IT C927 IT Operations Plan Task 1 2023/24 Western
Governors University
(1) What is operations management? - answers Operations management is the
activity of managing the resources which are devoted to the production and delivery
of service and products.
It is one of the core functions of any business.
(1) Why is operations management important in all
types of organization? - answers Operations management uses the organization's
resources to create outputs that fulfill defined market requirements. This is the
fundamental activity of any type of enterprise.
Operations management is increasingly important because today's business
environment requires new thinking from operations managers.
(1) What is the input-transformation-output process? - answers All operations can
be modeled as input-transformation-output processes. They all have inputs of
transforming resources, which are usually divided into 'facilities' and 'staff', and
transformed resources, which are some mixture of materials, information and
customers.
(1) What is the process hierarchy? - answers They are building blocks of all
operations and they form an internal network within an operation.
(1) How do operations and processes differ? - answers Operations and processes
differ in terms of the volume of their outputs, the variety of outputs, the variation in
demand for their outputs, and the degree of 'visibility' they have.
High volume, low variety, low variation and low customer 'visibility' are usually
associated with low cost.
All operations processes transform inputs, but they can differ.
(1) What do operations managers do? - answers Responsibilities can be classed in
four categories - direct, design, deliver and develop:
Direct includes understanding relevant performance objectives, setting an operations
strategy, managing innovation and the scope of the operation.
Design includes the design of the operation and its processes and its resources.
Delivery includes the planning and controlling of the activities of the operation.
Develop includes the improvement of the operation over time.
(2) Why is operations performance vital in any organization? - answers Operations
management is a make or break activity. Operations management can significantly
affect profitability.
(3) What is strategy and what is operations strategy? - answers Strategy includes:
, IT C927 IT Operations Plan Task 1 2023/24 Western
Governors University
- Setting broad objectives that direct an enterprise towards its overall goal
- Planning the path that will achieve these goals
- Stressing long-term rather than short-term objectives
- Dealing with the total picture rather than stressing individual activities
- Being detached from, and above, the confusion and distractions of day-to-day
activities.
Operations strategy concerns the pattern of strategic decisions and actions that set
the role, objectives and activities of the operation. Operations are the resources that
create products and services.
(3) What is the difference between a 'top‐down' and a 'bottom‐up' view of operations
strategy? - answers Top-down perspective = views strategic decisions at a number
of levels. Corporate strategy sets the objectives for the different business which
make up a group of businesses. Business strategy sets the objectives for each
individual business and how it positions itself in its marketplace. Functional
strategies set the objectives for each function's contribution to its business strategy.
Bottom-up perspective = sees overall strategy as emerging from day-to-day
operational experience.
(3) What is the difference between a 'market requirements' and 'operations
resources'
view of operations strategy? - answers A market requirements perspective of
operations strategy = sees the main role of operations as satisfying markets.
Operations performance objectives and operations decisions should be primarily
influenced by a combination of customers' needs and competitors' actions. Both of
these may be summarized in terms of the product/service life cycle. Infrastructural
decisions are those which influence the systems and procedures that determine how
the operation will work in practice. The 'operations resources' perspective of
operations strategy is based on the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm and sees
the operation's core competencies (or capabilities) as being the main influence on
operations strategy. Operations capabilities are developed partly thorugh the
strategic decisions taken by the operation. Strategic decision areas in operations are
usually divided into structural and infrastructural decisions. Structural decisions are
those which define an operation's shape and form.
(3) How can operations strategy form the basis for operations improvement? -
answers An operations strategy is not just about checking that a business's
resources and processes are consistent with its overall strategy. As out earlier
discussion of operations capabilities implied, it can also provide the foundation for
improvement.
(3) How can an operations strategy be formulated? The process of operations
strategy - answers What is called the process strategy is concerned with how
strategies are put together. so the process of strategy means the method that is
used to determine what an operations strategy should be.
