Game Description ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
How to Win .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Overview of Modules .................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Module 1: The Production Process ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Module 2: Managing Suppliers ....................................................................................................................................................... 4
Module 3: Forecasting and Contracts .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Module 4: Human Resources and Capacity Planning ........................................................................................................... 4
Module 5: The New Branch .............................................................................................................................................................. 4
Module 6: Maximize Net Worth ..................................................................................................................................................... 5
System Requirements ................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
Registering and Logging In .................................................................................................................................................... 6
Module 1: The Production Process ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Game Description
...............................................................................................
......................................................................................... 3
How to Win
...............................................................................................
...............................................................................................
...... 3
Overview of Modules
...............................................................................................
................................................................................... 4
Module 1: The Production Process
...............................................................................................
................................................ 4
Module 2: Managing Suppliers
...............................................................................................
........................................................ 4
Module 3: Forecasting and Contracts
...............................................................................................
........................................... 4
Module 4: Human Resources and Capacity Planning
...............................................................................................
............ 4
Module 5: The New Branch
...............................................................................................
............................................................... 4
Module 6: Maximize Net Worth
...............................................................................................
...................................................... 5
System Requirements
...............................................................................................
................................................................................. 5
Registering and Logging In
...............................................................................................
..................................................... 6
Module 1: The Production Process
...............................................................................................
...................................... 7
Operations Management: Priority and Utilization
...............................................................................................
......................... 9
Follow the Tutorial for Module 1
...............................................................................................
......................................................... 11
The “Lean or “Just-In-Time” Strategy
...............................................................................................
................................................ 13
Quantity Flexibility and Supplier Capacity
...............................................................................................
...................................... 16
Creating a Vendor Scorecard
...............................................................................................
................................................................ 17
Follow the Tutorial for Module 2
...............................................................................................
......................................................... 19
Module 3: Forecasting and Contracts
...............................................................................................
............................... 20
Research
...............................................................................................
...............................................................................................
......... 20
Make-to-Order vs. Make-to-Stock
...............................................................................................
........................................................ 20
Work Request
Analysis..................................................................................
.......................................................................................... 21
Forecasting and Specialization
...............................................................................................
............................................................ 24
Follow the Tutorial for Module 3
...............................................................................................
......................................................... 24
Module 4: Human Resources and Capacity Planning
...............................................................................................
. 25
Human Resources
...............................................................................................
...................................................................................... 25
Scheduling a Job Shop with a Spreadsheet
...............................................................................................
...................................... 29
Gather Basic Information
...............................................................................................
................................................................. 29
Prepare a Schedule
...............................................................................................
............................................................................. 29
Compare Schedules using Different Priorities
...............................................................................................
....................... 30
End of the Tutorial
...............................................................................................
.................................................................................... 36
Module 5: The New Branch
...............................................................................................
.................................................. 37
Hiring vs. Training
...............................................................................................
..................................................................................... 37
Analyzing Employee Expenses
...............................................................................................
...................................................... 38
Long-Term Perspective
...............................................................................................
............................................................................ 43
Total Cost of Ownership
...............................................................................................
................................................................... 44
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
3
Introduction
Game Description
Practice Operations puts players in the role of an operations
decision maker for a clothing
manufacturing company. Operations is the engine that drives a
business. Play begins with an overview
of the heart of that engine – managing the production process.
Players review the contract
specifications as well as the production process by walking
through the Production Floor and Shipping
area. Players then analyze the receiving department functions of
managing the supply chain and
material inventories to ensure client needs can be met. In order
to grow the business, players choose
which new contracts to pursue and then optimize their
receiving, production, and shipping departments
accordingly. As the business grows, players manage both the
human and facility resources in order to
meet capacity challenges. Customer satisfaction is a key metric
for success. In the final stages of the
game, the company puts players in complete control over all
areas of operations at the New Branch,
with the challenge to build the most profitable company
possible.
How to Win
Your goal is to make the most money possible. This will
happen if you run your operation efficiently.
Getting orders out to customers on time, with the correct
quantity and quality will make your customers
happy, which in turn raises your reputation. As your reputation
increases, you will be able to
successfully bid on contracts from a larger pool of customers,
which will generate more revenue. If you
run your operation poorly and your customers receive orders
late or with errors in quality or amount,
your sales force will lose bids to your competitors and you will
make less money, or even run a deficit!
Gameplay
The game is turn-based. Each turn is one week. Each module is
a specific length and has objectives that
must be achieved before time runs out.
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
4
Learning Outcomes
through trial and error and learning
how the elements of operations and production come together.
-of-class play and competition between
you and your fellow students.
-world data and situations that reflect real
world operational situations.
by demonstrating that the various
functional areas of the company – Human Resources,
Manufacturing, Accounting, and Sales –
must work together in order to meet company goals.
