After exploring a series of Provider stories over the last few months, it’s time to look at the SC21 community from a difference perspective – that of the Practitioner.
While Providers often step in to support targeted areas for improvement, Practitioners walk alongside organisations, building relationships over time and supporting with ongoing assessment, guidance and challenge. They act as a critical friend, helping companies embed improvement into the fabric of the organisation.
Introducing SC21 Master Practitioner, David Hood, from The Excellence Partnership (TEP). In this blog, David outlines the role of Practitioners as a critical friend and the transformation companies can see through the SC21 programme. David also supports other areas of the SCS Framework including Lead Assessor for Aero Excellence™ .
David also works closely with Boeing Defence UK SME Cluster, utilising SC21 principles in the deployment of their supply chain development programme.
Tell us about The Excellence Partnership and your role there.
The Excellence Partnership is a team of eight business improvement specialists passionate about helping organisations challenge how they work, become more effective, and realise their potential. We bring a blend of complementary skills, experience and perspectives, which allows us to support businesses in a very practical and tailored way.
My primary focus is leading our work within the aerospace and defence sector. I’m a SC21 Master Practitioner and a Lead Assessor for Aero Excellence™. I’m also actively involved in the Boeing Defence UK SME Cluster, supporting supply chain development and capability building across participating organisations.
What is the role of a Practitioner in SC21?
At its core, the role of a Practitioner is to help organisations see SC21 not as an audit, but as a vehicle for meaningful improvement.
The framework provides a structured way to understand current performance against best practice, identify priority areas for improvement, and then implement change. While the Baseline Maturity Assessment (BMA) is important, it is only the starting point. The real value lies in what organisations choose to do next. Practitioners support this journey by encouraging honest reflection, constructive challenge, and practical action—often helping businesses step outside their comfort zones and recognise that there is always a better way.
Why are you involved in SC21?
I’m involved because I genuinely believe in the potential of the UK aerospace and defence sector—and also recognise that there is still significant opportunity to improve.
SC21 provides a clear, proven route for organisations to strengthen capability, competitiveness, and resilience. I’m passionate about continuous improvement, and while the principles are simple, applying them consistently is not always easy. That’s where we can help—acting as a supportive partner to guide businesses through the process and help them make the most of their potential.
What improvements have you seen for companies?
We see a wide range of improvements across organisations, depending on their starting point and priorities. These often include:
- Developing strategic direction and planning for growth
- Building stronger organisational cultures and leadership capability
- Implementing structured processes such as advanced product quality planning (APQP)
- Introducing core continuous improvement tools like 5S, standard work, and problem solving
- Establishing meaningful KPIs and performance management systems
- Driving operational improvements through value stream mapping and kaizen workshops
Our approach is often structured around four key areas: People, Purpose, Process, and Performance—ensuring improvements are balanced and sustainable.
How should companies get started?
Getting started is often simpler than organisations expect. The key is alignment and intent.
A good first step is to build consensus within the business that improvement is both necessary and worthwhile. From there, tools like the SC21 online diagnostic (BMA) can provide a useful starting point for discussion—highlighting strengths, gaps, and priorities.
What matters most is not just identifying issues, but committing to doing something about them.
What makes companies succeed through SC21?
From experience, successful organisations tend to share a number of common traits:
- A passionate advocate for improvement – someone in the business driving momentum – which doesn’t need to be the MD!
- Honesty and openness – a willingness to recognise current performance levels
- Clear connection to growth – understanding that improvement drives long-term success
- Whole-business engagement – involving everyone, not just a small team
- Persistence – recognising that improvement is iterative and ongoing
There is rarely a single breakthrough moment—progress comes from continuous, incremental change. A mindset of “let’s try this and see what happens” is often a strong indicator of success.
In their case study of specialist engineering company Produmax, the SC21 programme helped enable a 10-fold increase in throughput for a significant part of the business and increased productivity by 28%. It also created the culture of continuous improvement the people have now adopted in measuring performance, identifying and prioritising improvements, and making changes to the business on its journey to operational excellence.
Jeremy Ridyard, Produmax’s MD said “The work we’ve done with The Excellence Partnership has been a significant factor in helping us win a 10-year contract with a major customer in the aerospace industry. They have helped us create a more effective operation in a way that’s right for our people and our business.”
How does SC21 differ from Aero Excellence?
Both SC21 and Aero Excellence™ are excellent frameworks—it’s not about which is better, but which is right for the organisation.
SC21 is often a strong starting point, particularly for single-site UK businesses or those earlier in their improvement journey. It provides a practical and accessible route to building capability.
Aero Excellence™, by contrast, is broader and deeper—typically more suited to organisations with multi-site or international ambitions, looking for a more advanced and globally aligned framework.
Tell us something about you…
Outside of work, I’m passionate about the outdoors. I enjoy walking and hiking, cycling, and more recently, sunrise sea swims—which I’d highly recommend for both getting a great start to the day!
I also play the trumpet (not as often as I should), enjoy cooking, and have a real love of France and its lifestyle. I’m also involved in charity fundraising for a cause close to me.
Within The Excellence Partnership, we also run SC21 and Continuous Improvement clusters—bringing organisations together to share best practice and learn from each other. These sessions are incredibly powerful, as businesses leave inspired with ideas they can immediately apply.
I’m also proud to support the Boeing cluster programme, helping develop the Boeing Defence UK supply chain. One of Boeing’s values is “do cool stuff”—and that spirit certainly comes through in the energy and collaboration within the cluster.
Talk to David to progress your SC21 journey.
The Excellence Partnership
David Hood
davidhood@excellencepartnership.co.uk
https://www.excellencepartnership.co.uk/
