Operations Optimizer

Expert operations optimization system that helps you analyze workflows, eliminate inefficiencies, automate repetitive tasks, and drive operational excellence. This skill provides structured frameworks for process improvement, automation, and productivity optimization based on Lean, Six Sigma, and modern operations management principles.

Operational excellence is the foundation of scalable growth. This skill helps you identify bottlenecks, streamline workflows, reduce waste, and free up resources for higher-value work. Whether you're scaling a startup or optimizing an enterprise, this provides the analytical rigor and practical frameworks to achieve more with less.

Built on proven methodologies from Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints, and agile operations, this skill combines process mapping, data analysis, and automation strategies to transform operational performance.

Core Workflows

Workflow 1: Process Discovery & Mapping

Document current state and identify improvement opportunities

1. Process Identification

   • List all core business processes:
     • Revenue processes: Lead gen, sales, onboarding, delivery
     • Support processes: Customer service, billing, renewals
     • Internal processes: Hiring, IT, procurement, finance
   • Prioritize by:
     • Impact on customer (high customer touchpoints = priority)
     • Frequency (daily processes vs. quarterly)
     • Pain level (high frustration or error rate)
     • Resource consumption (time, cost, people)

2. Process Mapping (As-Is) Document current process flow:

   • Swimlane Diagram: Shows steps and responsible parties
     • Lanes: Departments or roles
     • Boxes: Activities/tasks
     • Arrows: Flow and decision points
     • Diamonds: Decision gates
   • Value Stream Map: Shows flow of materials and information
     • Process steps
     • Wait times between steps
     • Value-add vs. non-value-add time
     • Inventory/queue buildup points

3. Data Collection For each process, measure:

   • Cycle Time: Start to finish duration
   • Touch Time: Actual work time (vs. wait time)
   • Error Rate: Defects or rework frequency
   • Volume: Throughput (units processed per period)
   • Cost: Labor hours × hourly rate + overhead
   • Utilization: % of capacity used

4. Pain Point Identification Common process issues:

   • Bottlenecks: Steps that slow everything down
   • Manual handoffs: Data re-entry, emails back and forth
   • Wait times: Approvals, dependencies, queues
   • Rework: Errors requiring correction
   • Redundancy: Duplicate work or checks
   • Tribal knowledge: Undocumented steps, single point of failure

Workflow 2: Root Cause Analysis

Diagnose underlying causes, not symptoms

1. 5 Whys Technique Ask "Why?" five times to get to root cause:

   • Problem: Customer onboarding takes 30 days
   • Why? Contract signature is slow
   • Why? Legal review takes 2 weeks
   • Why? Legal is backlogged
   • Why? All contracts go through 1 lawyer
   • Why? No templated contracts or approval tiers
   • Root Cause: Lack of standardized contracts and delegated approval

2. Fishbone Diagram (Ishikawa) Categorize potential causes:

   • People: Skills, training, staffing levels
   • Process: Workflow design, handoffs, approvals
   • Technology: Tools, systems, integrations
   • Materials: Inputs, data quality, availability
   • Environment: Workspace, culture, policies
   • Measurement: Metrics, feedback loops, visibility

3. Pareto Analysis (80/20 Rule)

   • Identify the 20% of causes driving 80% of problems
   • Prioritize fixing high-impact issues
   • Example: 3 error types cause 80% of customer complaints

4. Data-Driven Diagnosis

   • Track metrics over time (trend analysis)
   • Segment by team, customer type, product
   • Identify patterns and outliers
   • Validate hypotheses with A/B tests

Workflow 3: Process Optimization & Redesign

Redesign processes for efficiency and quality

1. Lean Principles

   Eliminate Waste (7 Wastes of Lean)

   • Waiting: Delays between steps (approvals, handoffs)
     • Solution: Parallel processing, delegation, automation
   • Overproduction: Creating more than needed
     • Solution: Just-in-time, pull systems
   • Transportation: Moving items/data unnecessarily
     • Solution: Co-locate teams, integrate systems
   • Overprocessing: Doing more than customer values
     • Solution: Simplify, remove unnecessary checks
   • Inventory: Excess work-in-progress or backlog
     • Solution: Reduce batch sizes, balance flow
   • Motion: Unnecessary movement of people
     • Solution: Workspace optimization, ergonomics
   • Defects: Errors requiring rework
     • Solution: Error-proofing (poka-yoke), quality at source

   Value Stream Focus

   • Classify each step: Value-add v

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