Operations and Project Management

Operations and Project
Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1: Review of implementation of operations management principles........................................1
M1: Review and critique of implementations of operations management principles.................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
P2: Preparation of a continuous improvement plan.....................................................................4
M2: Analysis of effectiveness of continuous improvement plan.................................................5
D1: Application of theories, concepts and models to justify the strategies of continuous
improvement plan........................................................................................................................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................6
P3: Application of stages of project life cycle.............................................................................6
M3: Analysis of rationale of PLC................................................................................................9
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................10
P4: Review of effectiveness of PLC using appropriate theories................................................10
M4: Critical analysis of use of theories in PLC to differentiate between large and small-scale
projects.......................................................................................................................................11
D2: Critical evaluation of PLC using practical and theoretical exploration of its effectiveness
....................................................................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Operations management refers to sound administration of functioning of a business in
order to achieve the highest efficiency possible in an organisation (Arriagada and et.al., 2016). It
helps in conversion of materials into goods and labour into services with effectiveness so as to
maximise the profits of the enterprise. Project management refers to planning, organising,
execution and controlling of project work in order to achieve specific goals of the company. For
this report, MSD Lighting Ltd. has been selected which is a lighting manufacturer based in
Midlands, United Kingdom. In this assignment, specific analysis will be made on review of
effectiveness of principles of operations management, application of context of continuous
improvement in operational context. Also, application of project life cycle in a given context and
review of application of PLC in a project will be covered.
TASK 1
P1: Review of implementation of operations management principles
MSD Lighting Co. which takes projects for developing lighting solutions for their
different clients. They produce traditional and modern lights as per the needs and requirements
of customers (Artto, Ahola and Vartiainen, 2016). The firm is based in Midlands, United
Kingdom. Its aim is to provide quality products within the budget of clients and to apply new
design ideas for lighting.
Difference between operation and operations management-
Basis Operation Operations management
Meaning It refers to conducting a
specific and particular task.
It means administration of
business practices for
achievement of efficiency and
productivity.
Focus To ensure that the project is
conducted successfully
without any errors.
Ensuring smoothness in
functioning of different
functions of the entire
organisation.
Role To measure and report the To evaluate the working of all
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progress of projects. the departments of a company.
Implementation of operations management principles-
Operations management principles are important for an organisation as the help it in
finding out faults in its processes and making improvements as required (Bakhshi, Ireland and
Gorod, 2016). MSD Lighting Ltd. is a light manufacturing firm which can apply these principles
as explained below-
Six Sigma-
Six Sigma is an ideology of management in which focus is made on different statistical
measures for improvement of performance. MSD Lighting Ltd. can use it for identifying defects
and errors made in the process of manufacturing and the rectifying measures it can take to
remove them. The firm can use DMAIC approach which stands for defining, measuring,
analysing, improving and controlling. The following steps can be taken by the company to
implement this approach-
Defining faulty processes- In this step processes of manufacturing which have faults and
errors are identified. MSD Lighting Ltd. can do this performing a thorough analysis of its goals
and objectives to see whether the processes are following them or not.
Measurement of performance- This step includes making supervising teams for
measuring the performance to match it with the benchmarks set (Chirumalla, 2018). MSD
Lighting Ltd. can ensure this by setting appropriate standards for its production teams and make
sure that they follow them.
Identification of errors- In this step, errors of the manufacturing process are analysed
thoroughly. MSD Lighting Ltd. through supervision can identify these errors and make sure to
identify their root cause.
Improvement of performance- After identifying the defects and errors the next step is
to take rectifying measures to improve performance. MSD Lighting Ltd. can do this by re-
framing its strategies or implementing new technology for production.
Controlling process- This step ensures setting of monitoring and controlling procedures.
MSD Lighting Ltd. can make sure to set these processes and ensure effective supervision and
controlling which will lead to less mistakes, errors and defects in manufacturing process in the
future.
Lean principles-
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Lean management refers to an approach of management of an organisation which
includes adopting a long-term approach (Fleming and Koppelman, 2016). It systematically seeks
to achieve small changes for achieving the ultimate aim of improving efficiency and quality.
MSD Lighting Ltd. can apply these principles to ensure quality and effectiveness in its processes
and functioning. These principles in the context of company can be applied as follows-
Identification of value- This means that continuous identification of products must be
done to identify its value in front of customers. MSD Lighting Ltd. should identify the needs of
customer and accordingly develop goods which can create value for them.
