Task/assessment brief:
TASK:
Choose a large organisation (example organisation list can be found be on Moodle). You are an Operations Management Consultant. You are required to undertake an individual research project, write a business report (4000 words+-10%) on the organisation’s current operations process and performance, and make original recommendations to achieve operational excellence.
The key aspects that need to be covered within the report are:
• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• PART A
i) Critically evaluate why operation management is important to an organisation’s performance using a model of operations management and how the organization’s operations differ (process) relative to the industry performances.
ii) Draw a Process Chart for the organisation showing how its products are processed within the organisation, or how the services are processed by the organisation to the customers.
Following the chart, critically analyse the following five aspects of the operations process in the organisation, explaining how they can be managed to achieve operational excellence.
• Process match with volume-variety requirements
• The appropriateness of process layout
• The Inventory management
• Quality management
• Supplier management
iii) Assess how lean considers and reduces waste in your organization’s operations and what benefits it brings to the organization that reflect in operations performance such as cost, quality, flexibility, process improvement and reliability. (Extra credit would be provided for use of examples-table etc).
• PART B
Sustainability is an increasingly relevant issue for a wide range of organisations and has implications for decisions and processes associated with all aspects of operations management. Using the organisation as an example you need to critically answer this question: “How can sustainability be integrated into operations management strategies and practices?”
• PART C
Collate all your findings about the organisation and draw concrete conclusions and draw some recommendations for the organisation, which can be from the practitioner i.e. other organisations/industry or academic research.
You need to follow a REPORT FORMAT.
Report Structure, Layout and suggested wordcount:
• Cover page: Your Name and Student Number and the word count.
• Executive summary: Half page
• Introduction
• Operations performance of the Organisation (Part A – i)
• Process management in the Organisation (Part A – ii)
• Lean operations in the Organisation (Part A – iii)
• Sustainable operations management in the organisation. (Part B)
• Conclusions and Recommendations. (Part C)
Marking and assessment criteria
• Evidence of the level of critical analysis of the issues faced by the organisation being evaluated.
• Understanding, critical evaluation and application of appropriate techniques, methods, models and tools to the issues discussed
• Appropriateness and justification of the conclusions drawn and recommendations made to address the issues identified
• Clarity and coherence of report (with regard to structure of analysis, diagnosis, correctness of spelling and grammar, appropriateness of language, accuracy of referencing including use of English and Harvard Referencing scheme).
Learning outcomes assessed
• Evaluate the nature, scope and extent of manufacturing and service operations strategy;
• Critically evaluate the use of quality tools and techniques for a wide range of organisational problems;
• Solve complex operational problems related to managing capacity and constraints within organisations;
• Demonstrate the application of strategies, tools and techniques to improve business operations and appraise and select appropriate methods for managing supply bases for a variety of organisations