After many years working across the aerospace, defence and automotive sectors, Steve Collins, Head of SC21, reflects on why gaining perspective on organisational capability is essential for prioritising improvement in today’s uncertain operating environment…
Across the aerospace and defence supply chain, I speak to many organisations that are working incredibly hard to improve. Teams are focused on audits, delivery performance, new systems, customer requirements and day-to-day pressures. Yet I often hear the same question: “We’re busy improving — but are we improving the right things?”
In today’s environment, that’s a fair concern. Expectations around quality, delivery reliability, digital capability and sustainable performance are all increasing. Resources, however, are not. For SMEs in particular, spreading effort too widely can dilute impact and leave underlying capability gaps untouched. Real resilience doesn’t come from doing more activity. It comes from targeted improvement based on a clear understanding of organisational maturity.
That’s exactly where SC21 has been helping for 20 years. At its heart, SC21 is about building operational discipline and a structured approach to continuous improvement. It gives organisations a practical framework to strengthen quality, improve on-time delivery and build the performance consistency that customers expect. But just as importantly, it helps develop the culture and habits that sustain improvement over the long term.
Insight to understand capability
The organisations that gain the most improvement are those who first take a step back. Before launching new initiatives or investing in new tools, they seek to understand where their capability is strong — and where it may be limiting performance. Often, the most significant risks or opportunities sit in areas that aren’t immediately obvious from inside the business.
That’s why I encourage companies to start with a structured maturity assessment. It provides perspective. It helps leaders see how robust their operational control really is, how mature their improvement approach is, and where capabilities are supporting or constraining performance. From there, improvement becomes prioritised rather than reactive.
We’ve seen the positive impact of this approach over many years. As Peter Bennet, CEO of Groveley Precision Engineering, put it recently:
SC21 has definitively provided the framework for our success… achieving 100% on time in full and 99.98% quality keeps our customers happy and coming back. So, using SC21 we have not only survived but thrived.
In uncertain times, clarity is one of the most valuable assets a business can have. Understanding where you stand today is the first step toward strengthening quality, improving delivery reliability and building long-term resilience.
If you’re asking where to focus your next improvement effort, start with that insight.
