Operations Management: Six Sigma Concepts

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Table of Contents

Difference Between Operations, Strategy Management and Systems of Transformation
The Controlling Processes and Six Sigma Concepts
Lean Management and Project Management
Successful Supply Chain Practices
Capacity and Location Planning, and Scheduling and Inventory Management
Biblical Worldview Within the Context of Operation Management
References

Difference Between Operations, Strategy Management and Systems of Transformation

Strategic management is concerned with the events necessary to ensure a competitive positioning. However, operational management focuses on the daily activities required to generate goods and services, including material supervision, inventory handling, logistics management, and production planning (Barnes, 2018). Transformation planning involves creating a plan for adjusting an enterprise’s procedures by modifying policies to move the organization to its desired state. The US Naval administrators should collaborate with the information technology, finance, and recruitment departments to coordinate necessary resources, infrastructure, and planning.

Strategic, operational, and transformation planning require diverse backgrounds of knowledge. Secondary support programs in active handling involve training aimed at regular processes such as supply chain control. Conversely, strategic administration programs include the superior proportion of broad-based models, such as game theory, economics, strategic management and implementation, and acquisitions (Barnes, 2018).

Transformational planning, however, involves the research, formulation, and adoption of new policies that will help an organization develop its strengths and adjust its weaknesses to control threats from its competitors (Barnes, 2018). The US Navy administrator should employ the strategic management programs to determine the future Naval force’s operations. Simultaneously, the transformation systems will help the officer effectively employ the specific programs within their Naval units.

However, with strategic and operational planning, the US naval officer should contribute more attention and time to one process at specific but equal time frames to ensure they are effective. It is not easy to achieve a perfect balance between the two procedures. Still, the Naval administrators should find a good balance to ensure talent development, employment security, improved US citizens’ services, and increased stakeholder value (Barnes, 2018). Implementing new policies while adjusting the existing ones will enable the administrator to achieve a perfect balance between the two aspects of management, thus improving the military function’s productivity.

The Controlling Processes and Six Sigma Concepts

Six sigma is a measurement strategy used to improve procedures that aim at increasing consumer satisfaction both internally and externally. The approach’s background concept is to minimize variation in the operations processes, resulting in inconsistent results and improving areas with low defects (Laureani & Antony, 2019). Firms and other parastatals, such as the US Navy, can achieve Six Sigma methodology by ensuring that it keeps its faults at 3.4 per million opportunities present (Laureani & Antony, 2019). Implementing the approach will help the US Navy in various ways, such as mapping, reducing faults, eradicating waste and distinction, and creating an opportunity for continuous development.

Process mapping is the procedure of flowcharting to enable documentation of particular business practices. Documentation in the US Navy involves numerous institute development features such as officer roles and decision points in general work performance needed for realizing specific consumer needs (Barnes, 2018). The flowcharts are employed towards making improvement decisions within the military function. After identifying improvement ideas, the Navy administration can use Six Sigma techniques to eliminate distinction and waste in their operational processes. Hence, destruction is the factor that does not contribute to the production of services required by US Citizens.

One of the reasons Six Sigma methodology is vital in the US Navy is to help reduce defects. Using the approach will further help the officers and administrators to identify problem areas and recurrent concerns that influence the general quality expectation of service from the consumers’ viewpoint (Laureani & Antony, 2019). Furthermore, officers trained in Six Sigma policy will have the necessary skills and tools to determine issues or bottle-neck cones that negatively impact services and the military unit’s performance (Laureani & Antony, 2019). The process will further help the military personnel identify areas of improvement and continuously develop them. Therefore, the procedure will improve the existing services and products and create new superior quality services.

Lean Management and Project Management

Project management is the process of directing a team’s task to realize objectives and success within the specified time. The procedure’s principal challenge is to achieve all the project goals and objectives within the given constraints, such as budget and scope. However, the technique’s secondary challenge is to optimize the allocation of relevant inputs and employ them to encounter pre-defined purposes (Barnes, 2018). In most situations, project handling aims to reform the consumer’s brief to tackle their needs practically. Consequently, the designers, sub-contractors, managers, and contractors will consider the consumers’ goals.

