The global economy is witnessing previously unseen levels of competitiveness, forcing business leaders to contend with unprecedented challenges. No longer can companies seize and hold a customer base by operating adequately. In order to enjoy a competitive advantage, an organization must operate at exemplary levels of performance in every facet of business and maintain that degree of excellence indefinitely. This is achieved through careful alignment of operational systems and the use of innovative process management initiatives. “Unless an organization is uniquely qualified to deal with its customers by understanding its own strengths and weakness,” writes internationally renowned operational management expert Christopher K. Ahoy, “it will be unable to understand what is required to move from the current paradigm of doing business.” In Customer-Driven Operations Management, Ahoy distills the most current business theories and practices that will help you weed out and eliminate operational inefficiencies and put in place the necessary metrics for providing products and services better, cheaper, and faster than ever. Ahoy walks you through the steps of creating a world-class organization, which include Mapping your company's processes to target weak points Realigning management systems from functional to process-focused Setting benchmarks throughout the process to help quantify levels of success Establish a system of knowledge management for the seamless alignment of teams and departments Improving process management using Lean, Six Sigma, and other methodologies Create a sound strategic planning initiative to eliminate future surprises With diagrams and figures to highlight salient points, Customer-Driven Operations Management clarifies and simplifies the otherwise daunting task of enacting major changes in your company's operations systems.

The global economy is witnessing previously unseen levels of competitiveness, forcing business leaders to contend with unprecedented challenges. No longer can companies seize and hold a customer base by operating adequately. In order to enjoy a competitive advantage, an organization must operate at exemplary levels of performance in every facet of business and maintain that degree of excellence indefinitely. This is achieved through careful alignment of operational systems and the use of innovative process management initiatives. “Unless an organization is uniquely qualified to deal with its customers by understanding its own strengths and weakness,” writes internationally renowned operational management expert Christopher K. Ahoy, “it will be unable to understand what is required to move from the current paradigm of doing business.” In Customer-Driven Operations Management, Ahoy distills the most current business theories and practices that will help you weed out and eliminate operational inefficiencies and put in place the necessary metrics for providing products and services better, cheaper, and faster than ever. Ahoy walks you through the steps of creating a world-class organization, which include Mapping your company's processes to target weak points Realigning management systems from functional to process-focused Setting benchmarks throughout the process to help quantify levels of success Establish a system of knowledge management for the seamless alignment of teams and departments Improving process management using Lean, Six Sigma, and other methodologies Create a sound strategic planning initiative to eliminate future surprises With diagrams and figures to highlight salient points, Customer-Driven Operations Management clarifies and simplifies the otherwise daunting task of enacting major changes in your company's operations systems.

This book will walk you through the process of becoming a Supervisor 4.0. The term “Supervisor 4.0” is used to associate the role of a supervisor with the present period referred to as Industry 4.0 and beyond. If you work in a workplace, within a large or small corporation, where resources are used or changed from one form to another, or to produce certain types of "medium" or final products or services, this easy-to-read book is for you. Moreover, if you manage a Small-to-Medium-sized Business (aka SMB), such as a home-based business, you are essentially a supervisor, and this practical book is relevant for you. This book is also perfect for those of you who want to learn practical management skills. Its contents begin by advising you on how to view your workplace properly. This perspective is critical since a misperception of it could lead to workplace mismanagement. On a solid basis in looking at your workplace, you can precisely decide a work target (T). Realizing T inevitably requires a concerted effort of Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, and Controlling. We shall call this collaborative effort as 5G. To successfully achieve T via 5G, Productivity (P) should be included without sacrificing Job Satisfaction (S) and Quality (Q), especially in the face of globalization and intense competition. Coupled with 3 support skills: Technical, Diagnostic, and Communication Skills (3s), a smooth process of achieving Target (T) through the multiplication of efforts (5G) plus high QPS can finally be secured. Thus, the formula for becoming Supervisor 4.0 can be presented as follows: SPV 4.0 = {(T x 5G) + QPS}^3s. This how-to-guide book equips you with the essential supervisory tools to put each variable of the Supervisor 4.0 Formula into action in the field. You simply need to use them and remember that "practice makes perfect", suggesting that you should keep practicing those tools to become skilled. This is a never-ending effort of improvement. In addition, there is a Control Mechanism case study that you can replicate and apply in your workplace. Last but not least, as part of ongoing supervisory performance enhancement, the book contains Supervisory “Medical” Checkup 4.0, which can be employed as a periodic checkup tool to assess your supervisory health.

