Assignment: Facilities Operations
Lean operations create more value for customers while using fewer resources than traditional operations. In this assignment, you will identify the business planning process for a lean management operation by implementing an information system in a service or manufacturing organization.
Choose a company different from those evaluated in previous assignments. Examples of information systems that reduce waste in organizations could include the following:
• A new inventory tracking software
• An electronic payment system for products and services (For example, a service organization such as a car wash that currently only accepts cash payments upgrades their systems to accept credit card and PayPal payments.)
• A Web site to receive personalized orders from customers for a manufacturing organization
Based on your analysis of the company, address the following:
• Explain the current business model and discuss the benefits of incorporating the lean process. Describe a specific approach to acquiring and using the lean process.
• Justify the incorporation of a lean approach. Describe the potential effect of the business growth as related to supply chain management. Include safety and precautionary processes to protect the business from fraud.
• Examine the product components for the selected business operation. Include the business management aspects of the process, in addition to information on the following topics:
o Purchasing operations
o Outsource delivery
o Lean tenets
o The push-pull system
• Create a 1-page, high-level flowchart of the process with a maximum of ten activities. The flowchart should be precise and look professional. If needed, you can download a trial version of visual or graphic design software such as SmartDraw.