Operation Management
A company’s reorganization entails an evaluation of all areas that affects its business as well as strategies’ implementation in those areas in order to enhance business success. Most businesses are made of a product, customer base, employees and business operations. Reorganizing a business entails evaluating and changing these areas in order to depict a new image.
For instance, Apple Corporation reorganized itself following the death of Steve Jobs’, its founder. First, the company expanded the line of its products by introducing cheaper iPhones. The implication of this was that the company reorganized its phones which were considered expensive by including cheaper phones. The cheap phones that Apple produced were targeted at new markets of the lower middle and poor class people in the society. These could not afford its regular phones. This was followed by operations’ improvements that were aimed at reducing the operational cost as well as breaking even following the sale of cheap iPhones. The labor force was also reorganized by increasing freedom. Employees were allowed to express ideas freely and to develop prototypes. This improved innovation and creativity of the company.
Business productivity can be affected by various factors. These include operation efficiency, technology and the workforce. As such, a company can increase productivity by focusing on either one or several factors that affect it.
A company’s productivity can be enhanced through employees’ empowerment in an organization. When employees are empowered, they get the necessary tools for executing their duties better. Proper training as well as development in related fields can empower employees. Increased employees’ freedom can also empower them since they will be able to solve problems that arise during their work without being supervised. Time will also be freed up because managers will not always be there to supervise the employees. Thus, managers will be able to concentrate on more important areas.
Modern technology’s incorporation in the processes of production can also enhance productivity. Technology reduces output losses through spoilage and leakages and this will increase productivity. Output is also enhanced by technology because it enhances maximum utilization of input. Additionally, technology enhances standardization of the processes. This increases the production process’ efficiency which eventually improves the overall company’s productivity.
Productivity can also be increased by filtering the websites that employees can visit while at the workplace. Employees waste a lot of time when they visit different websites while working. Sites like Facebook should be filtered if they are not related to any productive work and this will increase the overall time that is spent by employees working which will eventually increase productivity.
Total quality management entails the effort of a firm to implement the processes that are aimed at ensuring that the services and products of the company are improved. This management aims at instilling accountability in different sectors that are involved in production processes. This ensures that all parties are held responsible for the final product’s quality. The aim of TQM is to ensure that the consumers of a company’s product get short-term and long term satisfaction. The focus is on ensuring that the company is always successful even on long term basis. This is achieved by ensuring that the quality of the product of the company always satisfies customers.
There are no specific actions or format of total quality management that should be seen as the prerequisite. Nevertheless, it is characterized by common features. First, the needs of customers define the quality of the product of a company. Secondly, product’s quality improvement is the responsibility of and it involves the top-level management. Thirdly, the secret of TQM in improving quality depends on the improvement of the processes of the work that is undertaken by an organization. Lastly, the process of improving quality is continuous and the entire organization is involved in this process.
The tools of project planning refer to tools that are used in the effective creation and implementation of a plan. They ensure a smooth planning process that encompasses all organizational areas. They aid managers in including all vital areas that are important in ensuring the success of a project. The tools for project planning include scheduling, loading, controlling and sequencing.
Loading entails the determination of the work that ought to be done. It also entails looking at the available resources for a project as well as the work that ought to be done in order to ensure successful completion of the project. Scheduling is another tool and it entails determining when any work should be done. It is used in appropriating time that is needed to complete critical activities of a project. This tool ensures that a project is completed within the schedule. Sequencing is another tool. This entails determining the proper order of critical activities of the project. It ensures that the process of the project is efficient and effective and that key activities are not repeated.
Controlling is the last tool. This entails ensuring that all activities are performed as per the plan. It is used in measuring the actual project’s output and comparing them with the output that was expected. It is also used in taking corrective actions to ensure that activities are always in course. Working with this tool is easy because it entails reviewing the processes and objectives that were planned before. It is also demanding since it needs observational skills in order to note the expected output, differences and the actual output.