Certificate in Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

The Certificate in Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement course is a professional training programme designed to introduce the principles and practices of operations management across all sectors. It focuses on enhancing business operations through process improvement, resource allocation, and workflow analysis to achieve operational excellence.

The course covers managing the transformation of inputs into outputs effectively and efficiently while preparing for the impact of the digital age. Download the course brochure for details.

In this course, you will learn how to align operational strategy with organisational goals, execute operations management effectively, and apply continuous improvement techniques. You will gain skills in performance measurement, process optimisation, quality management, and supply chain management.

The course also covers practical tools such as process mapping, control charts, Lean operations, and job design to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.

The course employs a combination of presentations, case studies, exercises, and simulations based on established frameworks, including the Toyota Production System, Lean principles, and Total Productive Maintenance. It uses practical activities like process mapping and performance measurement tools to embed learning. Emphasis is also placed on preparing for Industry 4.0 with insights into cyber-physical systems and digital transformation.

The course integrates case studies, peer discussions, and small-group exercises to reinforce learning and ensure practical application. Download the course brochure for full methodology details.

This course is ideal for all managers involved in managing business processes, including senior, middle, and first-line managers across manufacturing, financial services, health services, and government sectors. Supervisors and superintendents responsible for resource allocation, workflow analysis, and process improvement will also benefit.

It suits professionals aiming to enhance operational strategy and efficiency improvement skills.

Participants will be able to recall the principles of operations management, align operational and company strategies, and distinguish daily management from strategy execution. They will understand Lean methodologies, process improvement tools like SIPOC and value stream mapping, and techniques for quality management and performance measurement. The course also enables learners to apply workflow analysis and resource allocation to optimise business operations.

Yes, learners who attend all sessions and successfully complete course assessments receive an Informa Connect Academy Certificate of Completion. The course is accredited for CPD points, ensuring it meets professional development standards. If attendance or assessment criteria are not fully met, a Certificate of Attendance is provided with the number of hours attended clearly stated.

The course is delivered as an in-person training programme, including presentations, practical exercises, case studies, and simulations over a structured schedule. It includes lunch and refreshments for in-person learners and provides comprehensive course materials. A soft copy of the certificate is provided for virtual learners, while in-person attendees receive a hard copy certificate.

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This professional training includes detailed course documentation and access to exercises and case studies that enhance understanding of operational excellence concepts. Participants receive ongoing support and follow-up to reinforce learning, with guidance from experienced instructors. Additional resources cover digital age impacts and practical tools such as control charts and Lean techniques.

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There are no formal prerequisites specified for this course, making it accessible to managers at all levels who are responsible for managing operations and processes. The course content is designed to cater to a diverse audience, regardless of sector experience, focusing on fundamental to advanced concepts in operations management.

You can check our upcoming dates here.

The course covers the impact and opportunities of Industry 4.0 through sessions on cyber-physical systems and the digital age’s influence on operations. It prepares operations managers to manage risks and exploit digital technologies for process improvement and operational strategy advancement. Exercises and case studies help participants explore applying new technology to digitise processes and enhance operational efficiency.

If you’re interested in group bookings or want to check available discounts, contact us at meenquiries@informa.com.

We also provide in-house and fully customised training solutions, where the programme can be tailored to your organisation’s specific goals, strategy needs, or internal capability requirements. For customised or in-company training, reach our Corporate Training Solutions team at cts@informa.com

Informa Connect Academy is a global provider of certified professional training, offering expert-led courses in leadership, finance, HR, strategy, and more. As part of the FTSE 100-listed Informa Group, we deliver 1,000+ courses annually across in-person, live online, and digital formats, helping professionals and organisations upskill with confidence.

Informa Connect Academy delivers training across 15+ key sectors, including:

• Finance & Risk

• Human Resources

• Project Management

• Energy & Sustainability

• Maritime & Transport

• Technology & Innovation

• Leadership & Strategy

• Law, Procurement & Supply Chain

Each course is industry-relevant and globally certified, helping professionals upskill with practical tools for career growth.

Explore programmes by sector in our course catalogue or calendar.

Informa Connect Academy offers 1,000+ certified training programmes across in-person, live online, and on-demand formats. Courses cover leadership, finance, HR, strategy, operations, and more with CPD-accredited and university-backed options. Whether you're seeking flexible online learning or immersive classroom sessions in cities like Dubai, London, or Singapore, there’s a format to suit every schedule and career stage.

Our courses are led by senior certified trainers and former C-suite leaders with 15–30+ years of real-world experience. Faculty members are experts in their field, often working across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. You’ll find bios and credentials for each trainer on the brochure, so you know exactly who’s leading your session before enrolling.

Yes, this course is certified by the Balanced Scorecard Institute and the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership, George Washington University. Most Informa Connect Academy courses are CPD-accredited or delivered in partnership with globally recognised organisations, including CIPD, PMI, NASBA, EFQM, WorldatWork, and DMI.

These accreditations ensure that our programmes meet international training standards and support your professional development goals.

You can view the full list of accreditation and academic partners on our website.

Operational excellence is the disciplined management of processes that transform inputs such as people, information, materials, and technology into consistent, high-quality outputs that meet customer expectations while using resources efficiently. It focuses on aligning operations with organisational strategy, controlling performance through KPIs, and continuously improving quality, speed, dependability, flexibility, and cost.

This course helps by giving you a clear, practical understanding of how to align operations strategy with business strategy and translate it into measurable operational performance.

Operational excellence is built on four core pillars: strategic alignment between operations and organisational goals; stable and well-controlled processes; a culture of continuous improvement; and people engagement supported by clear roles, motivation, and performance management.

These pillars ensure operations deliver both efficiency and customer satisfaction. This course helps by teaching you how to align operations with strategy, stabilise processes, embed improvement disciplines, and manage the human side of operations effectively.

A strong example of operational excellence is the Toyota Production System, where organisations eliminate waste, create flow, use pull systems, standardise work, and empower people to stop processes and solve problems at source. This results in higher quality, lower costs, and faster response to customer demand.

This course helps by using real case studies, such as the Toyota Production System, to show how operational excellence principles are applied in practice across industries.

The five basic elements are clearly defined processes, performance measurement through KPIs, waste elimination and efficiency improvement, consistent quality control, and continuous learning supported by data and feedback.

Together, these elements create predictable, high-performing operations. This course helps by equipping you with process mapping, control charts, Lean tools, and performance measurement techniques to strengthen each of these elements.

Continuous improvement is the ongoing effort to enhance processes, products, and services by systematically identifying inefficiencies, reducing variation, eliminating waste, and improving quality over time. It is a core responsibility of operations management rather than a one-off initiative.

This course helps by embedding continuous improvement into daily operations using structured methods, Lean thinking, and data-driven decision making.

The five principles are customer focus, process thinking, waste elimination, employee involvement, and learning through feedback and measurement. These principles ensure improvements are sustainable and aligned with customer and organisational needs.

This course helps by teaching Lean philosophy, voice of the customer techniques, and structured feedback systems that turn these principles into daily practice.

The continuous improvement process involves defining the problem and scope, mapping the current process, analysing waste and variation, redesigning the process for improvement, and sustaining gains through control and measurement.

This course helps by training you to use SIPOC maps, value stream mapping, control charts, and structured improvement exercises to follow these steps confidently.

An example of continual improvement is reducing changeover time using Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED), enabling faster production, improved equipment utilisation, and reduced downtime across operations such as manufacturing or healthcare services.

This course helps by demonstrating practical improvement techniques like SMED through case studies and simulations that you can directly apply in your organisation.