Mapping the value stream- Once value has been identified, the next step is to identify
processes which can lead towards accomplishment of goals. MSD Lighting Ltd. must identify
the reasons for making the product and the targets it will achieve for the firm in the future.
Creation of flow- A flow has to be created between the chain of processes to establish a
link between them. It is necessary for MSD Lighting Ltd. to do this because it will ensure that
steps to maximise efficiency are implemented.
Establishment of pull- In it, customer's perspectives are considered for the product to
identify the reasons of customer demanding the product. MSD Lighting Ltd. has to identify the
reasons of their products being required by their clients.
Seeking perfection- In it, maximum efficiency and effectiveness is put into the processes
to ensure perfection (Gemünden, Lehner and Kock, 2018). MSD Lighting Ltd. can ensure this
by making improvements and implementing meaningful change.
Positive impact- If MSD Lighting Ltd. implements the lean principles it will help it in
proper management of production and creation of value of its products among customers.
Negative impact- Implementation of these principles can also negatively impact the
organisation as it can lead to quality issues and difficulties in implementing changes.
M1: Review and critique of implementations of operations management principles
Implementation of steps of six sigma can positively boost the overall efficiency,
effectiveness and productivity of processes in MSD Lighting Ltd. This will lead to quality
products being manufactured by it helping it in enhancing its profits. Implementation of six
sigma principles lead to tight regulations over the workers of MSD Lighting Ltd. Regular
interference in their work can affect their motivation and can increase chances of mistakes.
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TASK 2
P2: Preparation of a continuous improvement plan
Continuous improvement refers to an ongoing effort made by organisations to improve
their products, services and processes (Lee, 2018). MSD Lighting Ltd. can make these efforts
for achieving improvement in increments over time or for a breakthrough improvement. This
will help the firm in improving and rectifying the problems in its manufacturing process.
The two issues which are persisting with the production process of MSD Lighting Ltd.
are-
 Lack of efficiency- The manufacturing processes in MSD Lighting Ltd. lack the
required efficiency. This is bothering the company as it is not able to achieve the
required efficiency as per the standards.
 New technology- The manufacturing processes in MSD Lighting Ltd. are not according
to the new technology. This is creating issues for the firm as it is increasing its overall
cost.
PDCA- It is a method in management which stands for plan, do, check and act. MSD
Lighting Ltd. can use it to facilitate continuous improvement in its operational cycles (Martens
and Carvalho, 2017). In the context of the organisation, it can be implemented as follows-
Plan Do Check Act
The company can
make plan of solving
the problem of lack of
efficiency by
identifying the root
cause of this issue.
Strategic actions like
fixation of standards
of production for
workers, efficiency
checking tools can be
adopted.
Supervisors should
regularly monitor the
work done by the
subordinates under
them.
The supervisors must
be given the authority
of taking tough actions
if subordinates do not
follow their
instructions.
The firm can make
plan to adopt the new
technology by
introducing systematic
changes.
The feasibility of
using new technology
must be studied and
thereafter the
necessary actions need
to be taken for
Regular checking
needs to be done by
supervisors to see if
the workers are facing
problems with the new
technology and how
Action must be taken
if the problems persist
with implementation
of new technology in
manufacturing
processses. It should
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implementing it in
production processes.
their problems can be
addressed.
be ensured that
workers gradually ease
into using the new
technology for
production.
Recommendations to improve operations function-
 MSD Lighting Ltd. must make sure that it make an comprehensive action plan for
achieving its goals and targets of the future. This will enable it to bring smoothness in
operations function. It will also allow the firm to ensure that work is done according to
the plan.
 MSD Lighting Ltd. should ensure that streamlining and simplification tasks is done in the
manufacturing process. This will enable it to allot tasks according to the capability of
workers raising the overall productivity. This will boost specialisation in capabilities of
employees and will raise the efficiency and effectiveness level. Thus the aim of
organisation to produce quality products for its customers will be achieved.
M2: Analysis of effectiveness of continuous improvement plan
The continuous improvement plan framed by the MSD Lighting Ltd. will help it in
addressing its twin issues of lack of efficiency and problems in adaptation to new technology. It
is so because framing of this plan i.e. PDCA tells the managers of the firm what exactly needs to
be done to sort out the problems. It will be effective as it is a comprehensive action plan intended
to improve the processes of manufacturing and production of the firm.
