1
This term describes the management of activities that create and deliver products and services. What is it?”
Answer:
Operations management.
“Name two core functions and two support functions that interact with operations within an organisation.”
Answer:
Core: marketing, product/service development.
Support: HR, finance, accounting, information systems.
“How do operations and HR depend on each other during capacity planning?”
Answer:
Operations determines staffing needs based on demand forecasts; HR recruits, trains and allocates skilled staff. Both must coordinate to ensure capacity, capability and compliance.
“A manufacturer is experiencing longer lead times because marketing keeps changing product specifications late in the process. Identify the interrelationship issue and propose one operational and one cross-functional solution.”
Answer:
Issue: conflict between product development/marketing and operations due to poor coordination and disruptive design changes.
Solutions:
• Operational — implement stage-gate or frozen-spec periods; create flexible process designs.
• Cross-functional — introduce joint planning meetings, collaborative forecasting, or integrated product teams.
Name one soft skill and one technical skill needed in operations management.”
Answer:
Soft: communication, ethical awareness, logical approach.
Technical: risk assessment, forecasting, continuity planning, systems integration.
What are the three basic components of the input–transformation–output model?”
Answer:
Inputs (materials, information, customers), transforming resources (facilities and staff), outputs (products/services).
Explain how the ‘four Vs’ influence process design.”
Answer:
Volume, variety, variation and visibility shape how operations are organised:
• High volume → standardisation;
• High variety → flexible processes;
• High variation → adaptable capacity;
• High visibility → customer-facing design and service quality management.
“Name one benefit of effective operations management.”
Answer:
Improved productivity, higher quality, reduced costs or increased customer satisfaction.
“What are the five main performance objectives of operations management?”
Answer:
Quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost.
Question:
What is the primary goal of Lean Management?
Answer:
To eliminate waste (muda) and improve the efficiency and flow of processes.
What does Total Quality Management (TQM) emphasise as the responsibility of all employees?
Answer:
Continuous improvement and maintaining quality across every stage of operations.
what is
“mistake-proofing” or “error-proofing” in Japanese.
poke yok