Marks & Spencer: Enhancing Operations & Project Management

This report provides an in-depth analysis of operations and project management at Marks and Spencer (M&S), a prominent British multinational retailer. Part 1 reviews and critiques the implementation of operational management principles, including organization, quality control, humility, and change, within M&S. It assesses the extent to which Six Sigma and Lean principles could enhance the delivery and efficiency of operations, examining how operations management meets the organization's requirements through a 'top-down' approach focused on quality and sustainability. The report also proposes a continuous improvement plan, evaluating its effectiveness and justifying its strategies using relevant theories and models. Part 2 analyzes the application of the Project Life Cycle (PLC) in the context of an in-house project at M&S, explaining each stage and presenting a business case. It discusses the project methodologies and tools used, providing a rationale for their selection and the leadership approach within the PLC. Finally, the report reviews and critiques the effectiveness of the PLC, differentiating between large and small-scale projects and offering recommendations for improvement, all available for students on Desklib.

OPERATIONS AND PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................3
PART 1.......................................................................................................................................................4
LO1.............................................................................................................................................................4
Review and critique on the extend at which six sigma and lean principles could improve the delivery
and efficiency of operations in chosen organization................................................................................7
Analysis of how operations management meets the requirements of the organization............................8
LO2.............................................................................................................................................................9
Continuous Improvement plan.................................................................................................................9
Effectiveness of the proposed continuous improvement plan:...............................................................10
Application of theories, concepts and models to justify the strategies of continuous improvement plan
for attaining improved efficiency...........................................................................................................11
PART 2:....................................................................................................................................................13
LO 3..........................................................................................................................................................13
Project title............................................................................................................................................13
An overview of the case study...............................................................................................................13
Explanation of each stage of the PLC in context of in-house project.....................................................13
BUSINESS CASE.................................................................................................................................17
The project methodologies and tools used to complete the project........................................................19
Rationale for the project methodologies, tools and leadership within the PLC for the given project.....20
LO 4..........................................................................................................................................................21
Review and critique the effectiveness of the PLC in application to the chosen project using appropriate
theories, concepts and models...............................................................................................................21
Use of appropriate theories, concepts and models in the PLC will differentiate between large and small-
scale projects.........................................................................................................................................22
Critically evaluate the PLC through a practical and theoretical exploration of its effectiveness to draw
valid conclusions and recommendations for improvement....................................................................24
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................................25
REFERENCES:.........................................................................................................................................26

INTRODUCTION
Operations management refers to the approach that deals with the everyday strategic
business issues in a systematic way. Project management on the hand, focuses on the planning,
motivation, organization, controlling and monitoring of various resources in an organization to
attain desired outcomes. Operations and project management (OPM) together provides the
expertise in the designing, planning, management and controlling of operations, logistics, supply
chain management and other project issues (Choi, Wallace and Wang, 2018). Marks and Spencer
is a British Multinational retail company which is specialised in selling clothes, accessories and
jewellery.
The report will contain 2 parts in which part one aim to critique and review the
implementation of operational management and its principles in chosen company as well as
design an improvement plan for company’s operational management principles. Part 2 will aim
to analyse the application of Project life cycle and review its application in the chosen company.

PART 1
LO1
Introduction to chosen company
The chosen company is Marks and Spencer. The company was found in 1884 by Michael
Marks. It is the largest retailer in United Kingdom and have more 300 company owned stores. Its
products include the home furnishing, footwear, gifts and clothes which all comes under the
private label brand. It is specialised in the sale of luxury food, clothes and home-wares. It have
its stores in more than 57 countries in all over the world. The financial unit of the company also
offers the customers personal investments, pension plans, savings and insurance services as well.
More than 17% of revenue of the company comes from outside the United Kingdom. Vision of
the company is to create a standard through which quality of other companies can be measured.
The mission of the company is to make the quality which is aspiring to all. The values of
company involves quality services, quality values, trust and innovations as well.
Figure
1Mark & Spencer launches online operations in 46 markets, 2021
Operations v/s operations management

