Operational Excellence: Journey to Creating Sustainable Value

CHAPTER 17PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS

Assessments provide a standardized, disciplined method for evaluating performance, effectiveness, and results achieved by the Operational Excellence program. Assessments can be directed to the overall program, a function within the program (maintenance), a process (reliability), or a procedure (Root Cause Analysis) at one point in time. Assessments establish the current status of the program, people, processes, and technology. They determine if the program is fully defined, chartered, and is producing results; if people are properly trained; if there are adequate resources and work processes to support the improvement effort; and if existing technology is being fully integrated and managed.

Periodic performance assessments are required by ISO55000.

The assessment process described in this chapter begins with detailed objectives determined from benchmarks and best practices, includes criteria to assure maximum objectivity, and concludes with formal conclusions and recommendations.

Performance Assessments are used for three primary purposes as follows:

• At the beginning of an improvement initiative to establish and accurately document initial performance and conditions. The assessment is structured to identify and provide a comprehensive list of improvement opportunities, with full description of best practice objectives. This highly important use assures a new improvement program is focused into the areas where results and value can be achieved ...