-on practice as an operations
manager in a manufacturing scenario
production
process.
the key success metrics.
and students to review and assess
your performance and decision-making.
Overview of Modules
Module 1: The Production Process
Operations is the engine that drives a business. This module
focuses on the heart of that engine,
managing the production process. Module 1 should take 25-45
minutes to complete.
Module 2: Managing Suppliers
This module unlocks the receiving department, putting players
in charge of managing the supply
chain and material inventories to meet client needs. Module 2
should take 25-45 minutes to
complete.
Module 3: Forecasting and Contracts
In this module, players choose which contracts to pursue, and
optimize their receiving,
production, and shipping departments accordingly. Module 3
should take 25-45 minutes to
complete.
Module 4: Human Resources and Capacity Planning
In this challenging scenario, players will manage both human
and facility resources to meet
capacity challenges. Module 4 should take 35-55 minutes to
complete.
Module 5: The New Branch
In this module, players will have complete control over all areas
of their operations, and will be
challenged to reach a net worth of $50,000 as quickly as
possible. Module 5 should take 1 to 2
hours to complete.
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
5
Module 6: Maximize Net Worth
In this capstone module, players again have complete control
over all areas of their operations.
The goal is to maximize the net worth of the firm over 50 turns.
Module 6 should take 2 to 3
hours to complete.
System Requirements
Computers used to run Practice Operations must meet the
Technical Requirements listed below.
Windows OS:
1. Operating systems: Windows XP with Service Pack 3 /
Windows Vista SP2 / Windows 7 /
Windows 8.
2. Internet Browser: Firefox version 31 or above OR Internet
Explorer 11 or above OR
Google Chrome version 31 or above
3. Memory: 512MB RAM
4. Processor: Intel Pentium 3-4 processor or equivalent/better
5. Video: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better OR ATI Radeon
8500, 9250 or better OR Intel 945
chipset or better, 1024 x 768 resolution minimum
6. Internet: 128kbit/s Cable/DSL/LAN connection per computer
7. Hard Disk Space: 500MB free
8. Direct X: DirectX 9.0c
Mac OSX:
1. Operating system: Must have OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or
later.
2. Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (PowerPC not supported)
3. RAM: 1GB System Memory
4. Video Memory: 256MB graphics card or decent integrated
graphics chip. Must support
OpenGL 1.5+
5. Internet Browser: Firefox version 31 or above OR Safari 7.1
or above OR Google Chrome
version 31 or above
Apple iPad:
1. Model: iPad2 or later.
2. Operating System: iOS 8 or later.
3. Screen Resolution: 1024x768 or greater.
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
6
Android Tablet:
1. Operating System: Android 4 or later.
Registering and Logging In
Navigate to www.mhpractice.com. There are two ways to
register for Practice Operations and log in:
1) you can click on the Practice Operations link in Connect, or
2) you can click on the link that has been sent to you from your
instructor by email.
If you are registering for the first time, the following screen
will appear. Click ‘Register’ located in the
lower middle of the screen. If you have already registered,
simply click the Login button.
If you are registering for the first time, you will see the
following screen; enter the code from the card
included with your textbook, or the code that you purchased
separately.
Operations
Operations Sc 101
http://www.mhpractice.com/
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
7
Module 1: The Production Process
In this module, you will learn to manage the basic production
process. This product flow appears in the
Production Floor panel (below), and you can also see the
progression of products through the various
machines. The managers in the game will help guide you
through the process.
In Practice Operations, the production floor uses a workcenter
(or job shop) layout, where machines are
grouped by type, with products traveling from one machine to
the next as they are completed. Products
start in Cutting and then move through Sewing, Press Transfer
(for some products), and finally arrive at
Packaging. Additional workcenters will be added in later
modules, and each station can be upgraded for
a one-time cost to increase the speed and maximum amount that
can be processed.
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
8
Make-to-Order Processes
By following the screen prompts, a production order that
precisely matches the customer order is
started on the production floor. This 1:1 relationship between
customer orders and production orders is
a key characteristic of a make-to-order process.
For example, review the open contract from Stallion Apparel
(below), highlighting the importance of
individual orders in a make-to-order system. In particular, the
key elements are the client, item ordered,
order quantity, unit price, and due date.
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
9
Once your production is underway, you can
view the details by looking at the Current
Production Runs panel. The side arrows let
you quickly cycle through all products
currently in production. The icons under
Production Tasks let you see which machines
are required for the specific product. You can
view the material required per unit and see
how much of that material you have in stock.
You can view the current status, the amount
being produced, what priority you have it set
for, and finally the quantity of finished
product you have in stock.
