MGMT290 Regent University Operations Management Discussion

Discussion board from this week:

Identify a product that you believe would benefit from being redesigned. What are the current problems with the product? What specific design improvements do you recommend? Why and how will your proposed changes benefit the product’s consumers?

————————————- study from this week

Introduction to Operations Management

Operations management is responsible for producing goods and providing services. As such, it is the core function of every business organization. Operations management plans and coordinates the use of the organization’s resources to convert inputs into outputs. Operations decisions involve design decisions and operating decisions. Design decisions are strategic; they relate to capacity planning, product design, process design, layout of facilities, and selecting locations for facilities. Operating decisions relate to quality assurance, scheduling, inventory management, and project management.This week we will also look at a brief overview of the historical evolution of operations management and it ends with a list of strategic issues that are currently high priority for business organizations. At the top of that list are the Internet and e-business, outsourcing, supply chain management, management of technology, and agility.

Product and Service Design

Product and service design is a key factor in satisfying the customer. To be successful in product and service design, organizations must be continually aware of what customers want, what the competition is doing, what government regulations are, and what new technologies are available.Successful design often incorporates many of these basic principles: Determine what customers want as a starting point; minimize the number of parts needed to manufacture an item or the number of steps to provide a service; simplify assembly or service, standardize as much as possible; and make the design robust. Trade-off decisions are common in design, and they involve such things as development time and cost, product or service cost, special features/performance, and product or service complexity. Other dimensions such as research and development and product or service reliability are also critical in this area of design.

Strategic Capacity Planning for Products and Services

This week we will also look at capacity as it refers to a system’s potential for producing goods or delivering services over a specified time interval. Capacity decisions are important because capacity is a ceiling on output and a major determinant of operating costs. Three key inputs to capacity planning are the kind of capacity that will be needed, how much will be needed, and when it will be needed. Accurate forecasts are critical to the planning process.The capacity planning decision is one of the most important decisions that managers make. The capacity decision is strategic and long-term in nature, often involving a significant initial investment of capital. Capacity planning is particularly difficult in cases where returns will accrue over a lengthy period and risk is a major consideration.In evaluating capacity alternatives, a manager must consider both quantitative and qualitative aspects. Quantitative analysis usually reflects economic factors, and qualitative considerations include intangibles such as public opinion and personal preferences of managers. Cost-volume analysis can be useful for analyzing alternatives.

Operations ManagementMcGraw-Hill Education; 13thedition (February 15, 2017) by William J Stevensone-copyTextbook with Connect access code: ISBN13: 978-1259948206

Read: Stevenson, Chapters 1, 4, and 5

**** I will only need the 2 responses !

125-200 words each

Using your research to either add to or challenge their position.

At least one reference each.