The frameworks detailed above are designed to ‘make it happen’ within the organisation. Operations management is not only about production or the manufacturing process. Planning and organising releases the energy to deliver goods and/or services in a cost-effective and dynamic manner. Operations as a concept, supports, implements and drives business strategy forward in creating the means by which to springboard the activities that produce revenue and that realise the strategic intent of the organisation.

If strategy is considered as being the total pattern of decisions that will position the organisation in its environment, then the operations function commits an organisation to the actions that will drive such strategy effectively and ‘deliver it through the hatch’.

Dependability and flexibility are the constant reminders of competitive behaviour. These elements, managed within the operations function, need to be the first capabilities energised within an organisation required to action the adaptations necessary to ensure true competitiveness, as rivalry alters the status quo against its processes and procedures.

Operations strategy assumes doing one set of things rather than another and that decisions have been made which commit the organisation to such particular action. The focus of sound ops management is challenged by how to compete more effectively. The degree of automation, the scale of technology and the level of integration between all the other support elements within the organisation, reflects in an ability to deliver quality end user products and / or services, on-time, and at a cost that meets strategic intent.

Operations Plan Sub Structure Frameworks Elements & Prompt Guides

1. Strategic Role & Objectives

Policies, systems and processes require energy to drive them and are harnessed by the procedures and work instructions that Operations Management introduces. The Operations Plan outlines the strategic refinements that will define capability. Tasks and decisions produce goods and services in line with corporate objectives aligned to user / market requirement. Where the required outputs are likely to stretch, clash or burden capability, the Ops Plan must introduce enhancements to technology, quality, logistics, systems etc that match these demands, or, challenge the objectives set from within those capability limitations. Every output is dependent upon an input that must progress through some type of environment designed to produce a product or service.

All organisations have an operations function irrespective of the nature of such company’s profile. However it is structured, the ops function should be able to govern the flow of goods and / or services that will satisfy a delivery demand. And it must do so whilst monitoring manufacturing or creative performance from the initial customer research or development phase, right through to the final delivery. It is often even pertinent to have an ops role functioning well beyond a projected warranty term.

The ops function is concerned with monitoring performance enhancement within an environmental management overview. Personnel and workplace safety & comfort support productivity initiatives that can impact upon competitive positioning against rivals. So your overall operations management responsibility touches all disciplines.

1.1 Input – Transformation – Output Model

• Examine the nature and the ensemble of the outputs desired.
• Determine what inputs are required to be transformed to comply.
• Map out the transformation process to compile work instructions.
• Test this model for effectiveness and introduce any enhancements.
• Communicate this model throughout as your defined template.

1.2 Production Objectives Analysis

• Determine the level of mistakes taking place and ID their sources.
• Capture the process speed being achieved to deliver quality result.
• Monitor outcome lead times against expectation / requirements.
• Analyse the cost of outcomes achievement against quality / goals.
• Return to the Ops model by introducing changes or enhancements.

1.3 Research & Development Process

• Inputs from the marketing and sales divisions guide development.
• Challenge these inputs to confirm long-term market requirement.
• Analyse the costs of altered process planning / production set up.
• Develop a budget to implement any major changes or processes.
• Factor in these costs then delivered as a final product outcome.