Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Operations Management - Essay Example The paper throws light on operations management as â€Å"the conversion of inputs into outputs, using physical resources, so as to provide the desired utility/utilities of form, place, possession or state of a combination thereof to the customer, while meeting the other organizational objectives of effectiveness, efficiency and adaptability†. Production and operations management is also described as providing physical goods or services. Production and operations are often taken interchangeably; in fact all productive activities are classifiable as operations. Operations management mainly â€Å"consists of activities which are concerned with the acquisition of raw materials, their conversion into finished product, and the supply of that finished product to the customer. In the offshore oil exploration industry, Woll noted that the term â€Å"operations management† is used in different ways at all levels of the organization, citing enterprise operations management, offsi te (tank farm) operations management, and remote operations management. While they differ in scope, they all have a common purpose, which is â€Å"to coordinate a predefined set of resources to achieve predefined results†. Specific responsibilities of the operations manager include strategic operation planning, policy setting, budgeting, management of other managers or of the operations department staff, and the control of the operations function. The core responsibilities of operations managers are circumscribed within the activities, tasks and decisions they are required to make. (Slack, et al., 2010). A figure useful for envisioning the production functions in terms of levels of responsibilities of operations management is provided by Roy (2007) in the following diagram: The Production Function: specific responsibilities of the operation manager Source: Roy, 2007, p. 7 In the pre-planning stage, the bulk of the conceptualization concerning the product, the process, the qua ntity to be produced and the particulars of the productions facilities, is accomplished. The planning of the specifics in terms of the logistics, personnel, equipment, and techniques or methods follows, after which the actualization takes place. The execution of the plans requires the control of the processes to assure that the parameters set during the planning process are abided by, or adjusted if warranted. Finally, feedback generated from the control stage provides input to the pre-planning stage for the next cycle, and the series of activities begins anew. Traditionally, production and operations management referred solely to manufacturing concerns, thus the emphasis on physical resources in many definitions. However, in time the conventional definition had taken cognizance of the fact that many service industries employ the same techniques and activities used in production management in manufacturing of tangible goods. Thus, the term had gradually taken on a broader and more c omprehensive meaning, being equally applied to the manufacture of goods as well as the delivery of services. Other than the general responsibilities of operations management, there have recently come to fore some specialized