7. Barriers and Success Factors in Managing Operational Excellence

In our previous book, “The pathway to Operational Excellence in the Pharmaceutical Industry”, we developed a model that aimed at the sustainable implementation of Operational Excellence (OPEX) initiatives. Over the last 10 years, we have witnessed and examined several more OPEX programs, and this chapter will tie in these insights with our previous work. Knowing success factors and barriers in managing OPEX can provide guidelines as to how to design, review and adapt an excellence program. Thus, the first part of this chapter will discuss aspects that should be taken into consideration when launching an OPEX initiative. The subsequent part provides insights into challenges OPEX managers of more mature initiatives are likely to face. At the same time, this section serves as a bridge to parts II and III of the book by giving insights into practical applications in the industry, mostly written by industry leaders themselves.