Operations Management: Priority and Utilization
One of your key decisions is the sequencing of jobs. By varying
the priority of jobs, the quantity of each
item produced during a given period can be varied widely. In
this example, the priority of three jobs
(shirts, shorts, and pants) is varied to show how this can impact
total output. Prioritization of jobs is
established in the Production Area.
Click the Manager’s Desk, then select each order from the
Production Schedule.
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
10
To keep track of the state of multiple orders, go to the View
Production Plan panel.
The Production Plan panel shows which machines are in use and
how much of their total capacity is
being utilized. ! Prioritizing jobs can save players from several
utilization mishaps such as being on track
to complete orders for your customers on time only to have
several products all arrive at the packaging
station at the same time
NOTE:
You can also change
priority of production
with the mouse by
grabbing a product in
“Current Production
Runs” and dragging it
to a new slot.
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
11
Can you get your average utilization to 100 percent?
Probably not, but the higher that score, the more efficient you
are managing your operations. See the
equation below:
This priority order has increased the utilization average by
10%!
Follow the Tutorial for Module 1
It’s important to follow the in-game tutorial for this module to
be sure you are introduced to all the key
elements. They will be needed when you start playing Module
2. If you are unsure of any part of the
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
12
module, replay it, and then review this section of the manual. If
you feel comfortable with the concepts
introduced in Module 1, try playing through it several times to
beat your own high score!
Module 2: Managing Suppliers
Time to get busy with supply chain management! This module
introduces the receiving department,
and shows how to efficiently order the materials you need to
produce your products. As you learned in
Module 1, proper scheduling is critical to keep your production
running smoothly. The same is true with
managing your supply chain. You must make sure you receive
the proper amount and quality of
materials in a time frame that allows you to sort them, send
them to production to create completed
products, and ship them in enough time to arrive at their
destination within the specified number of
weeks. This will make your clients happy and increase your
reputation.
Of course, it is also important to manage the costs associated
with suppliers. In Practice Operations,
there are two main costs associated with raw materials –
purchasing costs and holding costs. Purchasing
costs can be managed by selecting a vendor with the right
quality (to avoid overpaying for excessive
quality), by taking advantage of lead-time and quantity
discounts, and by comparing prices among
vendors. Holding costs are
charged for materials held in
stock (about 10% per turn for
raw materials, 5% per turn for
finished
products) and
can be
minimized
through careful
scheduling of
purchases and
production.
Excess materials
can be sold, but the cash
received for inventory (either
raw materials or finished
products) that are disposed of
in this manner is a small
portion of the original cost.
In the receiving department,
you click on the manager’s desk to order new materials, and you
will see trucks back up to the loading
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
13
docks when materials arrive. Materials first go to the double
pallet at the bottom of the screen until
they can be sorted. Then each pallet displays specific raw
materials that are letter coded.
The “Lean” or “Just-In-Time” Strategy
One gameplay option you can experiment with in Module 2 is to
use a true lean/JIT approach, ordering
raw materials to arrive just as they are needed. For example, in
turn 3 (January, week 3) orders arrive for
slacks (250 units) and shorts (400 units). Both of these products
are due to arrive at the customer in 6
weeks (March, week 1). Less than one week is required for
production of these items (the limiting factor
is packaging capacity, but even this step can be completed in
less than a week for both products).
Therefore, with 2 weeks to ship and 1 week to produce, these
two production orders can be started as
late as February, week 2. Therefore, when ordering the raw
materials, ordering with a lead time of 3
weeks will minimize inventory holding and allow for just-in-
time delivery of raw materials.
JIT/Lean requires highly reliable suppliers: for khaki either
United Fabrics or Preston Premium would be
preferred suppliers. Both offer the required level of quality and
both can meet the required quantity.
Since the price is the same for both, place an order for 500 units
of khaki with Preston Premium.
For silk, Preston Premium, Reliable Clothing, and United
Fabrics are highly reliable suppliers. Once again,
all meet the necessary quality level. Reliable Clothing offers a
significantly better price, even though an
order of 400 units of silk will not qualify for a quantity
discount. Preston Premium is more expensive
than Reliable Clothing
and United Fabrics has
a minimum order
quantity of 500 units.
Therefore, we place an
order for 400 units of
silk with Reliable
Clothing.
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
14
Thanks to our reliable suppliers, the requested
quantities of silk and khaki arrive exactly as
promised in February, week 2, and can be used in
production the following week.
However, we have encountered a
snag! The sorting capacity in the
warehouse is insufficient to process
the shipments. 98 units of khaki and
2 units of silk are left unsorted. This is
going to delay production.
This element of operations is dealt
with in Module 4, where you will get
the opportunity to expand your staff
for different departments. In the
meantime, it’s vital to run the
numbers ahead of time to avoid
these situations, especially since
hiring more staff may not be an
option for you.
