Analysis of Operations and Project Management at IKEA and HS2

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of operation and project management, focusing on two case studies: IKEA and the High Speed 2 (HS2) project. The first part of the report examines IKEA's operations, including an introduction to the company, a comparison of operations and operations management, and a critique of the implementation of operations management principles. It also explores how IKEA's operations management meets overall requirements, the continuous improvement plan as a philosophy, lean principles, and recommendations for improvement. The second part focuses on the HS2 project, discussing the project life cycle (PLC), the business case, and a review and critique of the effectiveness of the PLC. The report concludes with a summary of findings and references.

Operation & Project
Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
PART 1............................................................................................................................................3
Introduction to selected organisation......................................................................................3
Explanation of operations vs operation management.............................................................4
Review and Critique on implementation of operation management principles within selected
organisation............................................................................................................................4
Operations management of an organisation to meets overall requirements of selected firm.5
Continuous Improvement Plan as a philosophy and lean principles......................................6
Operations management principles within an organisation....................................................9
Recommendations..................................................................................................................9
PART 2............................................................................................................................................9
PLC in context to High Speed 2 Project.................................................................................9
Business case........................................................................................................................13
Review and Critic of effectiveness of PLC..........................................................................14
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................16

INTRODUCTION
Operation management always deals with different types of approaches everyday in order
to resolve entire issues of business in a systematic manner. Whereas, project management deals
with planning, organising, controlling and motivating overall resources for achievements of
particular goals and objectives. Operation and project management refers to the group activities
which helps people to analysing the design and control as well as change operations, logistics
and supply chain management and projects issues (Kidd, 2020). Moreover, this project is divided
into 2 parts herein, 1st part refers to the IKEA organisation, it is Swedish firm and dealing with
home appliances, accessories and furniture as well. This organisation has aim to reduce wastage
or maximise firm's productivity with lower price. On the other side 2nd part is based on HS2
project , it is high speed railway project within the United Kingdom. Additionally discussion is
based on effectiveness of operation management principles and continuous improvement plan.
At last, Project life cycle and applications used in PLC will get covered.
PART 1
Introduction to selected organisation.
IKEA is one of the best Swedish organisation which is dealing with several kind of
products like furniture, home appliances as well so many accessories. It is well known world's
largest furniture retailer organisation which always provide best quality of goods and services to
people to satisfy their needs from them. This organisation generally makes modern designs of
furniture as well as other accessories which attracts the large number of customers. IKEA also
known for its continuous product development, cost control and operational details by which
they can develop effective pricing strategies in any kind of situation. While global expansion has
been raised than this firm bring huge changes in their overall cost and sells its product with
affordable price (Ochieng and et.al., 2018). By having effective tools and strategy this company
always able to handle any difficult situation of firm and gain successful growth of their business.
In order to make several goods and services they generally use technical resources by which they

can manage its all over functions. Therefore, operation management plays a vital role within firm
as it helps them to manage and control all over the developing goods and services through
obtaining raw material from the better suppliers. So that they could successfully implements on
those strategies which are used to make effective plan towards firm.
Furthermore, IKEA generally takes feedback after delivering its goods and services to
customers. With the help of taking feedback they are able to think about their weaknesses so that
they can bring few changes and deliver its products to buyers. It is very helpful strategy to
influence customer's in a broad way towards goods and services which is provided by them. It
always generate appropriate profit for firm and maximise overall productivity and sells of an
organisation. In order to increase more profit of an organisation manager of IKEA develop more
helpful and better plan by which they can produce more designs within furniture and able to
achieve competitive advantages in an effective manner (Maylor and Turner, 2017).
Explanation of operations vs operation management.
Operations management refers to the area of management which is used to control and
design overall process of production as well as it is helpful for redesigning operations of business
towards manufacturing of goods and services. On the other hand Operation management follows
particular procedure by which firm is able to attain future goals. Therefore, it is used through
IKEA in order to make their unique goods and services.
Review and Critique on implementation of operation management principles within selected
organisation.
Operation management used to develop highest level of efficiency in a possible manner
within an organisation. There are different types of principles which all are essential for firm to
adopt new strategical tools to implements on them towards achievement of particular goals and
objectives in a perfect mode. In context of IKEA, day to day they are producing different types
goods and play an effective role of operations at marketplace. For maintaining this process, they
are needed to follow few principles of operation management, those are going to be discussed
below:
Principle of Change: Change is good for every firm. In regards with IKEA, manager of
this particular organisation usually implements new theories and solutions in order to maintain
overall operations of manufacturing system in a perfect way (Sirisomboonsuk and et.al., 2018).
Thus, it is necessary for firm to change their functions as per the particular time as well as

