Strategic Operations Management and Operational Research

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT AND
OPERATIONAL RESEARCH
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Table of Contents
Part A-Reflective Analysis..............................................................................................................3
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Discussion........................................................................................................................................3
Just in Time......................................................................................................................................5
Lean Thinking..................................................................................................................................5
Pull............................................................................................................................................6
Perfection...................................................................................................................................7
Reference List................................................................................................................................10
Part B- Report................................................................................................................................12
Introduction....................................................................................................................................13
Operational challenges faced by a candidate.................................................................................13
Social Responsibility..................................................................................................................16
Core issue identification and explanation......................................................................................17
Designing the System....................................................................................................................17
Planning the System......................................................................................................................18
Managing the System....................................................................................................................19
Ways for identifying possible challenges......................................................................................19
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................20
Reference List................................................................................................................................21
Appendices....................................................................................................................................23
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Part A-Reflective Analysis
Introduction
Operation management is one of the most vital factors that assist an organization to
complete their allocated work. The operations that are associated with the company are
required to be managed in an effective way as well as efficient way which support the
business firm for development in the process of goals and objectives that are strategic
in nature. Management of strategic operation helps in designing the system for goods
and services that are provided to the customers. The study sheds light on the reflective
study of a project manager of Taco Bell and describes the skill one needs to develop in
order to manage the people and the project. There is detailed description and
theoretical justification of the necessity of the skill of the project manager. Time
management has been discussed, which is of utmost importance for the purpose of
productivity purpose.
Discussion
Time management is the most justified method to allocate my time in order to organise
the work I am going to perform. As opined by Slack and Brandon-Jones, (2018) time
management helps to divide plans and makes the strategic management of operation
easy through specific division of activities. I have learnt that failing to manage time
mainly damages effectiveness of creativity and causes unnecessary stress at work. I
have been appointed as the project manager in the Taco Bell and I have faced
problems in completing the production on time. I have realized that time management
is the most important aspect to develop if I want to prosper in getting my productivity
complete on time. As influenced by Oettingen et al. (2015), time management has
helped me to dedicate my precious time learning and division of timing has helped to
sort out my plans to achieve certain tasks. Instead of wasting time, I have noticed that
concentration on the available time includes certain learning outcomes that are mainly
important for the overall process of increasing the productivity within the stipulated and
provided time. It is also helpful in maintaining the professional reputation by proper use
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of opportunities and resources. The moment I failed to complete my tasks within time I
realized the consequences were severe and I missed deadline and delivered poor
quality with inefficient work flow.
As stated by Ingram, (2015) it is very important to harvest the management process of
time as this will help professionals to become efficient and organize the specific goals.
The Taco Bell has appointed me as the project manager where I need to assess the
proper completion of production of foods. The customers are very important and if I
cannot lead my team members to deliver the goods properly on time the company will
face loss. I need to improve my time management skills for the following purpose.
Stress is the most undesirable thing in work and I have always wanted to work freely. I
need to increase my time management skill because this will help me to reduce my
pressure to complete my time on deadline and I can relax while working. I can put my
effort on more research and free mind is always out of stress.
Productivity is the most valued factor that is resultant due to the proper management of
time. I can create a lot more with a designed routine and proper stipulated time frame.
As per Reid and Sanders (2015), The work that are mainly scattered might face some
difficulty in overall completion within the allocated period of time and the overall
productivity also increases along with total amount of production that helps in enhancing
the overall quality.
There is high chance of rework with hastiness and improper time management. Time
should be managed in such a manner where full concentration should be focused on
the quality of the work. In Taco bell, I am trying to produce the stuffs with full
concentration and total dedication of time on the particular product. This has helped me
to get good consumer comment and there is less chance of reshuffling any recipe and
rework of any project.
I need to complete the work within stipulated time so that this would help me to get
more free time at the end of the work. I can then use the time in learning new things,
managing my team properly.
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Being the project manager I have been assigned with many responsibilities, which I
need to complete within a specific time. This would help me to develop my career and
own reputation as a responsible employee, who can complete the project within
stipulated time. Completion of work within time will help me to get more work and thus I
can improve my efficiency in managing more things at a time.
Time management and the quality of work in a project can be developed through few
theories. I have applied the theories in my work so that I can develop my skill in the
management of the project. The theories include Lean Thinking and Just in Time.
Just in Time
Concept and Importance: Just in Time is a management system that mainly aligns
raw material with the production schedule (De Stefano, 2015). I have used the inventory
system in aligning my time with the work I am doing. I have applied the theory properly
in managing the production in my profession. I expect that the inventory strategy would
increase efficiency and thus decrease the waste thorough receiving of goods in the time
they need it for production. This saves the time to choose goods among all the stuffs.
The Just in Time helps in choosing the right time to buy raw materials and thus I can
decide when to spend money on raw materials. Thus the strategy helps me to decide
the financial capacity of the company and make decisions accordingly. This cuts the
inventory costs as the manufacturers do not have to pay the storage costs. However, I
do not let my manufacturers to be left with unwanted inventory when the order gets
cancelled. As influenced by De Stefano (2015), I have considered the example of
implementation of JIT in Toyota, which has helped me to gain confidence in developing
my skill. Toyota orders the new parts only when it gets orders from customers and the
company took 15 years to perfection. Thus I realized, with gradual practice I will be able
to make steady production, without any breakdown and reach my success.
Lean Thinking
Concept and importance: This is a methodology that helps to provide a new way of
thinking (Antony et al. 2015). I have been using this strategy in order to organize my
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activities within time. This would help me to deliver more benefits and value to my
project and would help in eliminating waste. In order to maintain the time to deliver the
best product I have learned to value time. This is very important to create value of time
and know the ultimate need of the customer. Lean Thinking is based on five principles,
which include:
Value
I, as the project manager need to create the value and it should be clarified why I am
producing a particular product. This will determine why a customer will pay as per my
production. Creation of value determines the reason of pricing and this is possible only
through completion of the product manufacturing within time (Rohani and Zahraee,
2015). The provision of high value services to customers can have a positive effect on
the development of good relations. These developments in good relations with
customers can help me to understand the needs of customers and provide with better
quality services based their needs. My ability to provide with proper services can also
be effective in increasing the satisfaction of the customer and influence them to stay
loyal to the brand.
Flow
I need to understand the flow of the production in order to eliminate issues with
wastage. If the flow is stopped I will not be able to understand the waste production,
which is an inevitable part of manufacturing. This would become time consuming and
there would be interruption in the productivity. As opined by Fillingham et al. (2016), the
main motto of flow is to create a value chain through which production would remain
uninterrupted. Uninterrupted production can lead to the consistent provision of services
that can affect the organisation in a positive way. The consistent high availability of
products and services on a daily basis can lead to major positive impacts on attracting
customers that require bulk products. This can lead to better sales and profits of the
brand.
Pull
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