The High Service Sponge - Lessons from The Steam Engine

This document discusses the failures of IT-enabled measurement systems in delivering effective customer service and order fulfillment. It explores the reasons behind these failures and suggests lessons that can be learned from the steam engine to improve measurement systems and customer service. The document emphasizes the importance of change adaptability, continuous learning, and feedback from customers in enhancing measurement effectiveness. It also highlights the need for a world-class measurement system that focuses on long-term financial planning, value creation, and customer satisfaction.

Running head: THE HIGH SERVICE SPONGE - LESSONS FROM THE STEAM ENGINE 1
The High Service Sponge - Lessons from The Steam Engine
Name of Student
Name of University

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Answer 1
The IT enabled measurement systems operate in accordance to the process that they are
being programmed upon manually. Although they have been set as per industry standards,
however the process is found to fail significantly in exhibiting immense effectiveness in
measuring the right set of things. As a result, the final outcome of the process is widespread
failure in delivering customers the essential service standards. Furthermore, the development of
decisions relating to order fulfilment in accordance to local measures made the situation worsen
further. It is mainly due to the fact that the process goes ahead with developing trade-offs that
goes ahead with development of immense conflict situation. Finally, the chaos and confusion
thus resulted in the process results in loosing the overall process of customer monitoring.
According to Laguna and Marklund (2018), absence of close monitoring of the system goes
ahead with increasing the likely chances of error to take place within the process. On the other
hand, the increased pressure from senior management to continuously reduce the overall costs
associated with order fulfilment and customer service are critical to highlighting in great detail
the ineffectiveness of measurement techniques.
According to Moon, Yi and Ngai (2012), lack of adequate data on how to carry on with
the measure process seems to one of the most notable factors identified to result in overall
failure. In such a situation, the process tends to direct the ability of the system to successfully
comply with the promised orders within the allocated deadline. Employees often suffers from
absence of proper knowledge on the reasons that results in emergence of such crisis situations
relating to customer service and order fulfilment. On the other hand, Dumas, La Rosa, Mendling
and Reijers (2013) stated that measurement processes are the final outcome of an individual
effort and thus likely to exhibit error even in in situations where IT has been successfully

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implemented. The programming codes are final outcomes of human skill and processes and
thereby the overall effectiveness of the system varies significantly based on the degree of
monitoring and change adaptability successfully exhibited by the process.
Answer 2
The analogous decision exhibited by Paul of steam engines as well as long jumping are
integral to helping the measurement system overcome its present failure. Both order fulfilment
and customer service can be enhanced significantly since as per the steam engine, through
successful reaching up to a position of zero precision. First and foremost, the overall
measurement process must seek to identify new and innovative processes as well as incorporate
them in order to ensuring that the proposed action plan is likely to deliver high performance
capability and effectiveness. According to Tidd and Bessant (2018), an organisation will be in a
position to experience immense measurement effectiveness if they have successfully adopted the
concept of change adaptability. However, the new measurement processes thus delivered must be
successfully able to provide adequate opportunities to grasp on the new and innovative factors
looking forward to determining the overall performance effectiveness. On the other hand, Cruz-
Cázares, Bayona-Sáez and García-Marco (2013) stated that the process associated with
continuous learning is critical to yielding better operational returns. It is mainly due to the fact
that the process is immensely dedicated to improving the measurement systems than before. It
also requires identification of processes that tends to use comparatively lesser amount of power
consumption to aid the process of an effective measurement system.
The process associated with seeking feedback of customers as well as intermediaries
associated with different aspects of measurement process seems to be highly integral. Based on
the feedback obtained, suitable changes to the existing system can be made which in the long run

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results in delivering increased performance standards. Likewise, as per Paul’s analogous system
the process must successfully take into consideration the operational objective of continuous and
faster improvement capabilities. In this regard, the feedback obtained in due course of operation
can be significantly use for developing better engines. It is mainly due to the fact that the
measurement process thus developed tends to largely accomplish each of the needs and demands
of the customers significantly.
Answer 3
A world-class measurement system must go ahead with the development of operational
objectives that is largely motivated to deliver high performance standards as well as satisfaction
to the customers (Maskell, 2013). The primary focus should be on long-term financial planning
and how measurement system can affect its considerable growth rate. In doing so, an effective
relationship between the customers and the service provider can be largely established.
Furthermore, the process must strive forward to deliver increased performance standards that is
integral to developing widespread value creation. According to Eswaramurthi and Mohanram
(2013), the key to gaining the attention and trust of customers can be largely accomplished
through the process of delivering widespread value through its service process. In this case the
measurement error or challenges must be almost negligible or absent. In addition to that the
increased cost-conscious attitude of organisational management must also be deal with. Instead
the focus should be on developing a process that tends to strike an effective balance in between
both organisational gain and customer satisfaction. For that purpose, necessary adjustments must
be made as and when required.
The measurement system must be developed based on a process that has successfully
gained the unified concern and outlook of the senior management personnel. The presence of any

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obligations or conflicting point of view is likely to result in exhibition of countereffects.
According to De Felice and Petrillo (2015), conflicting views results in developing a dilemma as
to which of the processes to be considered for the final selection process. On the other hand, the
focus of the overall measurement system must be wide, capable of keeping a bird’s eye view of
the target customers, their activities as well as needs and preferences. For this purpose, it is
essential for the organisations to successfully impart necessary learning and development scope
to the people who is likely to be held responsible for its operations in the long run.

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References
Cruz-Cázares, C., Bayona-Sáez, C., & García-Marco, T. (2013). You can’t manage right what
you can’t measure well: Technological innovation efficiency. Research Policy, 42(6-7),
1239-1250.
De Felice, F., & Petrillo, A. (2015). Optimization of manufacturing system through world class
manufacturing. IFAC-PapersOnLine, 48(3), 741-746.
Dumas, M., La Rosa, M., Mendling, J., & Reijers, H. A. (2013). Fundamentals of business
process management (Vol. 1, p. 2). Heidelberg: Springer.
Eswaramurthi, K. G., & Mohanram, P. V. (2013). Improvement of manufacturing performance
measurement system and evaluation of overall resource effectiveness. American Journal
of Applied Sciences, 10(2), 131.
Laguna, M., & Marklund, J. (2018). Business process modeling, simulation and design.
Chapman and Hall/CRC.
Maskell, B. H. (2013). Performance measurement for world class manufacturing: A model for
American companies. Productivity press.
Moon, K. K. L., Yi, C. Y., & Ngai, E. W. T. (2012). An instrument for measuring supply chain
flexibility for the textile and clothing companies. European Journal of Operational
Research, 222(2), 191-203.
Tidd, J., & Bessant, J. R. (2018). Managing innovation: integrating technological, market and
organizational change. John Wiley & Sons.