consumers demand. With the help of this, they can sustain for long period of time at
marketplace.
Principle of Organisation: It is most considerable principle of operation management
which provides large number of productions facilities to firms so that they run their business in a
perfect way. Herein, IKEA operating different types of functions those all are interconnected
with each other by using operation management principles. Without using operational principles
respective firm is not able to fulfil their requirements and not able to gain huge profit at
marketplace. Therefore, they should always follow this principle for betterment of future.
Principle of Reality: Operation management generally require to concentrates on
different types of issues as well as techniques. In regards with IKEA, they use this principle for
bringing effective solution of their few issues to grab huge customers attention and increase firm
productivity. Furthermore, this principle helps them to bring so many solutions on the reality
basis.
Principle of Accountability: Being an accountable considered as a key which is used by
operation management in firm towards manufacturing systems. In relation with IKEA, manager
always make appropriate rules and policies in order to check effective basis of delivering goods
and services to customers (Martens and Carvalho, 2017). With the help of this they can achieve
their goals and objectives as well. Therefore, accountability plays most significant role in firm.
From the above discussed principle, this can be said that if IKEA will properly use these
assorted principles than they are able to influence large number of customers by giving them
better goods and services and achieve their target in a perfect way. Therefore, it is necessary for
each firm to increase their productivity as well as profits of them.
Operations management of an organisation to meets overall requirements of selected firm.
Within the competitive scenario there are several firms who are using different types of
operational tools to run business goals in a particular mode. Herein, IKEA has large number of
tools by which they are able to give better performance in a smooth mode. For this, there are
several level of operation management which used to meets firms requirement, those are
mentioned below:
From the very first level organisation needs to reduce its entire cost of operations. In
relation with IKEA, as this firm has been adopted few principles of operation management so
that they can have better ideas towards manufacturing its goods and services process. But they

failed to apply those principles on their manufacturing system as well as not able to accomplish
consumer's demand.
In order to improve entire process of producing goods and services IKEA needs to
achieve effective and qualitative procedure by which they can given better performance towards
manufacturing goods. Herein, principles of management operation helps firm to keep interlinked
their data that improve manufacturing process of firm. For betterment of this extant firm could
bring robotics functions with the help of human resource in order to meet failed goals and
objectives. So that they can use principles in a perfect way and do always better.
Delivering final product to end consumers is next wish of IKEA. In order to fulfil this
demand they generally make such kind of strategy by which they could bring few innovative
ideas in order to overcome negative impact on firm and satisfy consumer's wants. As firm is
having different types of issues so that here principle of reality is not much perfect to achieve
organisational goals and objectives (Bari, 2018).
At last, safety considered as most effective demand by IKEA, according to this firm is
needed to have few innovative strategies in regards with principle of change. With the help of
this they can bring few changes in their manufacturing process towards the achievement of
targeted goals and objectives. Therefore, safety is most important part to keep all resources safe
like furniture, home appliances and so on. It is helpful for firm to develop good image at market
area. Thus,this principle is quite useful to meet organisational demand.
Continuous Improvement Plan as a philosophy and lean principles.
In order to achieve marketing goals, it is essential for firm to make regular improvement
plan towards particular goods and services (Silvius, 2017). For this, most of the firm are needed
to adopt such kind of techniques by which they can bring some changes into their operational
activities to maximise firms productivity. In context with IKEA, management team of this
organisation always use several tools from operation management in order to achieve better
results within competitive scenario. Further improvement, firm is needed to identify current
needs of marketing through implementation of new strategies and concepts. With the help of this
they can make better plan and accomplish consumer's needs.
Continuous Improvement Plan
Continuous Improvement Plan
Sources Principles Outcomes

Price Six Sigma
With the help of this tool
managers are able to gain huge
profits. Herein, manager of
IKEA having purpose to
reduce wastage through using
this technique. Through this
they can make effective project
and able to finish project
within short-listed time.
Quality Lean manufacturing
It refers to the effective tool
which is helpful for respective
firm to overcome wastage from
its manufacturing process
(Fettermann and et. Al, 2018).
Further, it will help to
maximise productivity of firm
in an appropriate manner. On
the other side, it is always used
by IKEA in order to achieve
specific goals and objectives.
Safety Basics
It is considered as an important
tool which helps firm to keep
their inventory in a safe
manner. In regards with IKEA,
there are large number of
safety tools by which firm can
make their functions easier and
able to use resources from
available inventory. As they
use large number of principles

so that they can easily maintain
its overall stock and achieve
targeted goals.
Delivery Business organisation
In order to deliver effective
products and services , it is
important for IKEA to make
different types of strategical
tools and techniques in order to
achieve targeted goals. For
more betterment they also
applied large number of
theories in order to achieve
future goals and objectives
within particular time frame.
Six Sigma
It is the combination of different types of tools and techniques which is used by firms to
bring few improvements within manufacturing process. This technique includes DMAIC which
is also known as important tool to improve quality of work and reduce errors from an
organisation. There are some key components of this approach, those are as follows:
Define: In this initial stage IKEA is able to identify its overall issues which could be raise
anytime at workplace (Iden and Bygstad, 2018).
Measure: After defining each problem, firm is able to evaluate working performance of
employees through applying fix standards on daily basis.
Analyse: According to this stage of DMAIC approach IKEA is able to analyse changes
by which they have solves their overall issues.
Improve: In this stage, IKEA is able to bring improvements through applying new
concepts with the help of employees. Along with they also able to do few modifications if
necessary.

