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Chapter 18
Operations improvement
Key questions
➤ Why is improvement so important in
operations management?
➤ What are the key elements of
operations improvement?
➤ What are the broad approaches to
managing improvement?
➤ What techniques can be used for
improvement?
Introduction
Even when an operation is designed and its activities planned
and controlled, the operations manager’s task is not finished.
All operations, no matter how well managed, are capable of
improvement. In fact, in recent years the emphasis has shifted
markedly towards making improvement one of the main
responsibilities of operations managers. We treat improvement
activities in three stages. This chapter looks at the elements
commonly found in various improvement approaches, examines
four of the more widely used approaches, then illustrates some
of the techniques which can be adopted to improve the operation.
Chapter 19 looks at improvement from another perspective,
that is, how operations can improve by managing risks. Finally,
Chapter 20, looks at how improvement activities can be
organized, supported and implemented. These three stages
are interrelated as shown in Figure 18.1.
Figure 18.1 This chapter covers operations improvement
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