📘 Operations Management

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🔹 Definition:

Operations Management (OM) is the process of planning, organising, and supervising the production and delivery of goods and services efficiently.

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1. 🔗 Supply Chain Management (SCM)

✅ Definition:

Supply Chain Management involves managing the flow of materials, information, and money from suppliers to customers.

✅ Key Components:

• Suppliers: Provide raw materials.

• Manufacturers: Convert materials into products.

• Distributors: Deliver products to retailers or customers.

• Retailers: Sell to end-users.

✅ Goals:

• Minimise costs.

• Ensure timely delivery.

• Maintain quality.

✅ Example:

A phone company sources chips from China, assembles phones in India, and sells them in Tanzania. Managing this chain efficiently ensures phones are available in stores on time and at a good price.

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2. 📋 Project Management

✅ Definition:

Project Management is the use of tools and techniques to plan, execute, and complete a specific task or goal within a set time and budget.

✅ Key Phases:

1. Initiation: Define the project.

2. Planning: Set goals, budget, and timeline.

3. Execution: Carry out the tasks.

4. Monitoring: Track progress and make adjustments.

5. Closure: Finish the project and evaluate performance.

✅ Tools Used:

• Gantt Chart

• Project Management Software (e.g., Trello, MS Project)

• Critical Path Method (CPM)

✅ Example:

Building a new warehouse in 6 months, with a budget of $100,000. The project manager coordinates with engineers, workers, and suppliers to finish on time and within budget.

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3. ✅ Quality Control

✅ Definition:

Quality Control (QC) ensures that products or services meet defined standards of quality before reaching the customer.

✅ Key Techniques:

• Inspection: Checking the final product.

• Process Control: Monitoring each step in production.

• Customer Feedback: Using complaints/surveys to improve.

✅ Tools:

• Checklists

• Control Charts

• Six Sigma or ISO standards

✅ Benefits:

• Reduces waste and rework.

• Increases customer satisfaction.

• Builds brand reputation.

✅ Example:

A bakery checks the size and taste of each batch of bread to make sure all loaves are consistent. Any batch that doesn’t meet standards is not sold.

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📝 Summary Table

Area	Focus	Example
Supply Chain	Flow of goods from suppliers to buyers	Managing the delivery of raw materials to the factory on time
Project Management	Planning and executing specific tasks	Constructing a building within 6 months
Quality Control	Ensuring the product/service meets standards	Inspecting mobile phones for defects before packaging

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