As the global manufacturing landscape becomes ever more challenging, companies are looking for ways to gain advantages over competitors. In optimizing business operations, market leaders are implementing Operational Excellence initiatives at the plant and corporate level. In achieving these goals, having objective, quantifiable indicators is crucial to measuring performance and moving things forward. But with the breadth of metrics available, it can be challenging to understand which really move the needle on goals and improvements.  In order to provide structure to the variety of metrics that can deliver value across eight categories – customer experience and responsiveness, quality, efficiency, inventory, compliance, maintenance, flexibility and innovation, costs and profitability – LNS Research shares the primary metrics organizations are leveraging in Operational Excellence initiatives. The 28 metrics included in this report were identified by MESA International in previous research as the most widely used by today’s manufacturers. In this Research Spotlight, LNS Research examines the role that metrics can play in continuous improvement programs and gives business leaders a framework for identifying which metrics have the most impact on measuring progress.