Unit 25 Principles of Operations Management Assignment

Programme	Diploma in Business
Unit Number and Title	Unit 25 Principles of Operations Management
QFC Level	Level 5
Unit Code	H/508/0539

Executive Summary

Daily, we employ a massive amount of material items and different services. The majority of the physical items have been made and the majority of the services have been supplied by individuals in companies. Simply like fish are supposed to be ignorant of the water that encloses them, the majority of us provide light attention to the managerial procedures that manufacture these commodities and services intended for our application. The Unit 25 Principles of Operations Management Assignment is regarding the way the commodities and services that we pay money for and use day by day are created. For the operations management assignment we have considered Furniture supplying business as one under study.

Task 1

Explain why operations management is important for organizations.

Operations management is important for the organizations

Source: The importance of sustainable operation management, 2014.

There is single universal area across each and every business irrespective if the company is a government organization, producer, mining or a bank plus that is they all carry out operations (Kumar and Suresh, 2008).  Each and every organization has procedures and each business make any goods or services moreover they all need possessions (inputs) which are after that changed into finished goods.
Selected as capable to turn out the professional managers competent of gratifying premeditated positions in business firms the requirement of the carrying out of operations management can’t be skipped. Operations management is extremely significant in business operations given that it structures the core of the business by scheming the arrangement of operation. Operations management is regarding the blueprint, operation, and development of the structures that generate and present a business’s key goods and services. Similar to marketing as well as finance, operations management is a well-designed area of industry by apparent executive roles.

Analyse the operations functions of a selected organization.

A conventional instance of an operations management would be a supplies manager accountable of a furniture factory. Also the other managers who toil in the furniture unit are quality managers, assembly and account control managers– may too be measured to be operational in operations management (Slack, Chambers and Harland, 2004).  . Hence, operations managers are accountable for administration of the actions that are element of the making of furniture. Their direct tasks comprise running together the operations procedure, implementing blueprint, preparation, control, quality enhancement, and operations approach. Their indirect tasks embrace working together with those administrators in other practical regions in the business whose responsibilities have an effect on operations. Such areas include marketing, finance, accounting, personnel and engineering
Operations managers' tasks comprise:

• Human resource management – the group in employment with the furniture supplying business (or any other organization, in general) either work straightforwardly to generate a commodity or service or offer aid to the ones who generate them.The workers are the key resources for every firm.
•  Asset management – The firm’s assets are its tools, buildings, equipment as well as stock needed for the production of the furniture. The most important asset in this case is the Wood of various varieties.
• Cost management – The major portion of cost involved in producing furniture is the one related to acquisition of the raw materials (wood/ steel/plastic etc.) needed for building the furniture. The operations management helps the business in having a competitive edge by assisting in reduction in costs of production.

Decision making is a fundamental responsibility of each and every operations manager. Decisions have to be taken in:  planning the operations scheme, administration of the operations scheme and improving the operations arrangement. The five foremost kinds of decision in the furniture business are regarding:

1. The procedures by which furniture is made
2. The class of furniture
3. The capacity, size and quantity of the furniture to be produced (the capability of operations)
4. The inventory (stock) required to manufacture furniture
5. The supervision of staff.  

Evaluate, by using a process model, the operations management of a selected organization.

A process model is an explanation of a procedure at the kind intensity. Given that the process model is at the category stage, a procedure is a carrying it out. The unchanged process model is utilized repetitively for the growth of a lot of applications moreover therefore, has a lot of case in points. single probable exercise of a process model is to lay down the way things have got to/ be supposed to/might be completed contrary to the process itself which is in fact what takes place. A process model is almost an expectation of what the procedure will appear as. The scope of development shall be will be determined all throughreal system improvement.

Source: Own study

1. Research:

Not at all like other configuration processes the furniture outline process doesn’t start with a brief, being the customer, in case there is one, is typically asking for a “made to order”quantity of furniture lacking any particular prerequisites, except maybe the dimension Additionally, furniture fashioners who are independently working frequently make pieces like they set out and put them up for sale on a while later. In this logic the term furniture is alluding to an extensive variety of things from seats to cupboards to closets to timber doors. In place for a furniture fashioner, or any architect besides, to be ceaselessly roused it serves to be decently researched. Considering what different furniture designers have been doing and what the modern companions assists to get more ideas (Pannerselvam, 2004).

