C954 - Section 7 Operations Management

conflict of interest.

Any business activity, personal or company related, that interferes with the company's goals or that entails unethical or illegal actions

constraint.

Any element or factor that prevents a person or system from reaching a higher level of performance with respect to their goal

corrective action

The implementation of solutions with the goal of reducing or eliminating an identified problem

decision-making process

1. Identify the decision.

2. Gather relevant information.

3. Identify the alternatives.

4. Weigh the evidence.

5. Choose between alternatives.

6. Take action.

7. Review your decision and its consequences.

courage

The virtue that enables people to conquer fear, danger, or adversity, no matter the context (physical or moral); includes the notion of taking responsibility for decisions and actions; involves the ability to perform critical self-assessment, to confront new ideas, and to change

decision-making

The process of reaching logical conclusions, solving problems, analyzing factual information, and taking appropriate actions based on the conclusions

decision matrix

This is a matrix used by teams to evaluate possible solutions to problems. Each solution is listed. Criteria are selected and listed on the top row to rate the possible solutions. Each possible solution is rated on a numerical scale for each criterion and the rating recorded in the corresponding grid. The ratings of all criteria for each possible solution are added to determine each solution's score.

delegative leadership

a style of leadership in which the leader entrusts decision making to an employee or a group of employees. The leader is still responsible for their decisions.

development

The art of developing the competence and confidence of subordinate leaders through role modeling, training, and development activities related to current or future duties; similar to training, except training is normally a short-term learning experience for a specific task, while development is a long-term learning experience that helps to grow the individual mentally and emotionally

efficiency

It is a measure (normally a percentage) of the actual output to the standard output expected. It measures how well someone or something is performing relative to expectations.

problem-solving

the act of defining a problem; determining the cause of the problem; identifying, prioritizing, and selecting alternatives for a solution, and implementing a solution.

esprit de corps

This is the spirit, soul, and state of mind of an organization or the overall consciousness of the organization that a person identifies with and feels a part of. This term normally refers to an entire unit or group, while morale can refer to an individual.

ethical climate

The "feel of the organization" about the activities that have ethical content or those aspects of the work environment that constitute ethical behavior; the feel about whether we do things that are right; the feel of whether we behave the way we ought to behave

brainstorming

This is a technique for teams that is used to generate ideas on a subject. Each person on the team is asked to think creatively and write down as many ideas as possible. After the writing session, the ideas are discussed by the team.

five whys

This is the practice of asking "why" five times when confronted with a problem. By the time the fifth "why" is answered, the ultimate cause of the problem might be found.

flexibility

The ability of a system to respond quickly, in terms of range and time, to external or internal changes

productivity

An overall measure of the ability to produce a product or service; the actual output of production compared to the actual input of resources

quality

Conformance to the requirements of a stated product or service attribute

self-directed work team

A small, independent, self-organized, and self-controlling group in which members plan, organize, determine, and manage their duties and actions, as well as perform many other supportive functions

shadow IT

The use of information technology systems, devices, software, applications, and services without explicit IT department approval or involvement

business architecture

A discipline that "represents holistic, multidimensional business views of capabilities, end‐to‐end value delivery, information, and organizational structure; and the relationships among these business views and strategies, products, policies, initiatives, and stakeholders

total quality management (TQM)

This describes Japanese-style management approaches to quality improvement. It includes the long-term success of the organization through customer satisfaction and is based on participation of all members of the organization in improving process, products, service, culture, etc.

mentoring

The act or process of helping or advising a new colleague and giving advice to a younger or less experienced person, especially in a job or at school environment

worker efficiency

A measure (usually computed as a percentage) of worker performance that compares the standard time allowed to complete a task to the actual worker time to complete it