Center for Operational Excellence (COE)

The Center for Operational Excellence connects business leaders and educators driven to achieve competitive advantage through excellent processes across the enterprise.

From Think OpEx: Akron Children's cardboard ward makes headlines

How many times have all of us gotten that bright idea, mapped it out in our minds or on paper and then watched in horror as its real-life execution goes terribly wrong?

When it’s a romantic dinner or a driving shortcut, all that’s lost in the process is a little dignity. When it’s an entire ward in a pediatric hospital, the stakes are higher and the cost could be lives. I’m entirely unashamed to brag, then, that some of our Master of Business Operational Excellence graduates at COE member Akron Children's Hospital demonstrated their panache for avoiding a situation like that with such innovative aplomb that it garnered them ink in the Akron Beacon Journal. Read full article.

The 'High-Velocity Edge:' Do you have it?

The following piece appeared in a shortened form in the Winter 2012 edition of COE's newsletter, The Current State:

Steven Spear started out poring over early research on the lean manufacturing movement that got its start in the 1980s. Today, his own work is part of that canon.

Author of the 1999 Harvard Business Review article “Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System” and a number of other award-winning works, Spear has been credited with game-changing improvements at organizations ranging from aluminum maker Alcoa to the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology senior lecturer and author of the book The High-Velocity Edge recently visited the Fisher College of Business to coach in its Master of Business Operational Excellence program.

While on campus, Spear spoke with the Center for Operational Excellence about what sets high-velocity organizations apart, why problem-solving takes a backseat in others and what challenges exist as lean makes its way into the health-care sector. Click here to read the full interview.

2011 Annual Report: Look back at a banner year

Our slate of programming for 2012 kicks off with an administrative assistants forum Jan. 13 and goes full-throttle from there. To take a look back at the 2010-11 year at COE, take a look at our annual report. Inside you'll find details on connections COE members made in pursuing process improvement, recaps on speakers we've featured and details on how we're giving back to the Fisher College of Business.

The report is available for download on our site.

  Blog:  Think Op-Ex

Think Op-Ex is a blog for those who strive for operational excellence... the journey companies take to boost efficiency, cut waste and drive profitability.

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Candid camera: Snapshots of COE's Dec. 2 seminar

Center for Operational Excellence members can find