Operations & Project Management Report: PLC and Improvement Plans

This report delves into the core principles of operations and project management, examining their application within the context of two case study organizations: M&S and Portakabin. The report commences with an overview of operational management, highlighting the distinction between operations and operational management, followed by a critique of the execution of operations management principles at M&S. It then focuses on continuous improvement, detailing a plan and incorporating lean principles to enhance organizational functions. Part 2 transitions to a case study analysis of Portakabin, exploring the project life cycle (PLC) stages, including a cost-benefit analysis, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and Gantt Chart creation. The report then critically reviews the effectiveness of the PLC in project applications, examining quality, scope, and tenure techniques, along with a comparative analysis of theories and models for large and small-scale projects. The report culminates in a critical evaluation of the PLC, offering recommendations for practical application and continuous improvement. This report is contributed by a student to be published on the website Desklib. Desklib is a platform which provides all the necessary AI based study tools for students.

Operations & Project
Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
PART 1............................................................................................................................................3
Overview of the selected organisation...................................................................................3
Deviation between operation and operational management...................................................3
Critique and review of the execution of operations management principles.........................3
Describe continuous improvement plan and lean principles..................................................5
Develop continuous improvement plan..................................................................................6
Use continuous improvement principle, justify recommendations to improve organisational
functions.................................................................................................................................7
PART 2............................................................................................................................................7
Overview of case study mentioned in brief............................................................................7
Define each stage of PLC ......................................................................................................7
Explain business case study along with cost benefit analysis of the project..........................9
Prepare a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for developing of a new product.................10
Produce a Gantt Chart..........................................................................................................11
Critique & review effectiveness of PLC in project application by using concepts and models
..............................................................................................................................................12
Examine techniques which ensure quality, scope and tenure in the project implementation13
Critically analyse how different theories, concepts and models could be used between large
and small-scale projects........................................................................................................13
Critically evaluate the PLC .................................................................................................13
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................16

INTRODUCTION
Operation management is the combination of various business practices includes
planning, organising, controlling and supervising so that the higher profitability and efficiency of
the business can be ascertained. The main focus of this management system on converting the
raw material into finished goods so that the customers needs can be satisfied and overall
profitability of the firm can be raised. Other, project management is related to making effective
plan or strategies for accomplishing the task of a specific project. According to the brief here are
taken two organisations which are M&S and Portakabin, these both firms are indulging in
manufacturing business. This file will cover about the several principles of operation
management and continuous improvement plan. Along with this, the benefit of project life cycle
in accomplishing the goals of project will also consider in this study.
PART 1
Overview of the selected organisation
Mark and Spencer is a British multinational company which is operating their business in
offering high quality of clothes, food and home products. This company was formed by Michael
Marks and Thomas Spencer in 1884 and situated in London and Westminster. They have
employed almost 80,787 employees in their approx 1463 outlets. The main motive of this
company is to cover big market place and attract a range of customers by providing a range of
products to them(Gunasekaran and Ngai, 2012).
Deviation between operation and operational management
As M&S is operating their in manufacturing the various products so in this case the
operation refers to those activities which are related to the functions of an organisation to convert
its raw material into finished products and services so that the customers demands and
requirements can be accomplished. These functions includes the machining, processing,
scrutinizing, transporting and storing. Whereas, the operation management is the vital part of the
whole organisation as it mainly concern for designing and controlling the production process so
that the production activities can be carried out in an effective manner.
Critique and review of the execution of operations management principles.

Operational management principles are very useful for the business organisation in order
to increase the overall productivity and profitability of the firm. There are various principles of
the operation management which can adopt by M&S. But before adopting any of the principle
the manager of the M&S require to critically analyse and review the operation management
principles so that the most appropriate principle can be implemented(Beringer, Jonas and Kock,
2013). By using a suitable principle M&S can gain the competitive advantage and smooth their
supply-chain. The various principles of the operation management are defined below:
 Principle of Organisation: This principle of operation management depicts that all the
resources in the organisation are interconnected. So in order to attain the success and
growth, the business organisation of M&S needs to manage all the resources in an
effective manner so that the production activities can be operated fluently. By proper
managing all the monetary and non monetary resources within the firm M&S can also
solve the issue of supply chain and competitive advantage by improving the distribution
channels and using the updates technologies in their production activities. But in this case
the overall cost of the company will be increased as because they have to spend more
funds in giving the training of using the updated techniques.
 Principle of Change: This principle pertains that an organisation should not stick on a
single theory or solution but they stay always concern for embracing new changes in their
procedures. It become more essential for those companies like M&S which are indulging
in manufacturing activities so it is necessary for them to produce their products according
to the customers demand and needs so that overall profitability of the business can be
increased. For effectively applying the change the manager of the firm needs to give their
more focus on researching activities so that they can determine that where the changes
should be implemented. This will the more time of the business manager due to which the
customer demand can not be accomplished on time(Fleming and Koppelman, 2016).
 Principle of Reality: For attaining the desired outcomes in the limited period of time the
manager of M&S needs to operate their organisational activities on the basis of real facts
rather than assumptions. They should focus on improving the overall performance of the
business by using different techniques not only a single technique.