Control: In this last stage, high authorities as well as superiors of IKEA able to control
and monitor every issue through improving standard of wastage material to achieve goals
(Miterev, Mancini and Turner, 2017).
Operations management principles within an organisation.
There are different types of principles which haven been described above. Thus,
operation management is the combination of different types of goods and services used by firms.
There are few elements in regards with operational management and followed by IKEA, those
are mentioned below:
Planning: It refers to the combination of several ideas and thoughts which is used by any
person for their business as well as firms. Herein, Manager of IKEA having large number of
ideas and thoughts in order to plan something better to achieve organisational goals and
objectives in a perfect way.
Do: After making particular plan there are so many thing to do. Thus, manager of IKEA
has responsibility to implements on different types of ideas to achieve firms growth and
productivity (Ivanov, Tsipoulanidis and Schönberger, 2017).
Check: In this functions of operation management respective firm has liability to check
its overall working performance of their employees in regards with achieving desired goals and
objectives.
Act: Further improvement into the production process of IKEA, manager is needed to
make better strategies by which they can get consumer's feedback and able to deliver desirable
services accordingly.
Recommendations.
According to the above specified concepts it has been recommanded to IKEA that, they
should use effective organisational structure in order to bring improvements within their
manufacturing process. With the help of this they could increase firm's productivity and enhance
future profit (Azanha and et.al., 2017).
PART 2
PLC in context to High Speed 2 Project.
HS2 project is one of the best high speed railway in UK and it is partly under
construction with having clear work as well as line on stations. It is connected with large number

of stations within UK and designed by Northern Powerhouse Rail. Herein, Project Life Cycle is
the combination of several sorts of phase in which project goes by its first stage to closure stage.
On the basis of this, manager of HS2 is able to measure that ho much time project will take to
achieve target market. Project team of HS2 railway project, always able to determine different
types of elements by using several stages of PLC, those are mentioned below:
Project Initiation: According to this first phase, HS2 have purpose to make clear and
effective project in order to achieve customer's goals in a perfect manner. With the help of this
type of project they can make consumers happy and able to achieve desired goals. With the help
of this they could have clear objectives in their mind and also have different types of strategies to
satisfy people needs and wants (Zwikael and Meredith, 2018).
(Source: Project Management Life Cycle, 2020)
Project Planning: After initiation of plan manager of HS2 is able to apply several
strategical ideas in order to make better plan for this project. There are large number of engineers
and employees who all are working together and able to develop best way to reach effective
goals. By making effective plan they are able to look at different types of documents in order to
understand overall case of business. Thus, they can divided small task to many people.
Illustration 1: Project Management Life Cycle

Project Execution: Project life cycle is defined as the process which is analysed while
launching any new product within the market. According to this stage, manager of HS2 is able to
determine different types of factors by which they can achieve better goals in a proper manner.
Therefore, it is necessary for firm to implements on several kind of strategical theories in order
to achieve fixed goals (Gemünden, Lehner and Kock, 2018).
Project Monitoring and control: In context of HS2, it is necessary for manager to
monitor the conduction of overall project tasks and activities along with evaluating proper
utilisation of available resources. It includes to carry out tracking of activity and desired goal of
of specific project along with controlling the budget to gain better outcomes. Meanwhile, proper
monitoring and controlling of available resources as well as funds is helpful to gain maximum
project outcomes with their optimum use.
Project Closure: In this last stage of project firm is able to develop more and more better
alternatives in order to achieve desired goals for checking overall working performance of
employees in an appropriate way. It is also helpful for HS2 project to improve their working
standard after developing effective ways to reach desired goals.
Gantt Chart:
It is also known as bar chart which is used by firms in order to analyse and identify
overall schedule of projects. It was given in the year of 1915 with the help of Henry Gantt
through having aim of helping firms among the evaluation of time limit for projects (Lindholm,
Laine and Suomala, 2017). On the other side, Gantt Chart includes X & Y axis that directly
shows that how employees are performing towards their work in relation with so many activities
those are necessary during the making of project. In relation with HS2, with the help of this
Gantt chart manager of respective firm is able to make effective projects with huge perfection
within particular date and time as well. It helps them to achieve goals and project could be
complete on time in an effective manner.