D1: Application of theories, concepts and models to justify the strategies of continuous
improvement plan
Theories like performance theory, total quality management approach can be used by
MSD Lighting Ltd. to evaluate the performance of the manufacturing processes after the
implementation of continuous improvement plan. Performance theory helps in evaluation of
performance, TQM helps in elimination of errors in manufacturing. This therefore can help the
company in addressing its two issues mentioned above. It can see whether the plan developed by
it is successful or not.
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TASK 3
P3: Application of stages of project life cycle
MSD Lighting Ltd. is facing two issues which are hindering it in achieving its business
objectives. These problems need to be addressed quickly if the firm has to achieve operational
efficiency in its operations. The problems being faced by the organisation are-
 Excessive movement of staff during lunch hours- The company's workers constantly
move out of the premises during lunch hours. This affects their productivity level and
eventually the production is affected.
 Absenteeism among staff- Due to unhealthy lifestyle the staff of company is regularly
falling sick and thus regular leaves are taken by them. This is affecting the production
process of the firm.
Project life cycle refers to sequence of phases from which a project goes through from the
starting to end (Martínez-Rojas, Marín and Vila, 2016). It should be adopted by MSD Lighting
Ltd. to solve the problems which are bothering its production. Its phases are detailed as follows-
Initiation phase- In this phase, projects are defined and authorized. It is the initial phase
where information is gathered. MSD Lighting Ltd. can gather more information on reasons of
excessive movement of staff during lunch and absenteeism among workers. The company then
needs to initiate the project for solving these issues.
Planning phase- In it, strategic and implementation plans are made so that the problems
can be addressed (McCluskey and Vallati, 2017). After gathering the required information,
MSD Lighting Ltd. should make the required plans for addressing the problems.
Execution phase- Once the plans have been made, the next task is to ensure their
execution. This can be done by establishment of monitoring and controlling procedures which
will lead to addresssal of problems. MSD Lighting Ltd. should execute the required plans so that
excessive movement of staff during lunch and their absenteeism can be reduced. The plans
should include the right solutions for the issues so that their adoption can resolve them.
Closure phase- This is the last phase in any project in which it is completed. After
execution of plans, a review needs to be done by MSD Lighting Ltd. to ensure that they are
successful. The organisation should be able to address its problems before it can move on to
close the project initiated.
Supporting documents required to complete the project-
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The supporting documents like business case, project plan and work breakdown structure
are required by MSD Lighting Ltd. to complete the project (Padalkar and Gopinath, 2016). A
detailed explanation of them is as follows-
Business case- It is required for covering the reasons for initiation of a specific project or
task. The business case of MSD Lighting Ltd. is as follows-
Company overview MSD Lighting Ltd. is a large-scale manufacturing firm
which deals in production of lighting equipments. It
produces high-quality lighting products according to
varied needs and requirements of customers.
Vision The company has a vision of becoming the market leader
in manufacturing of lighting products.
Mission The firm has a mission of bringing innovation and
excellence in its products. It aims to bring efficiency in its
production to produce products useful for customers.
Objective The objective of the company is to ensure with its timely
project management that the orders given to it are
delivered on time.
Marketing plan Product- The products of the firm are lighting products.
Price- The price has to kept in the range of 15-20 pounds.
Place- The firm is located in Midlands, United Kingdom.
Promotion- For promotion the company adopts offline
and online methods to increase the demand of its
products.
Financial budget Particulars Amount
Material expenses 25000
Labour expenses 15000
Overheads 10000
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Miscellaneous 18000
Total 68000
Follow-up The follow-up will be done by using techniques of
monitoring and controlling to ensure that the production
is going on smoothly.
Project plan- It is a document which is created to control a project from its initiation to
the end (Serio and et.al., 2016). It displays the timeline that is needed to be followed to cover a
specific assignment.
Cost The cost of lights of company is in the range of
15-20 pounds making it affordable for the
customers.
Communication The communication in the firm for the purpose
of project is done by ensuring supervisors tell
the subordinates the tasks which they have to
perform and monitoring them till their
completion.
Quality Quality is ensured by strict quality checks
which ensure that the products being produced
are not lacking in their quality.
Scope The company has a large scope in the market
which has many avenues for its different
products.
Work breakdown structure- It refers to the hierarchical decomposition of the work
which is required to be accomplished by the entire team working on the project (Work
Breakdown Structure, 2015).
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M3: Analysis of rationale of PLC
The PLC made by MSD Lighting Ltd. to address the twin issues related to staff by
gathering the information, making relevant plans, execution of those plans and closure of project
can create impact by resolving its problems. It is so because it has the required elements which
are needed to remove these issues. The PLC is effective and efficient enough to raise the
productivity of employees. It will ensure that manufacturing process in the firm goes on
smoothly.