 Principle of quality control: In order to gain higher competitive advantage M&S must
focus on their products quality which can be maintained by using updated techniques and
effective methods. But in this aspect the company have to incur more cost for adopting
the updated techniques in their production operations(Pemsel and Wiewiora, 2013).
In order to get the success and growth in the business the M&S can use the different theories or
approaches which are as follow:
Lean production: This is an effective approach which helps the manager of M&S in
eliminating defects or waste from the manufacturing system. This approach consider that the
wastage is occurred because of the overburden on the employees which should be reduces by the
company in order to decrease the manufacturing cost and increasing the value.
Flexible specialisation: It is an appropriate business strategy which helps the business
organisation in becoming more competitive. This support the manager of M&S in adopting the
multi-use technologies in their organisation in order to adopt the changes as per the changing
market requirements. Also, in insist the manager to appoint multi-skilled employees in their
organisation which will help the organisation in achieving their desired goals and objectives.
Describe continuous improvement plan and lean principles
Continuous improvement plan is an ongoing process of improving the products, services
and process of the business on the basis of feedbacks and reviews. In order to sustain their
position in the marketplace business manager of M&S needs to consider this plan in their
operations as this will enables them to implement some required changes in their organisation so
that they can enhance the overall performance of the organisation. For successfully executing
M&S must consider the lean principles which are as follow:
Lean principle- Lean principles are helpful in encouraging the continuous improvement
plan by rendering the effective tools for eliminating the variations and reduce the wastage from
the production activities. This will help the M&S to improve its overall production activities and
profitability of the business. It consist five principles within which are explained beneath:
Define the value This principle will help the manager of M&S in evaluating the value of
their products like this will enables them to determine the impact of the
price and quality of their products on the customers with the help of
qualitative and quantitative research method. So that they will be able
to produce products as per the customers demand and needs which will

increase the overall profitability of the company.
Mapping value stream The value of each process related to the production, packaging,
branding, designing will be mapped in this principle so that the any
kind of exclamation can be analysed and adopt necessary changes.
Creating flow This principle will help the business in creating proper flow in
production activities by establishing proper control and monitor on
their operations(Turkulainen and et. al., 2013).
Establishing a pull The main goal of this principle is to reduce the wastage of inventory by
utilising the just-in-time method in their operation. As this will enables
the M&S to maintain the appropriate level of inventory so that
customers needs can be satisfied on time and the wastage can be
decreased.
Pursuing perfection This is the last and important principle which motivates every
employee of M&S must focus on perfection while providing the
various products to the customers.
As per the above discussed lead principles, it can be stated that M&S must focus on
adopting a most suitable principle in their organisation so that the proper utilisation of resources
can be assured in order to implement the changes successfully(Too and Weaver, 2014).
Develop continuous improvement plan
For successfully implementing the changes in the business operations M&S must focus
on adopting an effective model which will help the to implement the changes in a proper manner.
In this context, M&S can use the PDCA model as it will them to systematically executing the
changes:
Plan It is essential for the business manager of M&S to make a proper strategies
or plan before implementing the changes. In this aspect, the manager should
consider the Six sigma concept as this will helps them to operate all the
production activities significantly by eliminating the defects and reducing
the variations from their operations.

Do In this step, the planned strategies or methods will be executed in order to
gain the competitive benefits and make the supply chain smooth.
Check At this stage, manager will give their major focus on establishing proper
control and monitor channels so that the desired outcomes can be achieved
within the given period of time.
Act This is the final stage in which manager of M&S will analyse that their
planned strategies are going according to determined standards or not. It
can be ascertained by the manager with the help of comparing the estimated
and actual figures so that the variances can be find out and necessary
changes can be implemented.
Use continuous improvement principle, justify recommendations to improve organisational
functions
After assessing the above factors, the two recommendations can be given to the company
which are as follow:
 In order to gain the higher competitive advantage company must utilise the latest
techniques in their production activities so that the cost and quality of the products can be
maintained(Van Wassenhove and Pedraza Martinez, 2012).
 Another, if M&S wants to improve their supply chain they should focus on adopting
effective distribution channels which will help them to deliver the final products to the
customers timely.
PART 2
Overview of case study mentioned in brief
As per the brief the given organisation is Portakabin which is a modular building
innovator and operating their business in constructing the transportable and portable buildings.
This company is working in 6 countries where they have employed almost 1300 employees.
Portakabin is business to business organisation due to this they are offering their services to
another organisations and this firm is working in both the territory and secondary sector. The
buildings of this company is develop off site and transported and constructed on site. In the year
of 1961, they have launched a their first portable PK16 building through which they have