Due to the delay in getting materials sorted, the slacks and
shorts are not completed and in finished
goods inventory until February, week 4. As a result, you would
be forced to use expedited shipping to
get the products to the customers on time at an additional cost
of $404! That small holdup will
significantly impact your bottom line!
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
15
Quality Inspection
Stock inspections can increase the quality of your raw
materials. This identifies and removes sub-
standard items, decreasing the available quantity but increasing
the overall quality of the remaining
stock. Inspection is
generally an expensive
option since you are, in
effect, throwing away raw
materials that you’ve
already paid for.
In Module 2 gameplay, you
are prompted to inspect a
shipment of Denim. Quality
inspection is initiated from
the Material Stock window.
Students are asked to confirm the inspection…
…and are shown the results of the inspection. Here, 19
“defective”
units were removed, raising the quality level of the 81
remaining units
to 59.0.
However, inspection is rarely an
efficient strategy for improving
quality. In fact, if a higher quality
material had been purchased in the
first place, the total cost of the
materials would be significantly
lower.
United Fabrics offers a higher-quality
denim for $1.80 per unit.
A comparison of final cost per unit
shows that purchasing from United Fabrics would result in a
lower cost of ownership.
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
16
Red Maple Fabrics United Fabrics
Purchase Price per Unit $1.50 $1.80
Inspection Cost 19 x $1.50 = $28.50 $0.00
Final Quantity 81 100
Final Cost per Unit $178.50/81 = $2.20 $1.80
So how can inspections help you? Well, they can allow you to
make use of extra materials. Perhaps you
ordered cotton at a quality of 40 and you have several hundred
left over. If a small order comes in with
a quick turnaround at quality 50, you may be able to produce it
right away by inspecting the lower
quality material and finding enough quality 50 material to get
the job done.
Quantity Flexibility and Supplier Capacity
Although price is an important consideration in vendor
selection, ability to meet surges in demand is
also an
important
attribute.
Vendors with
low levels of
available
capacity may be
unable to meet
demand.
For example,
Alpine and
Tigerlily Textiles
are very similar
suppliers of
wool. Both have
the same price,
reliability, and
quality levels.
However, their
available capacity is not comparable.
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
17
Vendor selection must include more aspects than just quoted
price. Quantity discounts, lead times, and
other factors can make a significant difference between vendors.
Creating a Vendor Scorecard
By now it is clear that there are several different dimensions
you can use to evaluate the suppliers.
These include price, quality, and reliability. This data can be
used to prepare a vendor scorecard. For
example, an evaluation of cotton suppliers can be prepared by
gathering data from the Receiving
screen.
McGraw-Hill Practice Operations
18
After gathering this data for all cotton suppliers, the following
table can be assembled.
Supplier Price Quality Reliability
Owens Textiles $0.08 50 Low
Freeway Fabrics $0.08 25 Medium
Preston Premium $0.12 80 High
Reliable Clothing $0.10 35 High
Tigerlily Textiles $0.10 60 Medium
United Fabrics $0.12 70 High
The vendor scorecard can be prepared in many ways. One …
MAT 510 – Homework Assignment
Assignment 4
The data in below table lists country code and the order to
remittance (OTR) time for hardware / software installations for
the last 76 installations (from first to last). OTR is the time it
takes from an order being placed until the system is installed
and we receive payment (remittance). Because this company
does business internationally, it also notes the country of
installation using a country code. This code is listed in the first
column.
Table: Country Code and OTR Cycle Time for Software
Systems Installation
Country Code
Cycle Time
Country Code
Cycle Time
1
20
5
29
1
24
6
40
1
46
7
157
1
26
8
19
14
38
5
24
1
15
1
81
1
15
Use the date in table above and answer the following questions
in the space provided below:
1. Does the OTR time appear to be stable? Why or why not?
2. If you were to use a control chart to evaluate stability, which
chart would you use? Why?
3. What can you learn about the distribution of the installation
process?
4. Does it appear that the country has an impact on installation
time? Why or why not?
Type your answers below and submit this file in Week 6 of the
online course shell:
MAT 510 – Homework Assignment
Homework Assignment
Describe a work task, a hobby, or another activity that you
regularly do, and sequentially list the various actions you take
in order to complete this activity. You will need to repeat this
activity at least two times to see if the changes you engage in
will assist in reducing the amount of time. Consider the
complexity of your list and the amount of steps required to
complete the activity. Choose an activity that you complete on a
daily basis.
Please consider the choices below or select one task from
personal experience:
· Preparing for a jog, workout, or other sports related activity.
· Cooking a meal or preparing a sandwich.
· Making coffee in the morning.
· Cleaning the house.
· Washing the car.