Operations are the functions of the company. The objective of operations to enable the
company in production of goods as well as services. The operations function is involved with the
procurement of resources, their conversion into final product and then distribution to the final
customers. In simple words, operations involves all the activities which are required for creation
and delivering of the products of the company to their final consumers.
Operations management emphasis on the management, improvement and designing of
the systems which are concerned with the manufacturing of the goods and services of the
company (Benjaafar and Hu, 2020). The operations management is the administration of
business management practices which are concerned with creation of highest levels of efficiency
in the company. Operations management is also concerned with conversion of labour and
material into finished goods and services as soon as possible so that the organization can
generate maximum profits and outputs.
Figure
2: What is Operations Management - Definition & Guide, 2021.
Review and critique of implementation of operational management principles in company
There are various principles of operational management which are significant for the
Companies such a Marks and Spencer. As the primary focus of the company is towards the
creation of a supply chain which is smooth as well as to gain a competitive advantage. Through
the adoption of principles of operational management Marks and Spencer can gain the
competitive advantage and the desired outcomes (Lee, 2018). Some principles of operational

management which are crucial for the company to evaluate for implementing the best practices
are as follows: Organisation principle: A key principle of operations management is organization,
which states that all the elements of production should be consistent and predictable. As
M&S is a manufacturing company it organises all its resources which essential in the
production process. The company also emphasis more on its planning processes so that
productivity of its operations can be managed effectively (Oliveira, 2018). The company
uses hybrid trucks in order to improve its supply chain. It also updates the technologies
from time to time so that it can save costs as well as the funds through which the overall
costs of production can be reduced. However, it require huge time and costs in the
research and development department so that new ways of doing things can be generated. Quality control: This principle states that the company must have appropriate quality
control measure in it. These measures ensure and guarantee the quality of the product
manufactured by the company. Marks and spencer uses various quality control measures
such as Total quality management in various areas such as production, material
management, logistics and warehousing (Iravani, 2021). However, it needs to put more
emphasis on monitoring of its raw materials because the materials revolve all the way
through whole logistics and the supply chain as well. These raw materials are later
converted into the finished good which means they needs more monitoring then the other
resources. Humility principle: The humility principle of Operations management states that the
company should understand and respect the limitations of a project. It should avoid errors
and trails in order to save money and generate positive outcomes in organization. Marks
and Spencer focuses on the optimum utilization of the resources to generate effective
productivity. Through optimum utilization of resources, the company showcases the
efforts of the company towards environment and its protection (Ocon, 2020). Also
optimum utilization helps the company to save costs of material and their procurement as
well. Principle of change: This principle of operations management stated that the change is
inevitable in operational issues. So the companies need to accept continuous

improvements in its operations. Marks and Spencer have a number of competitors which
effects its business. So it need to introduce continuous changes in its operations so that it
can remain ahead of its competitors. It focuses on new technologies through which it
gains competitive advantage in the industry. It uses various technologies such as agile
methodology and lean methodologies for making effective decisions on upgrading,
changing or replacing their current management systems (Ivanov and et.al., 2021).
Review and critique on the extend at which six sigma and lean principles could improve the
delivery and efficiency of operations in chosen organization
Six sigma approach is considered as a major tool which used by many international and
national companies to improve overall efficiency. It is crucial responsibility of management of
Marks and Spencer to focus on development of six sigma approach to increase business strengths
and opportunities. The concept of six sigma includes practices like continuous improvement,
culture of quality, lean, process management, root cause analysis, statistics and value mapping.
These tools can be helpful for Marks and Spencer to develop effective practices related to
delivery and efficiency of operations. Six sigma on the other hand, can also support Marks and
Spencer company in improving the quality through minimizing the variations with the use of
statistical techniques and tools. In the long term development of a company, six sigma tools play
a major role in developing competitive advantage by focusing on service standards for increasing
customer satisfaction.
Lean principles are set of standards which are followed by Marks and Spencer in order to
lead the marketplace with technical approach. Concept of lean principles include five main
principles which are to be followed by a business entity to increase brand value at the
marketplace along with increase in efficiency and service devlopment. Lean principles on the
other hand can help the organization in stripping waste in their business processes and
information through faster holds up. The major lean principles are identification of value,
mapping the value stream, create flow, establish pull and seek perfection for best service
delivery. In the recent times, it is important for global companies like Marks and Spencer to
focus on lean principles and their implementation with effective supervision and control to lead

