Define Your Operations Strategy

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The module in a nutshell

Operations systems may start life with a clear vision of the market that they are serving and the processes and systems that they use, but all too soon internal and external changes conspire to create strategic drift. The market, its needs and the quantities that it orders in change, machines and systems are replaced, and the people that are employed have different skills and competences. One day we wake up to the realization that we have an operations system that is not in tune with to-day’s business realities. This module is based around the proposition that unless all aspects of the operations system are congruent with the needs of the business and its customers problems will inevitably arise, its performance will fall short of the standards required and the Operations Director will suffer the consequences.

This module is an opportunity for the senior management team concerned with an operations system to:

• assess the current requirements of the business’s customers as they effect the operations system 
• establish a clear, common view of the aims of the operations system 
• determine the extent to which strategic drift has taken place 
• evaluate the various elements in the operations infrastructure to determine the extent to which they contribute to achieving the aims of the system 
• formulate an a prioritized operations development plan that covers all aspects of the system.

The aim and outcomes of the module

The aim of Define your operations strategy are to provide the senior operations team with the concepts, methods and techniques that will enable them to define an agreed operations system development plan.

After successfully completing the workshop participants will be able to:

• define ‘order winners’ and ‘market qualifiers 
• use the Competitive Web to assess market requirements 
• describe each of the elements in the operations infrastructure 
• use the infrastructure analysis tool to determine the degree of strategic congruence of the elements in the operations infrastructure 
• define a prioritized operations development plan

Who Define your operations strategy is for

The module is designed to be used by the senior operations team: those people who have responsibility for determining the future shape of the operations system. It can also be used successfully by a mixture of senior operations and marketing directors, since it is important not only that the operations system is competent to produce what the market requires, but also that marketing sells the capabilities of the system.

What’s in Define your operations strategy

The module starts with teaching the principles of operations strategy through a case study and class discussion. It then uses the Competitive Web to reach agreement on relative importance of the market requirements that the operations system has to satisfy. The outcomes of this work are then used as the basis for defining a set of aims for the operations system.

Each of the elements in the operations system infrastructure is then evaluated to decide the extent to which it is capable of contributing to the achievement of operations’ aims.

Finally, the external and internal analyses are brought together to define a development plan for the operations system.

Important other information

Duration: Define your operations strategy lasts for one day and can be used by itself or in combination with other modules in the Process Transformation Programme.

Location: Ideally a room close to the workplace of participants, though it can be run off-site effectively.

In common with other modules in the Process Transformation Programme the module is designed to run successfully with between 8 to 18 participants.

Price: As a stand-alone module, £2,500 inclusive of all materials. This price does not include expenses which are charged at cost..

Contact for more information:

Karen Dunn
Burge Hughes Walsh
Suite 13b
Castle Mound Way
Central Park
Rugby CV23 0UZ

Office: 01788 550015
Email: kdunn@burgehugheswalsh.co.uk