Optimisation vs Maximisation

The difference is important but subtle. Maximisation sounds like a surefire way to get the best possible results but beware the hidden dangers….

Optimisation means running systems at the highest level of performance they can sustain without increasing costs, causing problems or doing long term damage. Business excellence is about reaching this level of performance and when advantageous, increasing it.

This requires core performance capability but also resilience; the ability to:
        •  Be disruption-resistant; to maintain standards under pressure
        •  Recover when disruption does occur

Maximisation means pushing a process hard to extract every drop of productivity. The real-world effect of this is usually some short-term performance gain but at the cost of overwhelming people and processes. Over the long run, this leads to quality problems, unhappy people and higher costs. 

Whenever you’re involved in change or improvement, it’s always worth anticipating the long-term consequences of an action to ensure it will contribute to optimising long-term performance capability.