the marketplace. This also helps a company to satisfy its different customers on regular basis
which ultimately increases profitability.
Analysis of how operations management meets the requirements of the organization
The operational management and the success of the companies are closely related.
Operations management plays a key role in bringing success to the company. The operations
strategy of Marks and Spencer involves a “Top to down” approach (Mišić and Perakis, 2020). It
means the company aims to provide the customers with quality products which are approachable
by all. Through this approach Marks and Spencer wants to be the most sustainable retailer in the
while world. To meet this goal the company have focused towards various functions of
operations. The company have introduced an ethical and eco-friendly program. To fulfill this
requirement the company held various training sessions for the employees to make them
understand the value and need of sustainable environment.
Over the time the company have extended its reach to customers through expanding its
online development. The operations management focus on creating and maintaining the
distribution channels and strategies which allows consumers to reach the company with ease. It
have developed various mobile phone applications through which the customers can buy
products from it via their mobile phones (de Sousa Jabbour and et.al., 2019). The company have
attained these goals through its capabilities and abilities. The company have capacity to ship and
process more than a million products in al over the world within a time period of one week. Also
it have developed its stores in most of the countries it operates in.
Continuous improvement as a philosophy and the Lean principles
Continuous improvement philosophy:
The Continuous improvement philosophy is the integrative philosophy of management
which focus on continuous improvement of the quality and value of products and services as
well the continuous improvement in process in order to attain higher levels of customer
satisfaction. Continuous improvement philosophy is concerned with all the aspects of a company
(Glock and et.al., 2019). Continuous improvement is very critical for Marks and Spencer. It is
committed to make a sustainable business which is successful in both the aspects i.e. commercial

and environment as well. It review the aspiration of its employees, stakeholders and customers as
well as of its commitments. All these are a core part of company’s approaches.
Lean principles:
The lean principles are the management practices which focus in the practice of
continuous improvements and the idea of respect of the people involved. There are five lean
principles such as defining value, mapping value stream, creating flow, establishing pull and
pursing perfection. Marks and spencer have applied lean manufacturing principles in its
production in order to attain the best quality products. Through the application of lean principles
the company is able to deliver the output benefits which are way beyond just financial gains
(Babich and Hilary, 2020). It considers people as an essential part to attain success.
LO2
Continuous Improvement plan
It is the model which is used as the quality assurance method in all over the world. It is
concerned with the ongoing improvement of products and services by breakthrough
improvements and incremental. It is also known as the continual improvement plan as well.
Marks and Spencer can use this model for quality assurance of its products by adoption of
following strategies: Plan: It states the identification of an opportunity and following that by planning foe
change. The company can leverage the opportunity of technologies and digital channels
of distribution for its products and services (Guha and Kumar, 2018). Do: It states that the planned change must be implemented on a small scale first. The
company can implement some technologies and new channels for a smaller segment of
customers only. It can be the customers which are least important to company. Check: This stares that the organization have to analyze the data for getting results of
change. Through that result it should analyze if the change had made any difference.
Through the implementation of planned change Marks and Spencer will analyze the
results gained for that particular segment of the customers and compare them with
previous results.

