Question

Develop a productivity improvement strategy and develop plans for implementing the strategy in the identified priority areas in accordance with the root cause analysis

a) Develop a Productivity Improvement Strategy.

b) Develop an implementation plan to implement the strategy as developed in (a).

Answer 1

a) An organization operating in manufacturing or services business may device special operational practices which will increase its efficiency and ultimately the productivity of people, machine etc. The following things must be done to improve the productivity as strategic perspectives:

1) Identifying major organizational goals : It should be recognized by the experience people of the organization who have direct or indirect involvement in such activities. An organization should set aside its key performance and operational goals. For example, Achieve a growth in manufacturing by 5% of the last year figures. Competitors activities and product designs may be analyzed through market intelligence.  

2) Analyze and investigate key bottlenecks or challenges:

Major challenges or problems related to production facility must be highlighted. Any bottlenecks like non availability of raw materials or shortage of labor, defaults activities of some of the machines, under capacity utilization etc. should be properly addressed. Again, all the weaknesses against immediate market competitors must be analyzed.

3) Understanding the priorities of organization: A manufacturing organization should maintain its production facility with priority of work processes and other activities like supply chain, logistics, annual maintenance etc. Management may have focus on quality offerings, latest technology, satisfaction of stakeholders etc.

4) Training and development:

Personnel should be given adequate training in the areas of total quality management, operations management, attitude & personality development, lean manufacturing, services delivery, and management of cost interventions.

5) Feedback& Control:

It is important so as to find out the actual improvements in work accomplishments and attitude of managers working into production or services units.

b) To implement above strategic interventions to production facility the following activities must be performed:

1) A team of individuals who have expertise in production and operations will be appointed to understand the whole agenda of the organization and successful change to be adopted by the different functional areas within organization.

2) Employees should be contacted to offer real time suggestions and options to achieve sophisticated efficiency against the immediate competitors.

3) A personalized software will monitor our daily functionality with the help of updates received from each department.

4) Stakeholders will be offered day to day programs of the business operations so that they can adjust their business operations.

5) Customers interests must be highlighted through regular feedback system and a rigorous service mechanism.  

In this way, we can implement quality focused business operations against the immediate competitors in our industry.