This six-point rapid checklist helps assess whether there are development areas in your organisation where Mantec’s expertise could deliver measurable and sustainable benefits. The checklist is suitable for all organisations engaged in operational activities, regardless of industry.
Who should be involved in the assessment?
To gain a realistic and well-rounded view of the actual state of operations, the assessment should be carried out from multiple perspectives. Relying solely on senior management input is rarely sufficient.
A good starting point is to involve:
- a representative from senior management (objectives and strategic direction)
- operational management or supervisors (daily control and prioritisation)
- key personnel from production, projects, or deliveries (practical work and bottlenecks)
- where relevant, representatives from purchasing, quality, or engineering (interfaces and dependencies)
There are often notable differences between the responses of different roles—and making these differences visible frequently reveals the greatest development potential.
1. Flow of operations and lead times
- Are lead times long or difficult to predict? yes/no
- Does waiting, unnecessary movement, approval loops, or other non-value-adding activities occur? yes/no
- Are planning and execution occasionally misaligned? yes/no
- Is it clear where work or projects typically slow down? yes/no
2. Utilisation of capacity and resources
- Is the utilisation rate of machines, systems, or experts lower than desired? yes/no
- Does workload imbalance, peak congestion, or downtime occur? yes/no
- Can operations be scaled flexibly according to demand? yes/no
- Is the true bottleneck known, or are only symptoms being addressed? yes/no
3. Quality, errors and waste
- How often do errors, rework, or material waste occur?
- Are root causes of errors systematically identified, or are only consequences addressed? yes/no
- Are the costs of poor quality (errors, delays, complaints) clearly visible? yes/no
- Do the same problems recur across different projects or deliveries? yes/no
4. Objectives, metrics and leadership
- Are there clear, shared objectives for operations? yes/no
- Are key performance indicators monitored regularly and linked to daily work? yes/no
- Does daily management support efficiency and continuous improvement? yes/no
- Is decision-making based on facts or assumptions? yes/no
5. Improvement culture and ways of working
- Are there clear structures and responsibilities for improvement initiatives? yes/no
- Do development ideas often remain unimplemented due to lack of resources or unclear ownership? yes/no
- Are there recurring issues that are discussed but never resolved? yes/no
- Is improvement part of everyday work or treated as a separate project?
6. Process clarity and standardisation
- Are key operating models documented and jointly agreed? yes/no
- Is the same task handled differently between teams or units? yes/no
- Is it clear what is standard and what is an exception? yes/no
- Are new employees onboarded quickly into productive work? yes/no
Summary
If the checklist highlights several development areas, your organisation may have significant, still untapped efficiency potential.
In a Mantec analysis, we define the current state of our client’s operations and identify realistically achievable improvement potential. In practice, the analysis serves as an operational health check for the organisation. We approach it from three perspectives: statistical, operational, and behavioural.
The objective is to identify where improvements can be made, how efficiency can be increased, and how growth can be accelerated. The process typically takes 3-5 weeks and includes both qualitative and quantitative assessments.
On average, we identify 20–25% efficiency improvement potential and the project following the analysis typically delivers at least 200% ROI. These results are always measurable.
Would you like to explore the efficiency potential in your organisation?
Book a free 45-minute consultation with us:
Denmark – Bent Hansen
bent.hansen@mantec.eu
+45 20 91 46 36
Finland – Eero Vuorensola
eero.vuorensola@mantec.eu
+358 40 54 45 200
Sweden – Göran Svensson
goran.r@mantec.eu
+46 70 631 86 18
Norway – Jan-Erick Olsen
jeolsen@mantec.eu
+47 922 68682
Other countries – Kjetil Barfelt
kjetil.barfelt@mantec.eu
+47 913 13 131
