COB 300 OPERATIONS CH 8 EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Benchmarking - Answer-- process of measuring an org. performance on a key customer
requirement against the best in the industry, or against the best in any industry
- purpose is to est. a standard against which performance is judged, and to identify a
model for learning how to improve
- demonstrates the degree to which customers of other org. are satisfied; goal is to meet
or exceed that standard through improvements in appropriate processes
Steps:
1. identify a critical process that needs improvement
2. Identify an org. that excels in the process, pref the best; selecting an industry leader
provides insight into what competitors are doing but competitors may be reluctant to
share this information
3. contact the benchmark organization, visit it, and study the benchmark activity
4. analyze the data
5. improve the critical process at your own org.
* selecting org. that are world leaders in diff industries is another alternative. A company
may use many benchmarks like xerox by using diff companies standards depending on
what process you are looking at
* Benchmarking approach:
1. what org do it best
2. how do they do it
3. how do we do it now
4. how can we change to match or exceed the best
(notes from classs.... )
- there is process focused vs industry focused benchmarking
1. Process focused (i.e agile manufacturing, B2B, B2C, call center management,
distribution and logistics, inventory management, lean manufacturing, process
management, etc etc )
- sometime this is better cause its not a direct area;
2. Industry focused ( i.e airlines, airports, aerospace, banking, financial services,
government, newspapers, etc etc)
, Total quality management - Answer--a philosophy that involves everyone in an
organization in a continual effort to improve quality and achieve customer satisfaction;
3 key philosophies:
1. Continuous improvement
2. involvement of everyone
3. customer satisfaction
Describing the approach:
1. find out what customers want; might involve surveys, focus groups, interviews, or
other technique that integrates the customers voice in the decision making process * be
sure to include internal customer ( next person in the process) & external customer
( final customer) *
2. design a product or service that will meet (or exceed) what customers want, easy to
use, and easy to produce
3. design processes that facilitate doing the job right the first time. Strive to make the
process "mistake-proof." Fail-safing is where elements are incorporated in product or
service design that make it virtually impossible for an employee (sometimes customer)
to do something incorrectly; jap term for this is pokayoke [i.e appliance plugs that can
be inserted into a wall outlet the correct way only].
4. Keep track of results, and use them to guide improvement in the system; never stop
trying to improve
5. extend these concepts throughout the supply chain
[ visually from slide]
top mgt commitment; *ultimate responsibility*, institute programs to improve quality as
well as guide, direct, and motivate managers and workers. Need to set an example by
being involved in quality initiatives
employee involvement--
training & development--
Reward & recognition--
Measurement --
all lead to..........
--customer focus
--continuous process improvement; philosophy that seeks to make never-ending
improvements to the process of converting inputs into outputs
--total involvement
Important elements of TQM - Answer-1. Continuous improvement:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Benchmarking - Answer-- process of measuring an org. performance on a key customer
requirement against the best in the industry, or against the best in any industry
- purpose is to est. a standard against which performance is judged, and to identify a
model for learning how to improve
- demonstrates the degree to which customers of other org. are satisfied; goal is to meet
or exceed that standard through improvements in appropriate processes
Steps:
1. identify a critical process that needs improvement
2. Identify an org. that excels in the process, pref the best; selecting an industry leader
provides insight into what competitors are doing but competitors may be reluctant to
share this information
3. contact the benchmark organization, visit it, and study the benchmark activity
4. analyze the data
5. improve the critical process at your own org.
* selecting org. that are world leaders in diff industries is another alternative. A company
may use many benchmarks like xerox by using diff companies standards depending on
what process you are looking at
* Benchmarking approach:
1. what org do it best
2. how do they do it
3. how do we do it now
4. how can we change to match or exceed the best
(notes from classs.... )
- there is process focused vs industry focused benchmarking
1. Process focused (i.e agile manufacturing, B2B, B2C, call center management,
distribution and logistics, inventory management, lean manufacturing, process
management, etc etc )
- sometime this is better cause its not a direct area;
2. Industry focused ( i.e airlines, airports, aerospace, banking, financial services,
government, newspapers, etc etc)
, Total quality management - Answer--a philosophy that involves everyone in an
organization in a continual effort to improve quality and achieve customer satisfaction;
3 key philosophies:
1. Continuous improvement
2. involvement of everyone
3. customer satisfaction
Describing the approach:
1. find out what customers want; might involve surveys, focus groups, interviews, or
other technique that integrates the customers voice in the decision making process * be
sure to include internal customer ( next person in the process) & external customer
( final customer) *
2. design a product or service that will meet (or exceed) what customers want, easy to
use, and easy to produce
3. design processes that facilitate doing the job right the first time. Strive to make the
process "mistake-proof." Fail-safing is where elements are incorporated in product or
service design that make it virtually impossible for an employee (sometimes customer)
to do something incorrectly; jap term for this is pokayoke [i.e appliance plugs that can
be inserted into a wall outlet the correct way only].
4. Keep track of results, and use them to guide improvement in the system; never stop
trying to improve
5. extend these concepts throughout the supply chain
[ visually from slide]
top mgt commitment; *ultimate responsibility*, institute programs to improve quality as
well as guide, direct, and motivate managers and workers. Need to set an example by
being involved in quality initiatives
employee involvement--
training & development--
Reward & recognition--
Measurement --
all lead to..........
--customer focus
--continuous process improvement; philosophy that seeks to make never-ending
improvements to the process of converting inputs into outputs
--total involvement
Important elements of TQM - Answer-1. Continuous improvement:
