Busman 3 AOS 3 Definitions (BF)

Busman for the soul:)

Operations Management

Coordinating and organising the activities involved in producing the goods or services that a business sells to customers.

Efficiency

How productively a business uses its resources when producing a good or service.

Effectiveness

The extent to which a business achieves its stated objectives.

Inputs

The resources used by a business to produce goods and services.

Processes

The actions performed by a business to transform inputs into outputs.

Outputs

The final goods or services produced as a result of a business’s operations system, that are delivered or provided to customers.

Manufacturing Businesses

Involves resources and raw materials to produce a finished physical good.

Service Businesses

Businesses who provide intangible products, usually with the use of specialized expertise.

Automated Production Lines

Machinery and equipment that is arranged in a sequence, and the product is developed as it proceeds through each step.

Robotics

Programmable machines that are capable of performing specified tasks.

Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

Digital design software that aids the creation, modification, and optimisation of a design and the design process.

Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) Techniques

The use of software that controls and directs production processes by coordinating machinery and equipment through a computer.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Using computerised systems to simulate human intelligence and mimic human behaviour.

Online Services

Services that are provided via the internet.

Forecasting

A materials planning tool that predicts customer demand for an upcoming period using past data and market trends.

A Master Production Schedule (MPS)

A plan that outlines what a business intends to produce, in specific quantities, within a set period of time.

Materials Requirement Planning (MRP)

A process that itemises the types and quantities of materials required to meet production targets set out in the master production schedule.

Just In Time (JIT)

An inventory control approach that delivers the correct type and quantity of materials as soon as they are needed for production.

Quality

A good or service’s ability to satisfy a customer’s need.

Quality Control

Inspecting a product at various stages of the production process, to ensure it meets designated standards, and discarding those that are unsatisfactory.

Quality Assurance

A business achieving a certified standard of quality in its production after an independent body assesses its operations system.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

A holistic approach whereby all employees are committed to continuously improving the business’s operations system to enhance quality for customers.

Waste Minimisation

The process of reducing the amount of unused material, time, or labour within a business.

Reduce

A waste minimisation strategy that aims to decrease the amount of resources, labour, or time discarded during production.

Reuse

A waste minimisation strategy that aims to make use of items which would have otherwise been discarded.

Recycle

A waste minimisation strategy that aims to transform items which would have otherwise been discarded.

Lean Management

The process of systematically reducing waste in all areas of a business’s operations system whilst simultaneously improving customer value.

Pull

A lean management strategy that involves customers determining the number of products a business should produce for sale.

One-Piece Flow

A lean management strategy that involves processing a product individually through a stage of production and passing it onto the next stage of production before processing the next product, continuing this process throughout all stages of production.

Takt

A lean management strategy that involves synchronising the steps of a business’s operations system to meet customer demand.