introduce more technology in the world. Currently, company is focussing on launching a new
product named Yorkon Building System(YBS). The main goal of the company to introduce a
new building is to provide great flexibility and higher technology services to the
customers(Brones, de Carvalho and de Senzi Zancul, 2014).
Define each stage of PLC
Project life cycle provide an effectively framework to the business for managing any kind
of project. It describes all those stages from which a project goes through in the implementation
of their project strategies or plans. The PLC is four stages process which is very beneficial for
the business of Portakabin as it will help them to properly execute the project strategies so that
the project task or goals can be accomplished.
 Project initiation: This is the first stage of the PLC in which the project manager will
focus on ascertaining effective strategies, processes, risk and objectives of the project. In
this case, it is essential for the manager of Portakabin to adopt democratic leadership
style so that the participation of the employees can be increased which will help the
manager to effective adopt the strategies and plans related to the introducing YBS with
the higher support of employees which will provide higher succession to the business.
 Project planning: It is an ongoing step as this is related to formulating effective plan or
strategies related to availability of resources, time and funds. This will enables the project
manager of Portakabin to conduct all the activities effectively by assessing the
availability of the resources within the business. By determining the accessibility to all
the required resources they will be able to accomplish their project task related to
launching a new building easily(Patanakul and Shenhar, 2012). In this stage manager
needs to adopt democratic leadership style as the higher support of the employees is must
in this step for properly executing the project.

 Project execution: It is the most important step of PLC in which the project manager has
to focus on maintaining proper coordination between all the resources. At this stage the
higher level of monitor and control is needed so that the manager will be able to analyse
the progress of the activities and can find the adverse situation of the business. So it is
necessary for manager of the Portakabin to adopt democratic leadership style in this stage
so that they can take decisions easily without concerning with any other.
 Project closure: This is the last stage which must be considered by the project manager
of Portakabin as it allows them to track the succession of their project activities. If all the
activities will go as per the set standards so the project will be closed and the overall level
of success will be reported to the various stakeholders of the business(Elimam and Dodin,
2013).
Hence, PLC is very beneficial for the Portakabin as it will help them to properly execute
each and every activity so that the project task will be completed in the limited period of time.
Explain business case study along with cost benefit analysis of the project.
Business case
Business case is well-structured written document which is formed by the manager in
order to collect all the necessary information so that the effectively decisions can be made up and
facilitate according to the situations or business requirement. Along with this, by preparing the
business case manager of Portakabin can ascertain the customer and market segments which will
help them to provide their services accordingly(Todorović and et. al., 2015).
Company overview Portakabin is a UK based business organisation which is a modular

building innovator form the last 50 years. They are offering their services
to the another firms not direct to the customers. The company is focussing
on initiating a new YBS in which they have providing services of
movable and portable building.
Vision and mission The main vision of this company is to cover a big marketplace by
expanding their business globally by introducing more technologies in the
marketplace.
Objective The major objective of this firm is to introduce innovational buildings
which can be easily movable from one to other place.
Strategy Currently, for attaining the higher competitive advantage company is
adopting strategies according to the requirement so that they will be able
to stay ahead as compare to their competitors.
Follow up At this step, the manager will ascertain that all the planned strategies or
plan are following in an effective manner or not.
Project plan
Cost The estimate cost which will occur in completing this project is £15,000-
£ 20,000.
Communication In order to successfully accomplishing the project task and objectives
manager needs to establish proper communication channels in their
organisation so that all the members within the organisation can
communicate easily and can express the ideas, thoughts and conflicts with
top management. This will enable the manager to attain the higher support
of employees in achieving the project goals.
Scope The scope of this project is high as the main motive of this business is to
make people more updated by introducing new innovating buildings.
Cost benefit analysis-

Cost benefit analysis is an impelling technique which is helpful for an organisation to
compare total cost of a particular project from its benefits so that the net profit or cost can be
ascertained. In case of Portakabin company, this will help them to determine the cost and profit
of each and every activity. If in the case the cost is higher than the profit then in this case, this
technique will help them to determine the variances and the reasons behind it so that the
necessary changes can be implemented and the overall profitability of the business operations
can be increased(Morris, 2013).
Prepare a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for developing of a new product.
Work break down structure:
Work break down structure in the project management is a most significant tool as it
helps the business in breaking out their complex and multi tasking project into the manageable
sections. By adopting this method in their business organisation Portakabin will be able to
motivate their employees in the right direction as because this model helps them to reduce the
work load from the each employees so that they can accomplish their responsibilities in a
significant manner.
Produce a Gantt Chart
Gantt Chart is a kind of horizontal bar chart which is used by the organisation to
represent all the activities of the business against time. With the help of this business chart the
Portakabin will be able to complete their business operations according to the set time(Maylor
and Turner, 2017).

Critique & review effectiveness of PLC in project application by using concepts and models
The adoption of a project life cycle is not only sufficient for the Portakabin but it is also
essential for them to do proper examination of the effectiveness of the PLC so that they will be
able to determine that all the activities are going according to their set standards or not. In this
aspect, the manager of Portakabin can use Waterfall model as in which helps them to accomplish
each and every activity effectively.
 Requirement: It is the first phase of the model which pertains that an organisation must
analyse the customers demand first and operating their business activities by considering
the guidelines and deadlines. This will enables the Portakabin to accomplish all their
activities as per the pre-determined time.