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COB 300 – Benchmark 2. The Operations Plan. Operations Section. “What operational processes will you establish to deliver goods/services?” Once your business strategy is defined, look closely at your competitive priority/priorities: cost, quality, delivery reliability, flexibility, speed.
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COB 300 – Benchmark 2 The Operations Plan
Operations Section “What operational processes will you establish to deliver goods/services?” Once your business strategy is defined, look closely at your competitive priority/priorities: • cost, quality, delivery reliability, flexibility, speed. These will be the basis for defining your operations strategy.
Points to Consider • Will you produce a tangible product or will you be a service provider? • Are you business to business or are you business to consumer? • For how much are you responsible (i.e., do you subcontract out part or all of the fabrication/assembly process or service)? • How do you ensure quality?
Points to Consider • At what stage is the industry you’re entering (introduction, growth, maturity, decline)? • Will you enter as a low volume, custom producer or will you need to have substantial capital investment for immediate volume capability? • When do you expect to break even (volume of output and date) given your process design? • How quickly will you move toward higher volume operations? What challenges or opportunities does this present?
Points to Consider • Do you provide a customized (one of a kind) product or service or do you have a standard catalog listing of goods/services? • How will you forecast demand for your product/service? How will that forecast help you operationally? How much error is there likely to be in that forecast? • What is your finished goods inventory policy? • How will your operations capabilities lead to competitive advantage (e.g., cost, quality, superior service, etc.)?
Points to Consider • For Service Provider: Detail the flow of your operation (See Figure 7.9, page 259, Operations Management) Customer enters system Customer leaves system • For Goods Producer: Detail layout of facility (Product layout or process layout). Why?
Points to Consider • “Location, Location, Location!”
Points to Consider • What are your competitors doing operationally? How can you use this information to help position your own operations? • Finally – How does what you do in operations add value for the consumer/business you are serving?