2. Design Concept:

The main genuine step in the process model is the idea; this is the beginning stage as of which the whole thing develops. The brainstorming session by operations management is necessary. However the thought is essential to be recorded by penning it down, drawing the general configuration structure and also the designs and techniques of furniture in demand.

3. Scale Model:

It is advised to the operations management to make a small model which depicts the idea of the furniture piece. In case any problem is foreseen, it has to be resolved while production. In case of the unforeseen issues during business operation, they can be sorted out while production so as to avoid the wastage of raw materials. The scale model mighttooassistrecognize which kind of woodworkmethods are largelysuitable.

4. Prototype:

The subsequent step is to construct a full size, operationalmodel.A model is essentially the tiny scale model completed as full sized. In case this is a special design piece, then the precise similar building procedure will have to be utilized for the final manufactured goods. In case of any mistakes that didn't appear in the small scale design will be resolvedby the prototype with the intention that there will be no additionaldifficultiesprior to building up of the furniture.

5. Testing:

One time the prototype has been made, it requires to be checked. In case it's a chair, anybody wants to relax; in case it’s a shelf then it is needed for keeping things and various similar requirements. For the bulk creation, furniture has to be tested and also a few of prototypes need to be formed so as to know what the confines of the quantity of furniture are.

6. Presentation:

As the operations are done, the management needs to keep a photograph for portfolio reasons. In case there is a customer in that case as all of the trying has been finished, the piece is to be handed to them. He might just accept it as it is or would ask for any changes in it. In that case the management needs to send the same back to workshop. However if there is no client, the piece will be kept in the display area for sales.

Appraise the importance of three E’s to the origination.

The three E’s, namely- economy, efficiency and effectiveness are directly interlocked. Occasionally, they transact among each other. For instance, economy of bringing the raw material (wood/steel) for the furniture can be augmented in multiples by getting the supplies once in 2 months; however it would decrease the effectiveness of the operations to an undesirable level. The manager's responsibility, in attaining the most advantageous level of exchange among these three, is quite difficult. A common way is that the operations manager ought to centre on the organization’s objectives and strive to distinguish if economy or efficiency procedures are supportive in attaining those objectives. The 3 E’s ascertain that the excellence of performance ought not to be negotiated in looking forsuperior economy or efficiency. Conversely, if probable, effectiveness is supposed toboost by thosegauges.

a) Economy

At the time of checking on procurement of assets for economy, the evaluator tries to find out whether assets have been acquired in the perfect proportion, at opportune spot, at correct time and at right cost. Such a survey presumes accessibility of satisfactory principles. Anyhow the genuine circumstance is that instant norms are not accessible. Consequently the operations manager needs to focus his criteria regarding the essential targets of the association. While deciding the perfect measure of assets, he would check whether the administration set out its requirements plainly and, the extent that this would be possible, quantitatively. The evaluation of requirements ought to regularly, prompt recognizable proof of prerequisites for which options are dissected to focus least cost.
Efficiency: Efficiency is a troublesome idea in the furniture business. It assumes that guidelines of inputs and outputs are accessible. Yet in a substantial number of cases the principles are not accessible plus the reviewer needs to effort with the operations manager to focus settled norms. The mainly generally utilized norms, on the other hand, are arranged output for agreed inputs set around the furniture’s’ managers itself. In case, they are not accessible then different strategies are utilized to survey the level of efficiency.
Effectiveness: evaluation of effectiveness deduces subsistence of assessable purposes or results of public curriculums. These purposes or outcomes provide as criterion for the management. Articulating a view on the effectiveness is an imperative and essential step forward in the customary scope of operations management.

