StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Operations management - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Operations Management: Discuss three phases of a project as well as the responsibilities of project managers. Project Management can be seen to contain three distinct phases: Planning, Scheduling and Controlling. During the Planning phase, the requirements of the project are properly understood…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.5% of users find it useful
Operations management
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Operations management"

Operations Management: Discuss three phases of a project as well as the responsibilities of project managers. Project Management can be seen to contain three distinct phases: Planning, Scheduling and Controlling. During the Planning phase, the requirements of the project are properly understood. The Project Manager (PM) fits the new project within the broader Project Organization, so that existing projects continue to run smoothly. The PM also interacts with the clientele and other stakeholders so that the scope of the project is fixed.

It is the responsibility of the PM to temporarily assign members to the project, as well as to co-ordinate “activities with other departments and to report directly to top management.” (from the text, p.49) During the planning phase, the PM agrees to take up an array of responsibilities, including “making sure that all necessary activities are finished in proper sequence and on time; the project comes in within budget; the project meets its quality goals; and the people assigned to the project receive the motivation, direction, and information needed to do their jobs”.

(from the text, p.49) The Project Manager will have to consider the pros and cons of different features and options and will have to decide to retain some while discarding others. Once the design is approved, detailed planning begins. At this stage, “business benefits, project objectives, requirements, governance, scope and project management methodology are all agreed upon”.(www.businessperform.com, 2011) The PM also sorts out common ethical issues faced by project teams at this stage, and prepares the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

During the Scheduling phase, sequences and time allotment are given to all project activities. The PM decides the optimal time allocation for each activity/task and will accordingly delegate people and resources towards its execution. Managers also “chart separate schedules for personnel needs by type of skill (management, engineering, or pouring concrete, for example)”. (text, p.51) Gantt charts are a useful tool in scheduling project activities. But Scheduling is only as good as execution of project tasks.

It is the responsibility of the PM to ensure that the designs and plans laid out on paper are turned into action. The PM should also co-ordinate, monitor and keep track of all the modules in the project. This is usually best accomplished with the help of a Project Management software, which can be customized to particular project needs. This phase is resource-intensive, as all available resources are put to use by the PM. The challenges faced by the PM at this stage include prudent allocation of limited available resources and prioritization of tasks and objectives.

The final phase in Project Management is Monitoring/Controlling phase, where sequential tasks in the project plan are executed on time so that the project can move toward completion. In other words, since implementation of a project seldom follows a linear flow structure, it would be necessary to cascade tasks in such as way that there is a smooth transition from the blue-print to project execution. The responsibility of PM at this phase include “close monitoring of resources, costs, quality, and budgets”. (text, p.52) A keyword during this phase is 'iteration' between planning and execution of activities in order to streamline or cascade individual tasks into an optimal sequence.

Also, all the documentation work pertaining to the project is carried out. End-of-project reports are generated during this phase, which records the successes and flaws in the finished project. Such an honest assessment will come handy later when any maintenance issues crop up. Works Cited: Deanna Reynolds, Phases of Project Management, retrieved from http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/1674.aspx, on 17th March, 2011. Project Phases, retrieved from on 17th March, 2011

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Operations management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/other/1410891-operations-management
(Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
https://studentshare.org/other/1410891-operations-management.
“Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/other/1410891-operations-management.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Operations management

Perspectives on Operations Management

Perspectives on Operations management Date: Perspectives on Operations management Outline: Introduction of Operations Strategy Operation Strategy for new Wal-Mart Store Key Factor of Operations Strategy Implied Performance Objectives Justifications and Recommendation Perspectives on Operations management Operations management strategy is simply a tool which can help the organizations to carry out their business in efficient manner....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Operations Management Forecasting

This assignment highlight the performance objectives of Operations management recognized by Slack et al (1998) to examine the external issues that may impact on the operation function inside the organisations in inquiry. "Operations management for forecasting is concerned with creating, operating and controlling a transformation system which takes inputs of a variety of resources and produces outputs of goods and services which are needed by customers". … This document is planned to help individuals who prepare business forecasts as well as those who appraisal the forecasts....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Components of the Study of Business

The area of Operations management is the component of the study of business that is concerned with the production of goods and services, and which involves the responsibility of ensuring that all business operations run smoothly.... Operations management also "refers to the production of goods and services, the set of value-added activities that transform inputs into many outputs.... hellip; The key element of Operations management is to ensure that things are running efficiently and effectively, and must be careful to maintain the proper management of resources as well as the distribution of goods and services to customers. Operations management is the systematic direction and control of the many processes which transform inputs into finished goods or services....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Operations Management: British museum

The challenges to the operations are also identified, and solutions to challenges suggested.... The paper also proposes ways to improve the operation The operations of the British museum are; conservation; the museum is charged with the function of preserving the country's heritage of artifacts and all other cultural heritages.... There are various challenges affecting the different museum operations....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Operations Management in Action - Zorro Organization

Operations management has the sole role responsibility of ensuring that an organization's business operations are both efficient and effective.... Having looked at how the Operations management system of Zorro Organization works, let us now look at some of the problems, issues and challenges it encounters.... One of the major problems is globalization; there are so many regions in the world and in each region, there is a difference in Operations management....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Operations management of Tesco

hellip; Tesco is been chosen for this report to understand the whole process as the company is a leader and also has an efficient process which will provide a good understanding with regards to the Operations management and also position of retail stores in the global market in a better way.... This study is been done based on various concepts of Operations management.... This research is being carried out to analyze and present the overall operations of the retail giant Tesco looking at its supply chain, the market position, the performance objective of Tesco, the 4v's and also the capacity of the stores....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Operations Management at Amazon

This report details an analysis of the Operations management at Amazon, focusing on key aspects of its operations strategy, including strategy conception, evolution, challenges, and execution/delivery.... hellip; This essay analyzes the nature and challenges of Amazon's inventory management and process design.... One can see that aspects of process design, are intertwined with inventory management concerns.... This is the case for inventory management considerations for digital content, for example, as those relate to the relative ease of handling virtual inventory on the one hand and the opposing difficulty and complexity of managing physical inventories....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Nissan Qashqais Operational Framework

Slack, et al (2010) stated that Operations management is concerned with designing, controlling, and overseeing production processes along with redesigning business processes for better production of goods and services.... Hill and Hill (2011) added that Operations management ensures that business operations are efficient enough to use little but impactful and robust resources exceeding customers' expectations in a meaningful manner.... Simon (2010) added that Operations management is concerned with the conversion of inputs in the form of raw material and energy into the output offering value and benefits to a number of customers....
13 Pages (3250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us