· Bathing/grooming your dog or cat.
· Setting up a grill to BBQ.
Answer the following questions in the space provided below:
1. How many steps did it take you to complete the activity?
2. What time did each step take and how much time was delayed
between steps?
3. What was the average time each attempt took? Calculate the
average of each repetition. Include your data following the
assignment one example provided under Instructor Insights –
Week 1
4. Differentiate the main actions between doing and improving
your activities. Use the textbook to support your explanation.
See page 7-9.
5. Determine the overall manner in which variation has affected
your activities. Explain what is variation and the importance of
the standard deviation in a process? You will need to calculate
the standard deviation of each attempt. Include your data and
calculation. See page 13-14 to support your answer.
6. Overall, how much time were you able to cut down on when
engaging in the same activity while implementing the new
changes?
Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
You should be able to:
2.1List several ways that business organizations compete
2.2Name several reasons that business organizations fail
2.3Define the terms mission and strategy and explain why they
are important
2.4Discuss and compare organization strategy and operations
strategy, and explain why it is important to link the two
Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
2.5Describe and give examples of time-based strategies
2.6Define the term productivity and explain why it is important
to organizations and to countries
2.7Describe several factors that affect productivity
Learning Objective 2.1
A Cold Hard Fact
Better quality, higher productivity, lower costs, and the ability
to respond quickly to customer needs are more important than
ever, and…
the bar is getting higher
Learning Objective 2.1
Chapter Focus
This chapter focuses on three separate, but related ideas that are
vitally important to business organizations
Competitiveness
Strategy
Productivity
Learning Objective 2.1
Competitiveness
Competitiveness:
How effectively an organization meets the wants and needs of
customers relative to others that offer similar goods or services
Organizations compete through some combination of their
marketing and operations functions
What do customers want?
How can these customer needs best be satisfied?
Learning Objective 2.2
Why Some Organizations Fail (1 of 2)
Neglecting operations strategy
Failing to take advantage of strengths and opportunities and/or
failing to recognize competitive threats
Too much emphasis on short-term financial performance at the
expense of R&D
Too much emphasis in product and service design and not
enough on process design and improvement
Learning Objective 2.2
Why Some Organizations Fail (2 of 2)
5. Neglecting investments in capital and human resources
6. Failing to establish good internal communications and
cooperation
7. Failing to consider customer wants and needs
Learning Objective 2.3
Mission, Goals, and Strategy (1 of 2)
Mission
The reason for an organization’s existence
It answers the question “What business are we in?”
Goals
Provide detail and the scope of the mission
Goals can be viewed as organizational destinations
Learning Objective 2.3
Mission, Goals, and Strategy (2 of 2)
Strategy
A plan for achieving organizational goals
Serves as a roadmap for reaching the organizational destinations
The organizational strategy guides the organization by
providing direction for, and alignment of, the goals and
strategies of the functional units
The organizational strategy is a major success/failure factor
Learning Objective 2.3
Mission
Mission
The reason for an organization’s existence
Mission statement
States the purpose of the organization
The mission statement should answer the question of “What
business are we in?”
Learning Objective 2.3
FedEx Mission Statement
FedEx Corporation will produce superior financial returns for
its shareowners by providing high value-added logistics,
transportation and related information services through focused
operating companies. Customer requirements will be met in the
highest quality manner appropriate to each market segment
served. FedEx Corporation will strive to develop mutually
rewarding relationships with its employees, partners and
suppliers. Safety will be the first consideration in all
operations. Corporate activities will be conducted to the highest
ethical and professional standards.
