Here’s a stat that might surprise you—according to LNS Research, 50 percent of manufacturers have implemented or will be implementing cross-functional groups to support their operational excellence journeys within a year. At the same time, only 18 percent have software or processes in place to deliver relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) to personnel in real time.

The question is this: Why, by a margin of nearly 3:1, are manufacturers implementing cross-functional groups to improve operational excellence, but aren’t investing in the  tools to best deliver needed information?

In my view, what’s missing is a focus on a fundamental element of continuous improvement: measure current performance to institute a process improvement program. Without a baseline measurement there’s nothing from which to compare future improvements. How can you optimize production if you don’t know how bad it’s been?

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