In: Operations Management
In the current state of the economy and the bullwhip effect of prepping for a health epidemic, many companies are experiencing capacity planning issues.
What capacity issues have you experienced or know about related to this health crisis?
Capacity issue is the process of determining the production
capacity needed by an organization to meet the changing needs for
its products. In the context of capacity planning, project capacity
is the maximum amount of work that an organization can complete in
a given period of time. Effective capacity is the maximum amount of
work an organization can perform in a given period of time due to
limited issues such as quality issues, delays in working with raw
materials, and more.
This phrase is also used in business calculations and information
technology as a means for capacity management. IT capacity planning
includes assessments of storage devices, computer hardware,
software, and connected infrastructure resources needed for the
future. A common concern of businesses is whether the necessary
resources are available to withstand the increase in users or the
number of interactions. Capacity management is concerned with
adding CPU, memory, and storage to the actual server or servers.
This is a traditional and vertical way to scale web applications,
but IT capability planning is designed to anticipate the need for
this vertical scaling method.
Inconsistencies between organizational capabilities and customer
needs lead to inefficiencies, inaccurate resources, or
unsatisfactory clients. The purpose of capacity planning is to
bridge this gap. Organizational capacity requirements vary
depending on production changes, such as increasing or decreasing
the production volume of existing products or the production of new
products. Better utilization of existing capabilities can be
achieved by optimizing the overall equipment. Capacity can be
increased by introducing new techniques, tools and equipment,
increasing the number of workers or machinery, increasing the
number of shifts, or gaining additional production capacity.