Learning Objective 2.3
Goals
The mission statement serves as the basis for organizational
goals
Goals
Provide detail and the scope of the mission
Goals can be viewed as organizational destinations
Goals serve as the basis for organizational strategies
Learning Objective 2.3
Strategies
Strategy
A plan for achieving organizational goals
Serves as a roadmap for reaching the organizational destinations
Organizations have
Organizational strategies
Overall strategies that relate to the entire organization
Support the achievement of organizational goals and mission
Functional level strategies
Strategies that relate to each of the functional areas and that
support achievement of the organizational strategy
Tactics and Operations
Tactics
The methods and actions taken to accomplish strategies
The “how to” part of the process
Operations
The actual “doing” part of the process
Learning Objective 2.3
Core Competencies
Core competencies
The special attributes or abilities that give an organization a
competitive edge
To be effective core competencies and strategies need to be
aligned
Learning Objective 2.4
Strategy Formulation (2 of 2)
Order qualifiers
Characteristics that customers perceive as minimum standards
of acceptability for a product or service to be considered as a
potential for purchase
Order winners
Characteristics of an organization’s goods or services that cause
it to be perceived as better than the competition
Learning Objective 2.4
Operations Strategy
Operations strategy
The approach, consistent with organization strategy, that is used
to guide the operations function
Learning Objective 2.4
Strategic OM Decision AreasDecision AreaWhat the Decisions
AffectProduct and service designCosts, quality, liability, and
environmental issuesCapacityCost, structure, flexibilityProcess
selection and layoutCosts, flexibility, skill level needed,
capacityWork designQuality of work life, employee safety,
productivityLocationCosts, visibilityQualityAbility to meet or
exceed customer expectationsInventoryCosts,
shortagesMaintenanceCosts, equipment reliability,
productivitySchedulingFlexibility, efficiencySupply
chainsCosts, quality, agility, shortages, vendor
relationsProjectsCosts, new products, services, or operating
systems
Quality-based strategy
Strategy that focuses on quality in all phases of an organization
Pursuit of such a strategy is rooted in a number of factors:
Trying to overcome a poor quality reputation
Desire to maintain a quality image
A desire to catch up with the competition
A part of a cost reduction strategy
Quality-Based Strategies
Learning Objective 2.5
Time-Based Strategies (1 of 2)
Time-based strategies
Strategies that focus on the reduction of time needed to
accomplish tasks
It is believed that by reducing time, costs are lower, quality is
higher, productivity is higher, time-to-market is faster, and
customer service is improved
Learning Objective 2.5
Time-Based Strategies (2 of 2)
Areas where organizations have achieved time reductions:
Planning time
Product/service design time
Processing time
Changeover time
Delivery time
Response time for complaints
Agile Operations
Agile operations
A strategic approach for competitive advantage that emphasizes
the use of flexibility to adapt and prosper in an environment of
change
Involves the blending of several core competencies:
Cost
Quality
Reliability
Flexibility
A top-down management system that organizations can use to
clarify their vision and strategy and transform them into action
Develop objectives
Develop metrics and targets for each objective
Develop initiatives to achieve objectives
Identify links among the various perspectives
Finance
Customer
Internal business processes
Learning and growth
Monitor results
Learning Objective 2.6
Productivity
Productivity
A measure of the effective use of resources, usually expressed
as the ratio of output to input
Productivity measures are useful for
Tracking an operating unit’s performance over time
Judging the performance of an entire industry or country
Learning Objective 2.6
Why Productivity Matters
High productivity is linked to higher standards of living
As an economy replaces manufacturing jobs with lower
productivity service jobs, it is more difficult to maintain high
standards of living
Higher productivity relative to the competition leads to
competitive advantage in the marketplace
Pricing and profit effects
For an industry, high relative productivity makes it less likely it
will be supplanted by foreign industry
Example: Labor productivity on the ABC assembly line was 25
units per hour in 2014. In 2015, labor productivity was 23 units
per hour. What was the productivity growth from 2014 to 2015?
Learning Objective 2.6
Service Sector Productivity (1 of 2)
Service sector productivity is difficult to measure and manage
because
It involves intellectual activities
It has a high degree of variability
A useful measure related to productivity is process yield
Where products are involved
Ratio of output of good product to the quantity of raw material
input
Learning Objective 2.6
Service Sector Productivity (2 of 2)
Where services are involved, process yield measurement is
often dependent on the particular process:
Ratio of cars rented to cars available for a given day
Ratio of student acceptances to the total number of students
approved for admission
Learning Objective 2.7
Improving Productivity
Develop productivity measures for all operations
Determine critical (bottleneck) operations
Develop methods for productivity improvements
Establish reasonable goals
Make it clear that management supports and encourages
productivity improvement
Measure and publicize improvements
Don’t confuse productivity with efficiency
Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
You should be able to:
1.1Define the terms operations management and supply chain
1.2Identify similarities and differences between production and
service operations
1.3Explain the importance of learning about operations
management
1.4Identify the three major functional areas of organizations and
explain how they interrelate
1.5Summarize the two major aspects of process management
1.6Describe the operations function and the nature of the
operations manager’s job
Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
1.7Explain the key aspects of operations management decision
making
1.8Briefly describe the historical evolution of operations
management
1.9Describe the current issues in business that impact
operations management
1.10Explain the need to manage the supply chain
Learning Objective 1.1
Operations Management
What is operations?
The part of a business organization that is responsible for
producing goods or services
How can we define operations management?
The management of systems or processes that create goods
and/or provide services
Learning Objective 1.1
Good or Service? (1 of 2)
Goods are physical items that include raw materials, parts,
subassemblies, and final products.
Automobile
Computer
Oven
Shampoo
Learning Objective 1.1
Good or Service? (2 of 2)
Services are activities that provide some combination of time,
location, form or psychological value.
