The functions of an operations manager

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OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

MBA

THE FUNCTION OF AN OPERATIONS MANAGER

BY

Suhaila Sinn

THE FUNCTION OF AN OPERATIONS MANAGER

         Introduction

An operations manager is concerned with the ways of achieving the most effective and efficient use of an organisations resources, such as its financial and human resources, capital and materials. He/She is concerned with making a better product or service and with making it more efficient or at lower costs. They are generally trying to achieve the companies objectives and business success. They do not just deal with the manufacturing of products in an assembly line  but the whole business processes. Operations management is valuable to any manager of any area.

 The APICS dictionary defines operations management as “the planning, scheduling, and control of the activities that transform inputs into finished goods and services. We can also define it as a field of study that focuses on the effective planning, scheduling, use and control of a manufacturing or service organisation through the study of concepts from design engineering, industrial engineering, management information systems, quality management, production manaegement, accounting, and other functions as they affect the operation.” 

This means that an operations manager is involved in all functional areas within the organisation, as all areas are dealing with producing some products or services from their resources.

The following paper will define the different roles of an operations manager in an organisation.

1.                Product Planning

If the raw material required can be readily sourced in the right quantities, at the right price and quality, this will provide a solid basis of the development phase. The role of the operations manager here will be to work with the purchasing specialists on quality standards, to assist in the rating and choice of suppliers and to advice on practical and contractual issues such as just-in-time delivery. The ideal arrangement should be to find that the raw materials or components are readily available at an acceptable price and quality.

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Research and development (R&D) factors is another subject an operations manager has to deal with. Developing and designing a new product does not only take the end product but also the whole manufacturing processes into consideration. This includes make-or-buy decisions, defining and deciding on capable suppliers and establishing a manufacturing schedule. These are based on financial factors and are therefore strongly linked to a budget plan.

The life cycle of a product plays a key role in the development phase and is connected to market movements. It can help defining the materials requirement when phasing in or phasing out a ...

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