Assess the impact of the tension between cost minimization and quality maximization in the organizations

Cost minimization: All firms like the furniture supplier aspire to decrease the cost in the industry. The plan of cost minimization is to attain the mainly cost-effective means of distributing furniture to the necessary level amount of worth. There are quite a lot of advantages of minimizing costs for the furniture suppliers. One of the chief benefits is that the business will perceptibly accumulate extra wealth however have inferior unit costs; one more benefit is superior revenue margin, superior operating profits plus a better cash flow. On the other hand problems might occur from cost minimization for instance in case the purchase department decreases cost, then it might infuriate other tasks of the company, suppliers might be dissatisfied in addition to investors. The organization may be left with inadequate ability to handle sudden or fleeting increment in the demand.
Quality maximization:  The furniture business has focus on the deliberations on expanding quality and reliably enhancing the standard of the furniture with a specific end goal to satisfy the needs of the clients. An illustration of how this capability may be exhibited by the business is by carefully surveying the business work for precision and culmination, and keep up a longing to deliver the products on time. The furniture business takes after assigned practices that have demonstrated to guarantee precise, quality results. Earnestly and persistently searches for approaches to raise the quality of work. Recognizes and addresses all points of interest that are required to guarantee smooth working. Consistently makes inquiries and watches how others work, receiving best practices to augment quality and adequacy. The quality maximization also confirms suspicions and data by checking with dependable sources and specialists or through direct encounter. It builds processes to encourage the conveyance of excellent work. This picks up careful information of "downstream" customer needs and attempts to guarantee they are met (Heizer and Render, 2008).
Improvement and maximization of quality can be moderately prolonged and also costly for the furniture production. This goes in opposition to cost minimization and it turns into complication for firms to decrease costs how ever in addition sustain and maximize superior quality. In case the furniture business is not competent to sustain these together, then it possibly will cause troubles plus they won’t proficient to fulfil buyer demands. This might cause discontented buyers and the company might start on to fail and also make losses. On the other hand, if the furniture business fruitfully is able to appraise and recognize issues, improve to the quality of furniture making sure the buyer demands are fulfilled in addition to controlling and decreasing costs of units then this can take them to growing sales and earnings speedily.

Evaluate the significance of five performance objectives that underpin operations management to the organizations.

The fundamental five operational objectives include esteem for clients and helps competiveness by having the capacity to fulfil the prerequisites of its clients. It uses key execution measures to match the desires of the client with the foreseen capability of the general business (Joseph, 2004).

1. Quality:

Quality is major thing and the basis of any producers and organizations. The quality composes the status of a business. This can identify with the furniture as well as services supplied by the company or the quality of the products obtained yet clients dependably discusses quality! The business has to guarantee they give great quality furniture to clients with a specific end goal to meet there necessities and make them glad.

2. Speed:

For some organizations citing super quick manufacturing period is the main differentiator in what differentiates them from their rival. So as to convey this speed preference a furniture company have got to observe the internal value chain as a way to build proficiency and decrease the framework slack. Lean assembling has numerous devices and procedures for recognizing and diminishing squandered time in process.

3. Dependability:

It is vital that a business is able to keep promises made to customers; stay true to their words. It is a vital factor that customers are happy and are able to trust the company. It ensures that the business does not suffer from extremes of process deviation. If the business model is predictable and the supply chain (as a part of the extended value chain) is reliable you can make bold statements to your customers and never let them down (Hruzova, 1999).
It is crucial that a furniture business has the capacity to fulfil its pledges to clients; remain bound to their terms. It is a basic variable that clients are cheerful and have the capacity to believe in the organization. It guarantees that the business does not experience the ill effects of limits of process divergence. In case the business is able to predict, and the supply chain is dependable one might put forth striking expressions to the buyers and never let them down.

4. Flexibility:

As far as new companies are starting, there are getting to be less and less quantity builders – all the more product is relied upon to be appropriately customized for the client. This acquaints multifaceted nature with a business framework and obliges burden adjusting systems to guarantee that all orders and clients' needs can be dealt with the identical elevated state of productivity. Regularly assembling a new furniture maker, the changing business necessity is less demanding that attempts to transform a current volume maker into an agile substance.

5. Costs:

To make the merchandise for a stock recharging framework, in which volume generation empowers a harmony between the monetary cluster size and the cost value point for every unit. The second strategy is further to attain a competitive edge by tailoring and personalization – in which the likelihood of expanding the overall revenue would be adequate and permit the organization to assimilate waste expenses connected with minor batch manufacture. 

