Natural variation - variability that affects every production process to some degree and is to be
expected; also known as common cause
Experience Differentiation - Engaging a customer with a product through imaginative use of the
five senses, so the customer "experiences" the product
Production - the creation of goods and services
Operations Management - Activities that relate to the creation of goods and services through the
transformation of inputs to outputs
Supply chain - A global network of organizations and activities that supply a firm with goods and
services
Services - Economic activities that typically produce an intangible product (such as education,
entertainment, lodging, government, financial, and health services)
Service sector - the segment of the economy that includes trade, financial, lodging, education,
legal, medical, and other professional occupations
Management process - the application of planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling to
the achievement of objectives
Differentiation - distinguishing the offerings of an organization in a way that the customer
perceives as adding value
Low cost leadership - achieving maximum value, as perceived by the customer
Response - a set of values related to rapid, flexible, and reliable performance
,Mission - the purpose or rationale for an organization's existence
Strategy - how an organization expects to achieve its missions and goals
Productivity - the ratio of outputs (goods and services) divided by one or more inputs (such as
labour, capital or management)
Single factor Productivity - Indicates the ratio of one resource (input) to the goods and services
produced (outputs).
Multifactor productivity - indicates the ratio of many or all resources (inputs) to the goods and
services produced (outputs)
Productivity variables - the three factors critical to productivity improvement - capital and the art
and science of management
Knowledge Society - a society in which much of the labour force has migrated from manual work
to work based on knowledge
Maintenance - the activities involved in keeping a systems equipment in working order
Reliability - the probability that a machine part or product will function properly for a specified
time under stated conditions
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) - The expected time between a repair and the next failure of
a component, machine, process, or product.
Redundancy - the use of components in parallel to raise reliability
Product development stages - Product concepts are developed from a variety of sources, both
external and internal to the firm. Concepts that survive the product idea stage progress through various
, stages, with nearly constant review, feedback, and evaluation in a highly participative environment to
minimize failure
Robust design - a design that can be produced to requirements even with unfavorable conditions
in the production process
Modular designs - Designs in which parts or components of a product are subdivided into
modules that are easily interchanged or replaced
computer-aided design (CAD) - interactive use of a computer to develop and document a product
Design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) - software that allows designers to look at the
effect of design on manufacturing of the product
3-D Object Modeling - An extension of CAD that builds small prototypes.
Standard for the exchange of product data (STEP) - a standard that provides a format allowing the
electronic transmission of three-dimensional data
computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) - the use of information technology to control machinery
Virtual reality - a visual form of communication in which images substitute for reality and typically
allow the user to respond interactively
Value analysis - a review of successful products that takes place during the production process
Process-Chain-Network (PCN) Analysis - analysis that focuses on the ways in which processes can
be designed to optimize interaction between firms and their customers
Process chain - a sequence of steps that accomplishes an identifiable purpose (of providing value
to process participants)