Operational Excellence, Second Edition – Breakthrough Strategies for Improving Customer Experience and Productivity brings together leading-edge tools, methods, and concepts to provide process improvement experts a reference to improve their organization’s quality, productivity, and customer service operations. Its major topics include alignment of strategy to the design of supporting systems to meet customer expectations, manage capacity, and improve performance. It provides a concise and practical reference for operational excellence. Its fourteen chapters lead a reader through the latest tools, methods, and concepts currently used to capture "voice of" customers, partners, and other stakeholders, new strategies for the application of Lean, Six Sigma, as well as product and service design across diverse industries, including manufacturing to financial services. This book operates from three premises: Organizations can increase competitiveness in an era of globalization through the application of "voice-of" applications, Design Thinking, the integration of the Information Technology Ecosystem’s new tools and methods integrated with proven Lean and Six Sigma applications Operational performance correlates to an organization’s financial, operational, and resultant productivity, as well as with shareholder economic value add (EVA) metrics and can be measured and improved using the methods in this book Value-adding activities and disciplines discussed are global and applicable to every organization A PRACTICAL TOOL FOR REAL-WORLD APPLICATION New topics are introduced in the second edition. These include Design Thinking, the "voice-of" Information Technology Ecosystems, Big Data applications, and Robotic Process Automation. Key topics from the first edition remain. These include Design-for-Six-Sigma (DFSS), Lean and Six Sigma methods, productivity analysis, operational assessments, project management, and other supporting topics. Each chapter contains tools and methods that will help readers identify areas for operational improvements. It contains ~300 figures, tables, and checklists to help increase organizational productivity. Practical examples are integrated through the book.

Providing clear guidance for anyone servicing internal or external customers, this book offers a framework for analyzing and managing quality using a comprehensive closed-loop approach. This book cuts through the complexities of the mantra ‘better, cheaper, faster’ (BCF) and offers procedures for the evaluation of customer needs, the determination of performance metrics, and the design of effective customer satisfaction surveys. It details basic statistical techniques and packages the framework, procedures, and methods into a management construct that includes external quality certification systems and internal performance management systems. Importantly, the book also describes how these systems can be implemented in a virtual workplace. This quality management book will be essential to service-oriented firms (financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, etc.), as well as any firm with internal customer service processes such as human resource management, purchasing, and accounting. Professionals at all levels, corporate trainers, and students will welcome this book’s common set of principles and tools, accompanied by many case studies that illustrate how they are applied in various environments.

Consumer markets are often extremely competitive. For example, wireless service providers or consumer electronics have come to understand that an exemplary product no longer guarantees success. When the quality or value of a product no longer sets a business apart from the competition, other factors come into play.Companies held high in customers' esteem will typically be successful. Historically, these include businesses focused on increasing efficiency in production, cost reduction, and other internal processes. However, one of the most effective ways to leave customers satisfied is to let their needs and requirements be the driving force behind business process improvements.Customer-driven process improvement is an approach where customer feedback is an opportunity for organizations to analyze their operations and processes, and find ways to improve customer satisfaction. This book outlines a six-stage framework for the identification and implementation of customer driven process improvement opportunities.The framework includes learning how to determine customer needs and translating these needs into process requirements. It also discusses how to map and measure current processes, analyze process problems, and identify improvement ideas and solutions. Finally, it includes instruction on how to successfully implement and sustain process improvements.A business is as unique as the individual processes that it uses. This book offers a foundation for successful customer-driven process improvement. It introduces the ideas and tools for identifying your customers' needs, and incorporating these needs into your processes. Doing this will give you the competitive edge that's important to thrive in contemporary marketplaces.

Focused Operations Management shows how to do much more with existing resources in terms of throughput, response time and quality. It provides a system view and will touch upon performance measures, operations management, quality, cost-accounting, pricing, and above all, value creation and value enhancement.

Management Extra brings all the best management thinking together in one package. The series fuses key ideas with applied activities to help managers examine and improve how they work in practice. Management Extra is an exciting, new approach to management development. The books provide the basis for self-paced learning at level 4/5. The flexible learning structure allows busy participants to study at their own convenience, minimising time away from the job. The programme allows trainers to quickly plan and deliver high quality, business-led courses. Trainers can select materials to meet the needs of their delegates, clients, and budget. Each book is divided into themes of ideal length for delivering in a training session. Each theme has a range of activities for delegates to complete, putting the training into context and relating it to their own situation and business. The books’ lively style will stimulate further interest in the subjects covered. Guides for further reading and valuable web references provide a lead-in to further research. Management Extra is based on the NVQ framework to ease the creation of Diploma, Post Graduate Diploma or NVQ programmes for managers. It is accredited with all leading awarding bodies.

This book is a novel treatment of Operations Management. It takes a fresh insight to this increasingly important topic, exploring fundamental principles equally applicable to service and manufacturing situations. The book adapts a strategic stance by providing a framework for effective decision making and is aimed at practising managers who need to design working processes, manage change and make decisions within a strategic framework. The framework and supporting case vignettes allow the practitioner to grasp essential concepts quickly in a range of different operational contexts. "Bamford and Forrester have done an excellent job in creating a concise, salient, and appealing approach - they have captured the essential elements of designing processes, products and work organizations; exploring approaches to operations planning and control; managing change through effective project management and technology transfer; and then managing quality and improvement strategies". —Professor Rob Handfield, Professor of Supply Chain Management, North Carolina State University, USA "This is an excellent concise text that introduces students to all of the key areas - it's an invaluable aid for students in understanding all of the major aspects of operations and their importance to the success of businesses". —Professor Steve Brown, Professor of Management, University of Exeter Business School, University of Exeter, UK "For today's or tomorrow's business leaders this text has well structured invaluable content ready for immediate adoption. Follow the guide, put it into practice, and the rewards will follow". —Mr Vernon Barker, Managing Director, First TransPennine Express, First Group Plc, UK "This book combines technical theory 'book smarts' with real life experience 'street smarts' in a flowing read". —Mr Stephen Oliver, Vice President Marketing & Sales, Vicor Corporation, Boston, USA