Air travel
Education
Haircut
Legal counsel
Learning Objective 1.1
Supply Chain
Supply chain – a sequence of activities and organizations
involved in producing and delivering a good or service
Suppliers’ suppliers
Direct suppliers
Producer
Distributor
Feedback = Measurements taken at various points in the
transformation process
Control = The comparison of feedback against previously
established standards to determine if corrective action is needed
Learning Objective 1.2
Manufacturing versus Service
Degree of customer contact
Uniformity of input
Labor content of jobs
Uniformity of output
Measurement of productivity
Production and delivery
Quality assurance
Amount of inventory
Learning Objective 1.3
Why Study Operations Management?
Every aspect of business affects or is affected by operations
Many service jobs are closely related to operations
Financial services
Marketing services
Accounting services
Information services
Through learning about operations and supply chains you will
have a better understanding of:
The world you live in
The global dependencies of companies and nations
Reasons that companies succeed or fail
The importance of working with others
Learning Objective 1.4
Function Overlap (1 of 2)
Finance & operations
Budgeting
Economic analysis of investment proposals
Provision of funds
Marketing & operations
Demand data
Product and service design
Competitor analysis
OM and Supply Chain Career Opportunities
Operations manager
Supply chain manager
Production analyst
Schedule coordinator
Production manager
Industrial engineer
Purchasing manager
Inventory manager
OM-Related Professional Societies
APICS - The Association for Operations Management
American Society for Quality (ASQ)
Institute for Supply Management (ISM)
Institute for Operations Research and Management Science
(INFORMS)
The Production and Operations Management Society (POMS)
The Project Management Institute (PMI)
Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP)
Learning Objective 1.5
Process Management
Process - one or more actions that transform inputs into outputs
Three Categories of Business Processes:
Upper-management processes: These govern the operation of the
entire organization.
Operational processes: These are core processes that make up
the value stream.
Supporting processes: These support the core processes.
Process VariationFour Sources of Variation:Variety of goods or
services being offeredThe greater the variety of goods and
services offered, the greater the variation in production or
service requirements.Structural variation in demandThese are
generally predictable. They are important for capacity
planning.Random variationNatural variation that is present in
all processes. Generally, it cannot be influenced by
managers.Assignable variationVariation that has identifiable
sources. This type of variation can be reduced, or eliminated, by
analysis and corrective action.
Variations can be disruptive to operations and supply chain
processes. They may result in additional costs, delays and
shortages, poor quality, and inefficient work systems.
Learning Objective 1.6
Scope of Operations Management
The scope of operations management ranges across the
organization.
The operations function includes many interrelated activities
such as:
Forecasting
Capacity planning
Facilities and layout
Scheduling
Managing inventories
Assuring quality
Motivating employees
Deciding where to locate facilities
And more . . .
Learning Objective 1.6
Role of the Operations Manager
The Operations function consists of all activities directly
related to producing goods or providing services.
A primary function of the operations manager is to guide the
system by decision making.
System design decisions
System operation decisions
Learning Objective 1.6
System Design Decisions
System design
Capacity
Facility location
Facility layout
Product and service planning
Acquisition and placement of equipment
These are typically strategic decisions that
usually require long-term commitment of resources
determine parameters of system operation
Learning Objective 1.6
System Operation Decisions
System operation
These are generally tactical and operational decisions
Management of personnel
Inventory management and control
Scheduling
Project management
Quality assurance
Operations managers spend more time on system operation
decision than any other decision area
They still have a vital stake in system design
Learning Objective 1.7
OM Decision Making (1 of 2)
Most operations decisions involve many alternatives that can
have quite different impacts on costs or profits
Typical operations decisions include:
What: What resources are needed, and in what amounts?
When: When will each resource be needed? When should the
work be scheduled? When should materials and other supplies
be ordered?
Learning Objective 1.7
OM Decision Making (2 of 2)
Where: Where will the work be done?
How: How will he product or service be designed? How will the
work be done? How will resources be allocated?
Who: Who will do the work?
Learning Objective 1.7
General Approach to Decision Making
Modeling is a key tool used by all decision makers
Model - an abstraction of reality; a simplification of something.
Common features of models:
They are simplifications of real-life phenomena
They omit unimportant details of the real-life systems they
mimic so that attention can be focused on the most important
aspects of the real-life system
Learning Objective 1.7
Understanding Models
Keys to successfully using a model in decision making
What is its purpose?
How is it used to generate results?
How are the results interpreted and used?
What are the model’s assumptions and limitations?
Learning Objective 1.7
Benefits of Models
Models are generally easier to use and less expensive than
dealing with the real system
Require users to organize and sometimes quantify information
Increase understanding of the problem
Enable managers to analyze “What if?” questions
Serve as a consistent tool for evaluation and provide a
standardized format for analyzing a problem
Enable users to bring the power of mathematics to bear on a
problem.
