People Powered Operational Excellence: Featuring Kristen Wright

Operational excellence (OE) can sound like a buzzword. In manufacturing, it becomes real when execution is clear, and issues are addressed before they slow progress.

At GPA, OE refers to the project management office (PMO) department. Within that framework, Kristen Wright supports customers through project governance and PMO discipline. In her role as an Operational Excellence Manager, she works where strategy meets execution, turning organizational goals into efficient processes, clear frameworks, and high‑impact outcomes.

For manufacturing decision makers, that is often where the difference is made.

Learning Manufacturing From the Inside 

Kristen’s career started inside a manufacturing environment. She began as an intern in document controls supporting capital engineering. Her early work was practical and detailed. It touched the systems and workflows plants depend on every day.

“I did all of the work orders, bid packages, drawing releases, and open commitment reports,” she said. “I was heavily involved in SAP. I loved it. I have seven years of experience in SAP.” 

Over time, her role continued to evolve, expanding into project controls within the capital engineering department. In this capacity, she moved beyond day-to-day support to contribute to long-range capital planning and executive-level project reviews. Her primary responsibilities in this role included scheduling and planning, cost control, risk management, and performance measurement.

“Sometimes we were planning years in the future,” Kristen explained.

Later, she moved into customer master data and pricing analysis. She became the final checkpoint before high-value shipments, which taught her how operational decisions affect financial outcomes. She created and maintained customer records in SAP, pricing setup, cross functional support, and ensured compliance with tax requirements.

Across these roles, she noticed a pattern. Execution issues rarely come from effort. Rather, they come from missing structures. 

What Operational Excellence Looks Like Day to Day 

At her role at GPA, Kristen is one of the many hands behind PMO execution and project governance. Her focus is helping projects start clean and stay controlled.

“We’re the ones that set the project up from the start, along with the project manager to ensure we are set up for success,” she said. “We build a kickoff deck and present it to make sure everyone’s aligned on the project.”

From there, her work stays close to the realities of project delivery, including:

• Scheduling

• Workload planning

• Budget reporting

• Invoicing

• Meeting coordination

At GPA, these tasks are not secondary activities. They are essential to keeping execution moving forward.  

“Coordinators are the ones that report on where the budget is being spent,” she said.

Kristen also described how preparation and consistent cadence shape more effective customer conversations. The goal is not more meetings, but better ones.

“We always try to be ahead of the meeting,” she said. “You never want to go to a meeting without having an internal meeting prior.”

That discipline allows projects to move forward with fewer surprises and greater confidence throughout execution.

When Manufacturers Need Operational Excellence Support 

Operational excellence becomes necessary when projects grow faster than a team’s ability to govern them. This often happens during:

• Modernization efforts

• Capital improvements

• Digital transformation initiatives

• Basic infrastructure work

Kristen described readiness in simple terms. A team does not need to be perfect; it just needs a baseline structure. 

“Organization and a strong baseline are critical,” she said. “With the right structure in place, success becomes achievable.” 

For manufacturing leaders, this is the point. Operational excellence is not only a project add-on, but it can also be the first investment that reduces risk before larger investments follow.

Discipline Under Pressure

Manufacturing projects rarely stay simple. As timelines tighten and expectations change, the need for constant tracking and adjustment increases. Kristen has supported large efforts where the work required constant tracking and adjustment. In those environments, operational excellence does not prevent pressure. Rather, it prevents pressure from becoming chaos. Kristen puts it plainly.

“We’re really good at identifying risk on a project and coming up with a plan for a path forward.” 

That discipline allows teams to adapt without losing control, even when conditions change.

Leadership That Supports Execution

As a 2025 recipient of GPA’s Leadership Impact Award, Kristen’s management approach reflects the same discipline she applies to project execution: listen first, then act.

She emphasized that leadership is not one-size-fits-all.

“You can’t treat everyone the same,” she said. “It’s important to understand people’s strengths and know how to work with each person effectively.” 

That understanding supports stronger coordination in manufacturing environments, where cross-functional teams operate under real constraints. 

Operational Excellence as a Strategic Investment

Operational excellence is not just internal process improvement. For manufacturers, it is the difference between progress that lasts and progress that fades as pressure builds.

When treated as a service, operational excellence strengthens execution discipline, improves project governance, and reduces risk across initiatives. It supports digital transformation while standing on its own to bring structure to complex work.

Kristen’s perspective comes from the middle of execution, where plans meet reality. Her experience reflects how people-powered operational excellence works best in manufacturing environments.

For manufacturing leaders seeking clearer execution and lower risk, operational excellence is not an add-on—it is a strategic investment.

Take the next step toward people-powered operational excellence.

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