Where to Start: The Journey to Operational Excellence

Sri Haryono, ST, MBA

Executive Board

22 June 2026

Gambar Berita

In the world of business, many organizations aspire to achieve world-class performance. They invest in technology, hire talented people, implement sophisticated systems, and launch ambitious transformation programs. Many of these initiatives fail because organizations attempt to jump directly to advanced methodologies without first building a strong foundation.

A. 5S – Creating Structure

The 5S is a workplace organization methodology originating from Japan. The primary objectives of 5S include:
- Creating an organized work environment
- Establishing clear procedures and instructions
- Making abnormalities visible

Many organizations underestimate the importance of 5S because it appears simple. However, this stage creates the discipline required for all future improvements.

B. Kaizen – Building Continuous Improvement Culture

Kaizen means "continuous improvement." Rather than waiting for major breakthroughs, Kaizen encourages employees to make small, incremental improvements every day.

Many companies make the mistake of believing that improvement is the responsibility of managers, consultants, or specialists. Kaizen teaches that everyone is responsible for making work better.

Kaizen creates a culture where employees actively seek opportunities for improvement rather than simply accepting problems as normal.

C. Lean – Achieving Stability

Lean focuses on creating stable and efficient processes, revolves around a simple principle: eliminate activities that do not create value for customers.

Lean aims to create smooth flow throughout the value stream, helps organizations become faster, more responsive, and more cost-effective.

D. Six Sigma – Developing Capability

Six Sigma focuses on reducing process variation, addresses the issues through data-driven analysis.

Six Sigma enables organizations to achieve highly predictable outcomes.
Instead of merely reacting to problems, organizations begin controlling processes proactively. The result is improved quality, reduced defects, lower costs, and higher customer satisfaction.

E DFSS – Building Robustness

Design for Six Sigma) represents the highest level of operational maturity, focuses on designing excellent processes and products from the beginning.

Many organizations spend substantial resources fixing problems after products or processes are launched. DFSS seeks to prevent those problems from occurring in the first place.

The philosophy is simple, "It is easier and cheaper to design quality into a system than to inspect defects out of it later."

DFSS involves:
- Understanding customer requirements deeply
- Translating customer needs into design specifications
- Creating robust designs that perform consistently under varying conditions

Organizations cannot achieve world-class performance without progressing through the stages of maturity.

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