Despite the project management approaches employed to all plans, they are structured to match specific developments depending on nature, sector, and project size. For example, the public project organization, which involves applying various standard plan handling procedures, is commonly used by the US Navy to supervise its operations (Barnes, 2018). Furthermore, the US Navy is involved in various government projects, such as creating a link that will enable them to link their assets to the Air force during battles. The move will help the military unit distribute weapons and sensors over a wide area, thus boosting its advantage against its enemies such as China. Therefore, the military function’s project management types have enabled it to deliver services locally and counter attacks from enemies.

Lean project management focuses on improving the operational processes and managing the waste of time and resources. It considers all the institutions’ practices to develop and enhance a project team’s effectiveness and efficiency through its principles, such as flow, value, protection, pull, and assessment streams (Barnes, 2018). Value is the core theory in a lean management system that involves the producer defining the significance that a service or product will bring to the consumers. For instance, the US Navy administrators can analyze all the feature requests and make them their primary focus to improve its services.

Also, the value stream will help the Navy administrators develop a map of the service life cycle, starting with the materials required for the final delivery to the consumers. To pursue lean management objectives, the stakeholders need to assess every process, step, material, and feature (Barnes, 2018). Therefore, the Navy commissioners will determine the aspect that brings value to the project, thus eliminating the unwanted factors.

Additionally, there should be a flow within the initiated project to enable a smooth transition from commencement to the final objective without any delays and interruptions. Pull requires an effective rate of flexibility, and managers should react to the consumers’ demands (Barnes, 2018). Therefore, the US Navy administration should introduce forecasts to ensure the project teams working on developing weapons and naval software do not make decisions without consent from comrades and other stakeholders. Lean management’s perfection principle defines that to realize perfection, the managers’ activities towards it should be regular (Barnes, 2018). Since the US Navy is looking to outshine their counterparts from China, the latter should improve their machinery quality and eliminate waste. The lean management principles, therefore, significantly influence the military unit’s performance.

Successful Supply Chain Practices

In the modern economic environment, the traditional supply chain is ineffective; thus, institutions can transform their supply chain to improve operation and performance. The US Navy is not an exception since it significantly relies on its supply chain to ensure it has a constant supply of commodities, such as food, weapons, and machinery necessary for its operations. Therefore, the military institution needs to adopt the processes, philosophies, and methods to make its supply chain the best in its class.

The US Navy should establish a governing logistics council responsible for giving directives and aligning supply chain approaches with its overall strategy. The council members should include the supply chain organization, stakeholders, institution leaders, and other stakeholders like the government (Truong et al., 2017). Despite being the best globally, the US Navy has been facing a constant issue in the supply of spare parts. The improvement of initiatives and monitoring of supply chain directives by the management council will help mitigate spare parts shortages, enhance readiness, and the military unit’s ability to determine the impact readiness of increased spare parts investments (Truong et al., 2017). Therefore, an active administration will create an opportunity with information regarding future approaches and plans to boost the unit’s operations.

The US Marines should properly staff their logistics department despite the challenges of effectively organizing supply chain functions to bring commensurate significance to the institution. Despite other organizations relying on logistics professionals to realize success, the American Navy prefers a more centralized operation. The military unit should adopt the hybrid strategy that blends a centralized approach to achieve consensus with decentralized implementation to develop its service. The military function’s operative software, such as the military aviation real-time software operating systems help them structure their processes and workflow (Truong et al., 2017). However, the administrators should first review the procedures that require improvement and then choose the technology that will significantly suit the practices.

Additionally, the formation of strong alliances with the main suppliers will further boost the supply chain’s success. Successful institutions have a close relationship with the sellers even after the deal is signed (Truong et al., 2017). The US Navy has faced spare part supply challenges for a significant period that has negatively impacted its operations. Therefore, practicing alliance management with both parties’ representation will boost the buyer-supply relationship and adequate supply of the necessary commodities. Despite collaborative approach sourcing producing effective results, strategic sourcing plays a vital role in the success of logistics management (Truong et al., 2017).

The military function should actively involve internal clients in the decision-making process logistics management’s success and feedback regarding their goals and approaches. Consequently, the policy will ensure there is availability of supplies and enable them realize lower total costs, increase responsiveness to consumers’ needs system aligns to the logistics of the processes.

