market changes and customer demands faster than your competitors.

OPEX can ensure your small to medium-sized businesses remain competitive and strive in today's uncertain and disruptive environment.