(5) What do we mean by the 'structure' and 'scope' of operations' supply networks? -
answers Structure relates its shape and form. Is determined by 3 sets of decisions:
Governors University
(1) What is operations management? - answers Operations management is the
activity of managing the resources which are devoted to the production and delivery
of service and products.
It is one of the core functions of any business.
(1) Why is operations management important in all
types of organization? - answers Operations management uses the organization's
resources to create outputs that fulfill defined market requirements. This is the
fundamental activity of any type of enterprise.
Operations management is increasingly important because today's business
environment requires new thinking from operations managers.
(1) What is the input-transformation-output process? - answers All operations can
be modeled as input-transformation-output processes. They all have inputs of
transforming resources, which are usually divided into 'facilities' and 'staff', and
transformed resources, which are some mixture of materials, information and
customers.
(1) What is the process hierarchy? - answers They are building blocks of all
operations and they form an internal network within an operation.
(1) How do operations and processes differ? - answers Operations and processes
differ in terms of the volume of their outputs, the variety of outputs, the variation in
demand for their outputs, and the degree of 'visibility' they have.
High volume, low variety, low variation and low customer 'visibility' are usually
associated with low cost.
All operations processes transform inputs, but they can differ.
(1) What do operations managers do? - answers Responsibilities can be classed in
four categories - direct, design, deliver and develop:
Direct includes understanding relevant performance objectives, setting an operations
strategy, managing innovation and the scope of the operation.
Design includes the design of the operation and its processes and its resources.
Delivery includes the planning and controlling of the activities of the operation.
Develop includes the improvement of the operation over time.
(2) Why is operations performance vital in any organization? - answers Operations
management is a make or break activity. Operations management can significantly
affect profitability.
(3) What is strategy and what is operations strategy? - answers Strategy includes:
, IT C927 IT Operations Plan Task 1 2023/24 Western
Governors University
- Setting broad objectives that direct an enterprise towards its overall goal
- Planning the path that will achieve these goals
- Stressing long-term rather than short-term objectives
- Dealing with the total picture rather than stressing individual activities
- Being detached from, and above, the confusion and distractions of day-to-day
activities.
Operations strategy concerns the pattern of strategic decisions and actions that set
the role, objectives and activities of the operation. Operations are the resources that
create products and services.
(3) What is the difference between a 'top‐down' and a 'bottom‐up' view of operations
strategy? - answers Top-down perspective = views strategic decisions at a number
of levels. Corporate strategy sets the objectives for the different business which
make up a group of businesses. Business strategy sets the objectives for each
individual business and how it positions itself in its marketplace. Functional
strategies set the objectives for each function's contribution to its business strategy.
Bottom-up perspective = sees overall strategy as emerging from day-to-day
operational experience.
(3) What is the difference between a 'market requirements' and 'operations
resources'
view of operations strategy? - answers A market requirements perspective of
operations strategy = sees the main role of operations as satisfying markets.
Operations performance objectives and operations decisions should be primarily
influenced by a combination of customers' needs and competitors' actions. Both of
these may be summarized in terms of the product/service life cycle. Infrastructural
decisions are those which influence the systems and procedures that determine how
the operation will work in practice. The 'operations resources' perspective of
operations strategy is based on the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm and sees
the operation's core competencies (or capabilities) as being the main influence on
operations strategy. Operations capabilities are developed partly thorugh the
strategic decisions taken by the operation. Strategic decision areas in operations are
usually divided into structural and infrastructural decisions. Structural decisions are
those which define an operation's shape and form.
(3) How can operations strategy form the basis for operations improvement? -
answers An operations strategy is not just about checking that a business's
resources and processes are consistent with its overall strategy. As out earlier
discussion of operations capabilities implied, it can also provide the foundation for
improvement.
(3) How can an operations strategy be formulated? The process of operations
strategy - answers What is called the process strategy is concerned with how
strategies are put together. so the process of strategy means the method that is
used to determine what an operations strategy should be.
(5) What do we mean by the 'structure' and 'scope' of operations' supply networks? -
answers Structure relates its shape and form. Is determined by 3 sets of decisions:
