AME Milwaukee 2026 International Conference
PRESENTATIONS
Presentation
Building operational excellence: From launch to legacy
An interactive workshop with Laura McMichael
OVERVIEW
Whether you're just getting started with operational excellence (OpEx) or working to sustain it through leadership changes and shifting priorities, this session centers on one idea: we learn best from each other.
Drawing on experience across industries and functions — including R&D, manufacturing, finance, HR and health care — the presenter shares lessons learned from launching and sustaining OpEx in both mature and greenfield environments. The session explores three critical phases: securing buy-in without overselling, building cross-functional momentum and embedding OpEx into governance to ensure long-term sustainability.
Through real-world examples and interactive discussion, participants will explore common challenges, share experiences and gain practical strategies for sustaining improvement efforts. The presenter also highlights a key strategy for maintaining momentum — one that can make or break long-term success.This session is designed for OpEx/lean/CI leaders, directors navigating organizational change, practitioners expanding beyond manufacturing and anyone facing cultural resistance. Participants will engage in a short diagnostic activity, small-group discussions and peer learning.
This session is for you if you are:
• Launching or re-launching an OpEx effort
• Navigating leadership or organizational change
• Expanding OpEx beyond manufacturing
• Facing resistance and seeking new approaches
What to expect:
• Interactive discussion and real-world examples
• Small-group problem-solving
• Peer connections with practitioners facing similar challenges
Come prepared to share a challenge, success or setback. You will leave with practical frameworks, new perspectives and strategies to help operational excellence stick.
Drawing on experience across industries and functions — including R&D, manufacturing, finance, HR and health care — the presenter shares lessons learned from launching and sustaining OpEx in both mature and greenfield environments. The session explores three critical phases: securing buy-in without overselling, building cross-functional momentum and embedding OpEx into governance to ensure long-term sustainability.
Through real-world examples and interactive discussion, participants will explore common challenges, share experiences and gain practical strategies for sustaining improvement efforts. The presenter also highlights a key strategy for maintaining momentum — one that can make or break long-term success.This session is designed for OpEx/lean/CI leaders, directors navigating organizational change, practitioners expanding beyond manufacturing and anyone facing cultural resistance. Participants will engage in a short diagnostic activity, small-group discussions and peer learning.
This session is for you if you are:
• Launching or re-launching an OpEx effort
• Navigating leadership or organizational change
• Expanding OpEx beyond manufacturing
• Facing resistance and seeking new approaches
What to expect:
• Interactive discussion and real-world examples
• Small-group problem-solving
• Peer connections with practitioners facing similar challenges
Come prepared to share a challenge, success or setback. You will leave with practical frameworks, new perspectives and strategies to help operational excellence stick.
Key Learning Objectives
1. A phased framework for starting, maintaining and adapting OpEx in any workplace
2. The non-negotiables for OpEx across diverse organizational functions
3. Peer connections with practitioners navigating similar challenges
4. Practical reflection on the approach you’d like to bring home
2. The non-negotiables for OpEx across diverse organizational functions
3. Peer connections with practitioners navigating similar challenges
4. Practical reflection on the approach you’d like to bring home
Presenter
Laura McMichael
Senior Director, Operational Excellence & Transformation
LILLY
Laura “LP” McMichael is a senior director of operational excellence and transformation at Lilly, currently focused on R&D. With experience spanning pharmaceutical manufacturing, corporate functions, health care and beyond, McMichael brings a cross-functional perspective to continuous improvement — from launching OpEx programs from scratch to sustaining them through leadership transitions.
Senior Director, Operational Excellence & Transformation
LILLY
Laura “LP” McMichael is a senior director of operational excellence and transformation at Lilly, currently focused on R&D. With experience spanning pharmaceutical manufacturing, corporate functions, health care and beyond, McMichael brings a cross-functional perspective to continuous improvement — from launching OpEx programs from scratch to sustaining them through leadership transitions.
A facilitator at heart, McMichael believes the best solutions emerge from the room, not from a single expert. Her sessions are built on honest storytelling, peer exchange and the conviction that colleagues’ hard-won experiences are as valuable as any framework.She is known for driving alignment, execution and operational excellence across complex organizations. Keeley is also the author of "Faceplant: Free Yourself from Failure’s Funk," a practical guide to overcoming setbacks and turning failure into forward momentum.
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Management systems
Level: Intermediate