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Illustration 1: Work Breakdown Structure, 2015

TASK 4
P4: Review of effectiveness of PLC using appropriate theories
Different theories and concepts can be used to find out the effectiveness of project life
cycle being used in an organisation (Silvius, 2017). MSD Lighting Ltd. uses the following
theories for finding out the effectiveness of its project life cycle-
Theory of effectiveness measurement-
This theory finds out how well an organisation achieves its goals which is reflected by
measurement of its performance. MSD Lighting Ltd. can apply this theory to find out the
effectiveness of its project life cycle so that the project meets out its intended objectives. The
different elements of this theory are as follows-
Constraints- There are various constraints in achievement of a particular project. These
are internal and external in nature. MSD Lighting Ltd. needs to find out these constraints which
are affecting the implementation of its project and are hindering its progress. Doing so will allow
it to formulate strategies to counter these constraints.
Adaptation- The theory states that the best way to deal with constraints is to adapt
quickly to them. MSD Lighting Ltd. has to find out their root causes which will help them in
using resources to rectify the problems.
Inertia- According to the theory, there are different obstacles which prevent an
organisation from changing (Sunder, 2016). MSD Lighting Ltd. must identify them and must
work to minimise their effects. It has to identify the resistances being put up in implementation
of its project life cycle. This will enable it to find solutions to these resistances and it will result
in success of the project.
Selection- It states that effective organisations are the one who do well by adapting to
change in circumstances. MSD Lighting Ltd. should identify the changes in implementation of
its project and must be quick in adapting to them so that the project can be successful.
Performance management cycle- Performance management cycle has different
elements which suggest how it must be implemented in an organisation. MSD Lighting Ltd.
should implement this cycle to ensure that project life cycle is effective so that assignment is
successful. Its elements are as follows-
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Setting of objectives- Objectives need to be set so that performance is measured
effectively. They have to be set using certain standards and specifications. MSD Lighting Ltd.
has to ensure that the right standards are set for the project which it has undertaken to complete.
Measuring performance- After the setting of objectives, performance needs to be
measured. MSD Lighting Ltd. needs to periodically measure its performance during different
cycles of the project to ensure that the desired results are being achieved.
Feedback of results- Once the performance has been measured, there needs to be a
feedback of results achieved. It can be either positive or negative in nature. MSD Lighting Ltd.
has to obtain a feedback of results so that it can rectify the problems in the project.
Reward on performance- If the desired results have been achieved a reward needs to be
given on good performance (Whyte, Lindkvist and Jaradat, 2016). MSD Lighting Ltd. has to
give appropriate rewards if the project is successful.
Critical review- Both these theories are effective for MSD Lighting Ltd. in measuring
the performance of its project. They help the firm in setting standards for its project and ensuring
that they are being followed by measurement of performance. Therefore, the project life cycle
can be monitored and controlled by identifying defects and errors at any stage. Quick
rectification steps can be taken to ensure that assignment is successful in accomplishing its
desired goals and objectives.
M4: Critical analysis of use of theories in PLC to differentiate between large and small-scale
projects
Theories used to check efficiency and effectiveness of PLC can also be used to
differentiate between large and small-scale projects. Performance theory can be used to measure
the working in small-scale firms while the large-scale organisations will use six sigma, lean
principles and TQM to measure their productivity and success of their PLC. Thus is clearly
differentiates the theories that firms should use according to their size of operations and
manufacturing capacity.
D2: Critical evaluation of PLC using practical and theoretical exploration of its effectiveness
The PLC framed by MSD Lighting Ltd. to counter problems related with its workforce
can work effectively if the firm frames strict laws for movement of staff during lunch hours and
frames a policy for maintaining health of staff for reducing absenteeism. This is because the PLC
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offers a practical solution of problems. Also theoretically it offers best solution for addressal of
problems by developing best approaches in cycles to counter issues.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that operations and project management is
concerned with designing and controlling of the business operations in production of goods and
services. It is intended to bring smoothness in the functioning of the organisation and helps in
achievement of its project. Implementation of operations management principles is necessary for
properly organising the enterprise. Continuous improvement plan is required to review the
changes required in production process. Project life cycle displays the various stages leading to
completion of an assignment. Review of effectiveness of PLC can be done using models and
theories which determine its effectiveness.
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REFERENCES
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Online
Work Breakdown Structure. 2015. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.planview.com/resources/articles/work-breakdown-structure/>
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