 Act: It states that if the change was able to make a difference the organization should
implement it on wider scale. Through the compared results analysis, if the planned was
successful, Marks and Spencer can apply that change in all over the organization through
various methods such as total quality development, six sigma and lean management.
The continuous improvement plan will allow the company to emphasis more on
teamwork, cooperation and employee engagement (Wang, 2018). All these factors can lead the
company towards systematic processes, work to measure, reduction of errors and improved cycle
times of its products and services.
Effectiveness of the proposed continuous improvement plan:
The proposed continuous improvement plan can be very effective for the organizations as
it will support Marks and Spencer to deliver best customer oriented services. The continuous
improvement plan will help the company to attract large number of customers and serve them in
a precise manner. The proposed plan will also enhance the productivity, product quality and
efficiency of organization and its employees. The continuous improvement plan can boost the
employee engagement as well as reduce turnover in organization. The proposed continuous
improvement plan will motivate the organization to implement changes and improvement which
will result in improved business processes and reduced wastages.
It is recommended for Marks and Spencer to focus continuously on various policies and
processes which are related to development of quality. It is major responsibility of operations
management to follow a specific process which has aim of developing quality in products and
services. The Marks and Spencer should focus on cost leadership in order to formulate
reasonable and affordable prices to various customers. The concept of total quality management
should be implemented at Marks and Spencer for development of optimum quality products for
different customers. Company must also use information and technology with support of IT
experts and professionals to perform quick and accurate operations. The enterprise resource
planning is a major IT tool which is used by Marks and Spencer to utilise all available resources
in a perfect manner. Company should also focus on development of supply management in order
to manage transferring of resources. In order to bring innovation in the business operations,
Marks and Spencer should develop new product according to market trends. Company can also

use customer relationship management software in order to develop effective relationship with
different customers. Customer relationship management should be the utmost priority of Marks
and Spencer to maintain life-long relationship with target and general customers.
Application of theories, concepts and models to justify the strategies of continuous improvement
plan for attaining improved efficiency
The strategies which can be used in continuous improvement plan involves innovation
theory. It states that through the implementation of continuous improvement plans in
organization, the organizations can attain innovations as continuous improvements will help in
bringing innovative ideas and processes. The concept of lean principles are also application in
this plan as the continuous improvement principle states that the organizations needs to introduce
improvements frequently so that new methods to perform tasks in effective ways can be
identified. Six sigma concepts can also be identified in the proposed continuous improvement
plan. As six sigma aims at improving profitability and productivity. Thus the proposed
continuous improvement plan is justified.
In order to achieve continuous improvement plan based objectives in a systematic
manner, it is important for Marks and Spencer to implement human relationship theory. The
application of human relationship theory will help the company to increase healthy relationship
amongst employees. This theory will develop and create harmony between employees, which
will help in development of coordination of continuous improvement. The business can also
implement leadership theory to increase team development which is beneficial in focusing on
continuous improvement plan. It is recommended for Marks and Spencer to use democratic
leadership style in order to manage employees and decision making. The decisions which are
formulated by democratic leadership style are quick and reliable as they are made with support
of subordinate employees.
Recommendations for improvement:
From the critical analysis and review of the operations management principles applied in
Marks and Spencer, it was analyzed that the company follows these principles very precisely.

However, company still needs some improvements, for which some recommendations have been
provided below:
 Better Quality control: From the critical review it was found that Marks and spencer have
various methods for quality control. However, it is recommended that the company needs
to put more emphasis on the quality control of its raw materials and resources which are
used the initiation of production. This recommendation is justified as quality will be
maintained but the costs will not be increased. For this the software such as Total quality
management (TQM).
 Effective organization: From the review it was also analysed that company do apply the
principle of organization within it. However, it is recommended that the company should
organise its materials, processes and resources more effectively through the adoption of
new technologies. The continuous improvement should be implemented as a philosophy
in organization which involves the technologies and other systems such as supply chain
management (SCM) and customer relationship management such as Enterprise resource
planning (ERP). The recommendation is justified as it will allow the company to produce
customer values.