Operations Management: Product and Process Design Reviewer

Vocabulary flashcards covering product and service design, process selection types, facility layout models, operational time metrics, and Takt time calculation from Lessons 3 & 4.

Product and Service Design

The entire process of engineering a potential future product or service, including its form, fit, and function.

Product Liability

The responsibility of a manufacturer for injuries or damages caused by a faulty product (e.g., Mattel, Firestone, pharmaceutical recalls).

Product Life Cycles

The pattern of demand curves moving through Introduction, Growth, Maturity, and Decline stages.

Standardization

The absence of variety in a product, service, or process.

Mass Customization

A strategy that produces standardized goods while incorporating customization via delayed differentiation (postponement) and modular design.

Delayed Differentiation

A postponement technique used in mass customization where the final completion of a product is delayed until specific customer orders are received.

Modular Design

A design method featuring subdivided component parts that allow for easy repair and manufacturing.

Reliability

The ability of a product or service to perform under normal operating conditions.

Robust Design

A design that allows products or services to function over a broad range of conditions, reducing failure from environmental changes.

DFMA (Design for Manufacturing & Assembly)

A practice that optimizes the selection of materials and manufacturing processes while minimizing the number of parts (e.g., using snap-fits instead of screws).

Sequential Development Stages

The chronological phases in product development: Idea Generation → Feasibility Analysis → Product Specification → Process Specification → Prototype Development → Design Review → Market Test → Product Introduction → Follow-up Evaluation.

Process Design

A method used in operations management to understand organizational processes and find ways to improve them, considering factors such as capacity requirements, technology availability, cost efficiency, workforce skill levels, and quality standards.

Manufacturing/Production Processes

Operational processes directed toward creating physical, tangible goods.

Service Delivery Processes

Operational processes providing intangible acts done to or for a customer, supported by a service package consisting of physical resources, accompanying goods, and explicit/implicit services.

Project (Process Type)

A process type involving a one-time event with a unique output, custom-tailored for each customer (e.g., building construction, custom software development, bridge engineering).

Intermittent / Job Shop

A process type characterized by low volume, high variety, flexible equipment, and skilled labor (e.g., craft industry, custom furniture, specialty repair shops).

Batch Production

A process type characterized by moderate volume and variety, where groups of identical products are made in batches (e.g., bakery goods, specialized apparel manufacturing, chemical batches).

Production Line

A process type characterized by high volume, standardized goods, and a standardized sequence of operations (e.g., canned goods, consumer electronics sub-assemblies).

Continuous Flow

A highly automated process type characterized by very high volume and non-discrete continuous output (e.g., sugar refining, gasoline distillation, water treatment plants).

Process Layout (Functional Layout)

A layout that groups similar machines or activities together into departments (e.g., all welding equipment in one area); ideal for low-volume, high-variety custom jobs.

Product Layout (Line Layout)

A layout that arranges workstations in a sequential line according to the progressive steps needed to make the product; ideal for high-volume mass production (e.g., assembly lines).

Fixed-Position Layout

A layout where the product or project remains stationary due to its weight or bulk, while workers, materials, and equipment come to it (e.g., shipbuilding, house construction, aircraft assembly).

Throughput Time

The total time required for a unit to flow all the way through a process from start to finish, including both processing and waiting time.

Lead Time

The total time elapsed from the placement of an order by a customer until the product is delivered.

Cycle Time

The time interval between the completion of successive units, indicating how fast a process is actually producing output.

Takt Time

A calculated rate at which a firm needs to process their product to meet customer demand, defined by the formula $\text{Takt Time} = \frac{\text{Available Production Time}}{\text{Customer Demand (Rate)}}$.