The US Navy administrator should also focus on the total cost of ownership since it will enable them to understand the full charge of consuming a service. The technique requires that the managers assess the entire procedure of acquiring and consuming the product and service. However, establishing a total cost ownership idea in the institution will be challenging, especially with stakeholders focusing on cost reduction after the financial collapse of 2009 (Truong et al., 2017). The implementation of logistics strategy will help the American Marine improve its supply chain, thus propelling it to its mission of becoming the best-in-class military globally.

Capacity and Location Planning, and Scheduling and Inventory Management

Capacity planning is the capability of an organizational system to produce results within a specified period. Conversely, location planning is the strategy involved in obtaining the optimal balance. Position for an institution by determining the organization’s needs and goals and researching locations with contributions that are harmonious with the needs of the consumers (Song et al., 2020). Capacity planning is vital in determining the equilibrium utilization of resources. It plays a significant role in decision-making procedures, such as modifying product lines, the extension of current operations, and introducing new products and services (Song et al., 2020).

Likewise, location planning plays a vital role in the success of a company globally. Since the US Navy aims to become an international military leader, the unit should consider developing establishing bases and warehouses in the locations aligned to its strategy.

Inventory management is the process of ordering, storing, and using the company’s inventory. It also involves handling raw materials, finished products, and components, processing, and warehousing. Similarly, scheduling management consists of the organization and planning of an institution’s resources to complete a task. It further contains an ongoing activity and resources managed, such as technology, intellectual property, personnel, and finances (Song et al., 2020). In service organizations like the US Navy, inventory handling is vital since it influences the institution’s inputs and completed products and services.

Also, scheduling management is linked to information technology and military services, which have complex aspects that should be completed and assembled in a specific setting to develop a functioning product and service. Therefore, effective scheduling management will significantly influence the US Navy’s operations, such as disaster response and combating terrorist threats, by developing effective weapons. Finally, depending on the nature of an institution’s activities, managers are expected to select the appropriate inventory supervision technique since combining the two methods can influence challenges (Song et al., 2020). On the other hand, scheduling management involves combining all the activities to ensure timely delivery of services and successful completion of projects. Therefore, scheduling is essential for organizations to achieve productivity and meet consumer demand.

Biblical Worldview Within the Context of Operation Management

The aspect of management can be traced back to the beginning of the human race on the planet. Adam and Eve were ordered to handle Eden’s garden, whereas Noah was tasked with a building project where he was expected to construct a structure of function, size, and shape that has never been seen before in the human race (Laszlo, 2019). Current management perception implies that humans are ranked equally with other resources such as land, money, raw materials, and machinery. However, the Christian worldview evades the belief of both collectivism and individualism (Laszlo, 2019). It affirms that every individual is created in the image of God, whose persona is communal. Therefore, the Christian perceptive views humans as social beings and were made for each other.

Additionally, man implementing God’s power of choice took to disobey the Creator, thus making himself a subject of sin. Instead of aligning to the Creator’s directives, humans have chosen to serve themselves own self. Consequently, human beings have yielded to the influence of selfishness since they desire to make themselves a center. Man yearns to rule over fellow human beings and separate himself from God and fellow humans’ egoism (Laszlo, 2019). Their actions reflect that the good of others relies on their subjection to his governance.

Selfishness destroys God’s image in humans; hence managers should understand this while working with fellow staff. Finally, the plan of redemption presents an opportunity for restoring the damage done by sin to man (Laszlo, 2019). However, the managers can only achieve the task through all human beings’ participation regardless of their mental, physical, social, spiritual, and relational state. Therefore, the stewards should focus on the objectives and attitude required for the completion of tasks.

References

Barnes, D. (2018). Operations Management. Macmillan International Higher Education.

Laszlo, C. (2019). Strengthening humanistic management. Humanistic Management Journal, 4(1), 85–94. Web.

Laureani, A., & Antony, J. (2019). Leadership and Lean Six Sigma: A systematic literature review. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 30(1–2), 53–81. Web.

Song, J.-S., van Houtum, G.-J., & Van Mieghem, J. A. (2020). Capacity and inventory management: Review, trends, and projections. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 22(1), 36–46. Web.

Truong, H. Q., Sameiro, M., Fernandes, A. C., Sampaio, P., Duong, B. A. T., Duong, H. H., & Vilhenac, E. (2017). Supply chain management practices and firms’ operational performance. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management. Web.

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