Learning Objective 1.7
Model Limitations
Quantitative information may be emphasized at the expense of
qualitative information
Models may be incorrectly applied and the results
misinterpreted
This is a real risk with the widespread availability of
sophisticated, computerized models are placed in the hands of
uninformed users
The use of models does not guarantee good decisions
Learning Objective 1.7
Quantitative Approaches
A decision-making approach that frequently seeks to obtain a
mathematically optimal solution
Supported by computer calculations
Often work together with qualitative approaches
Learning Objective 1.7
Metrics and Trade-Offs (1 of 2)
Performance metrics
All managers use metrics to manage and control operations
Profits
Costs
Quality
Productivity
Flexibility
Inventories
Schedules
Learning Objective 1.7
Metrics and Trade-Offs (2 of 2)
Analysis of trade-offs
A trade-off is giving up one thing in return for something else
Carrying more inventory (an expense) in order to achieve a
greater level of customer service
Learning Objective 1.7
Systems Approach (1 of 2)
System - a set of interrelated parts that must work together
The business organization is a system composed of subsystems
Marketing subsystem
Operations subsystem
Learning Objective 1.7
Systems Approach (2 of 2)
The systems approach
Emphasizes interrelationships among subsystems
Main theme is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
The output and objectives of the organization take precedence
over those of any one subsystem
Learning Objective 1.7
Establishing Priorities
In nearly all cases, certain issues or items are more important
than others
Recognizing this allows managers to focus their attention to
those efforts that will do the most good
Pareto Phenomenon - a few factors account for a high
percentage of occurrence of some event(s)
The critical few factors should receive the highest priority
This is a concept that is appropriately applied to all areas and
levels of management
Learning Objective 1.8
Historical Evolution of OM
Industrial Revolution
Scientific management
Human relations movement
Decision models and management science
Influence of Japanese manufacturers
Learning Objective 1.8
Industrial Revolution
Pre-Industrial Revolution
Craft production - System in which highly skilled workers use
simple, flexible tools to produce small quantities of customized
goods
Some key elements of the industrial revolution
Began in England in the 1770s
Division of labor - Adam Smith, 1776
Application of the “rotative” steam engine, 1780s
Cotton gin and interchangeable parts - Eli Whitney, 1792
Management theory and practice did not advance appreciably
during this period
Learning Objective 1.8
Scientific Management
Movement was led by efficiency engineer, Frederick Winslow
Taylor
Believed in a “science of management” based on observation,
measurement, analysis and improvement of work methods, and
economic incentives
Management is responsible for planning, carefully selecting and
training workers, finding the best way to perform each job,
achieving cooperation between management and workers, and
separating management activities from work activities
Emphasis was on maximizing output
Learning Objective 1.8
Human Relations Movement
The human relations movement emphasized the importance of
the human element in job design
Lillian Gilbreth – applications of psychology
Elton Mayo – Hawthorne studies on worker motivation, 1930
Abraham Maslow – motivation theory, 1940s; hierarchy of
needs, 1954
Frederick Hertzberg – Two Factor Theory, 1959
Douglas McGregor – Theory X and Theory Y, 1960s
William Ouchi – Theory Z, 1981
Learning Objective 1.8
Decision Models & Management Science
F.W. Harris – mathematical model for inventory management,
1915
Dodge, Romig, and Shewart – statistical procedures for
sampling and quality control, 1930s
Tippett – statistical sampling theory, 1935
Operations Research (OR) Groups – OR applications in warfare
George Dantzig – linear programming, 1947
Learning Objective 1.8
Influence of Japanese Manufacturers
Refined and developed management practices that increased
productivity
Credited with fueling the “quality revolution”
Just-in-Time production
Learning Objective 1.9
Environmental Concerns
Sustainability
Using resources in ways that do not harm ecological systems
that support human existence
Sustainability measures often go beyond traditional
environmental and economic measures to include measures that
incorporate social criteria in decision making
All areas of business will be affected
Product and service design
Consumer education programs
Disaster preparation and response
Supply chain waste management
Outsourcing decisions
Learning Objective 1.9
Ethical Issues in Operations
Ethical issues that may arise in many aspects of operations
management:
Financial statements
Worker safety
Product safety
Quality
The environment
The community
Hiring and firing workers
Learning Objective 1.10
The Need for Supply Chain Management
In the past, organizations did little to manage the supply chain
beyond their own operations and immediate suppliers which led
to numerous problems:
Oscillating inventory levels
Inventory stockouts
Late deliveries
Quality problems
The need to improve operations
Increasing levels of outsourcing
Increasing transportation costs
Competitive pressures
Increasing globalization
Increasing importance of e-business
The complexity of supply chains
The need to manage inventories