Task 2

 Assess how linear programming adds value to a given production process.

Linear programming is a way to attain the optimum utilization of the assets and resources of the firm. The decision maker can use linear programming to guarantee the effective utilization of the inadequate resources by the right use. The linear programming methods add value to the decision making process. The Linear programming offers a variety of different solutions and therefore aids in attaining the best possible solution at operational level. It allows the changes to the previous models to match the needs of decision making process. This process helps the operations manager in maintaining the capacity of materials and machinery in a process. The decision maker is able to decide the way in which the right levels of the business objectives are achieved. The linear programming also enables the firm to manage even in the changing situations and take quick decisions for execution (Galloway, Rowbotham, Azhashemi, 2005).

Evaluate critical path analysis and network planning

CPA is a preparation and project management tool. Although it can assist guarantee a project is finished as rapidly as achievable, and assets utilised as resourcefully as achievable, it does rely on the correctness of the details utilised. Simply sketching a CPA won’t in itself guarantee a project operates to plan; the majority of projects come across a number of hindrances or something unanticipated, as a result managers requiremaking use ofinstrumentfor instance CPA to scrutinize the process and acquire speedy accomplishment to resolve any issues.

A straightforward illustration – making a chair

Fig: Transformation process

Justify the operational need for operational planning and control in a selected production process.

The furniture manufacturers start out to carry out the fundamental task: to convert resources into finished goods. To carry out this task in current business situation, manufacturers have got to recurrently struggle to develop operational efficiency. They have got to polish up their production processes to centre on excellence, to reduce the costs of materials and manual labour, and to eradicate all costs that attach no worth to the furniture made. Creation the decisions concerned in the attempt to accomplish these objectives is the task of the operations manager (Farrell, 2003). That individual’s tasks can be set as below:

• Production planning. At some stage in production planning, managers settle on the way furniture will be created, the place where fabrication will occur, and the way of manufacturing amenities to be laid out.
• Production control. On one occasion the production procedure is in progress, managers have to repeatedlyprogramme and keep an eye on the tasks that comprise that progression. They have toplead for and act in response to criticism and make modifications where essential. At this point, they toosupervise the buying of reserves and the management of stocks (Wild, 1995).
• Quality control. at last, the operations manager is unswervingly caught up in attempts to make sure that furniture is madein accordance withrequirements and that quality benchmarks are upheld

Produce a set of clearly defined operational outcomes for a selected organization

Statement of purpose

The initial phase in the strategic planning process is an appraisal of the business. Organizations rely on upon shoppers for their presence. In the event that you are confronting a quickly developing purchaser base, the business will most likely arrange uniquely in contrast to if its customers is steady or contracting. On the off chance that one is fortunate enough to be in a business where brand devotion still wins, one can take the risk that others can't stand to take. Before on starts to evaluate the business, it is vital to end a cautious appraisal of own business and its objectives. The result of this assessment toward oneself process is known as the statement of purpose.

Defining of Business

A primary concern in defining a mission statement is addressing the question "What business are you in?" Answering this may seem fairly easy: however, it can be a complex task. Determining the nature of your business should not be strictly tied to the specific product or service you currently produce. Rather, it must be tied to the result of your output--your social function--and the competencies you have developed in producing that output (Stevenson, 2005)
An essential concern in characterizing a statement of purpose is tending to the inquiry "What business one is in?" responding to this may appear to be genuinely simple: on the other hand, it can be a complex errand (Dilworth, 1992). Deciding the way of the furniture making ought not to be strictly attached to the particular item or administration one right now delivers. Rather, it must be attached to the after-effect of the furniture made -its social capacity -and the capabilities it has created in making that furniture.

The Firm's rationality

When one has characterized the statement of purpose, the following step is to characterize the company's fundamental rationality (Starr, 2004). Such an announcement will help clarify to the workers and partners how one might want to see the furniture business work. By what method will business identify with clients, suppliers and contenders? What kind of group contribution does it get ready for the business, e.g., investment in recycling and volunteer exercises? These inquiries and a lot of more need clear responses to help the employees settle on operational choices and act in a way predictable with business wishes.

