You work in a training organisation in an industrial city experiencing high unemployment due to factory closure. As a result your organisation is supporting many unemployed people who wish to re-train.

Assignment:  Managing Operations

Scenario

You work in a training organisation in an industrial city experiencing high unemployment due to factory closure. As a result your organisation is supporting many unemployed people who wish to re-train. Many of those seeking employment are hoping to transfer from the manufacturing to the service sector.  You need to produce a series of information sheets/guides about managing operations, providing examples of both service and manufacturing industries. You should, where possible, draw on your own experiences. These information sheets and guides will help your colleagues understand:

• the activities that make up operations management
• the relationship between operations and performance
• the importance of administration in operations management
• the relationship between operations management and business functions.

Remember, Operations Management is a role that varies greatly depending upon the type of business in which you are working. For example the Operations Manager of a factory and the Operations Manager of a service industry have quite different tasks and issues. It is therefore important that you provide exemplification from both service and manufacturing sectors.

Task 1

Produce an information sheet which provides an introduction to operations management.  Include

• an outline of the main types of operations found within businesses (AC 1.1)
• an explanation of how all operational activities can be represented as systems (AC 1.2)
• an evaluation of the characteristics which differentiate operational systems (AC 1.3).

Task 2

The performance of the operations division is significant in supporting the success of a business.  The role of the Operations Manager is therefore critical.  Produce an information guide which:

• explains how the operations function supports business performance (AC 2.1)
• identifies the main internal measures of success used by businesses (AC 2.2)
• evaluates how internal measures of success link to business objectives (AC 2.3)

• examines the relationship between operations management and the supply chain (AC 4.1)
• examines the links between operations management and quality management (AC 4.2).

Task 3

Some of the people looking for work will have administrative roles.   Provide a separate information sheet for them in which you:

• examine the relationship between operations and administrative management (AC 3.1)
• compare the process and functional approaches to operations management (AC 3.2).