Operational excellence evaluation model for SMEs and regional findings

Excellence of operations can support all selected strategies. Process excellence is fundamental for companies to be able to implement a chosen strategy. Small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing industry are no exception to this rule, but the framework to review their processes' maturity has not been widely examined. This study presents a maturity model developed especially for SMEs and discusses the results from are view conducted using this model. The presented model has three dimensions (production, sourcing and sales); each of the dimensions is constructed from six process factors. This tool has been developed to construct a light and fast evaluation model adapted to the resource and time constraints of SMEs, and resulting in actionable analysis of the process maturity and excellence. Results show that the framework can produce relevant information, builds a baseline for companies' operational excellence improvement actions, and enhances companies' strategy operationalization.