The Firm's Goals

The next stride is to lay down obvious goals to lead and uphold the company on a course in harmony with its mission. The furniture business goals provide to:

• Give good reason for or legitimize the furniture- making.
• Focus consideration and lay down restrictions for employees.
• Recognize the character of the products to be made and product-range.
• Decrease indecision by expounding what the business is doing.
• Supply as a criterion of evaluation for employees.
• Present a basis for organization intend.

Produce a network plan indicating the resultant critical path

Here is a straightforward instance, in which a number of tasks are as per other tasks, while others are capable to be done separately.

Activity	Preceded by	Elapsed time (minutes)
A Ingredients	-	1
B Other resources	A	3
C Paint mixing time	B	60
D prepare structure of chair	-	1
E Angle fixing	-	10
F Nails utilisation	C&D	2
G Painting of chair	F	15
H drying of paint	E & G	40

In this instance, there is a comprehensible series of proceedings that need to take place in the correct order. If some of the occasions on the critical path is postponed, then the chair will not be prepared in a little while on the other hand, tasks D (prepare structure of chair) and E (angle fixing) can be happening at some time provided that they are finished by the most recent end time in the subsequent node.
consequently, we can observe that the paint can be prepared before time 0, however we can effort out that it could be done anywhere before G, because after that it won’t be of any use. There is a little ‘float’ on hand for tasks D and E as none of them is on the critical path.
This is a moderately straightforward case in point, and we can distinguish the LST and LFT are the identical in every node. In a further multifaceted CPA, this will not essentially be the thing (Everett et al. 1994), and in case it does, will be a sign of a little ‘float’ in at any rate one movement causing the node. On the other hand, nodes on the critical path will constantly include the similar EST as well as LFT.

Justify how quality management techniques are applied to improve operations in a selected organization

1. Statistical procedure control

Companies are able to employ a range of tools to recognize regions for improvement. A widespread way in manufacturing is known as statistical procedure control. This method checks manufacture quality through testing a model of productivity to perceive if the furniture in progression is being finished in accordance with pre-set requirements.

2. Benchmarking

Now and then it moreover assists to glance external to the business for designs on the way to develop operations and to find out the way business contrasts to others. Businesses habitually employ benchmarking to judge against their performance on numerous aspects with the presentation of other firms that do extremely well in the furniture making.

3. International Quality standards

It is a technique utilized to see which firm is able to attain the quality standards that meet the industry benchmarks, the application of quality standards like ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 ensure that the businesses attain the upmost excellence in production.

Conclusion

In case the business exercises, along with others, too operations management understanding in that case there is an elevated likelihood of attaining it’s laid down targets. It denotes the business will moreover arrive at a soaring competitiveness and it will be competent to uphold it.  It is likely for the business to get hold of even a superior competitive gain over other firms in case there has been put into practiceto the arrangement of operational management,

References

Dilworth, J. B., (1992). Operations Management. Design, Planning, and Control for Manufacturing and Service.  McGraw-Hill, 1992.
Everett, E. Adam, Jr. Ronald J. Ebert, (1994). Production and Operations Management, Prentice- Hall of India Private Limited, 5th Edition, 1994.
Farrell, D., (2003). “The Real New Economy”. Harvard Business Review. October. pp. 105-112.
Galloway, L., Rowbotham, F., Azhashemi, F., (2005). Operations Management in Context. Elsevier Butterworth- Heinemann.
Heizer, J., Render, B., (2008). Operations Management. 9th Ed. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall
Hr?zová, H., (1999). Operations Management Syllabus. VŠE v Praze.
Importance of operations management extracted on 18^th Oct’2014 from The importance of sustainable operation management, 2014.
Joseph, G., (2004). Theory and Problems of Operations Management, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited, 2nd Edition.
Kumar, S.A., Suresh, N., (2008). Production and Operations Management, New Age International Publishers, 2nd Edition.
Pannerselvam, R., (2004). Production and Operations Management, Prentice-Hall of India Private Limited, 9th print.