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Part One
Introduction
Dependability gives stability. The disruption caused to operations by a lack of dependability
goes beyond time and cost. It affects the ‘quality’ of the operation’s time. If everything in an
operation is always perfectly dependable, a level of trust will have built up between the
different parts of the operation. There will be no ‘surprises’ and everything will be predictable.
Under such circumstances, each part of the operation can concentrate on improving
its own area of responsibility without having its attention continually diverted by a lack of
dependable service from the other parts.
The flexibility objective
Flexibility means being
able to change in some
way
Product/service flexibility
Mix flexibility
Volume flexibility
Delivery flexibility
Flexibility means being able to change the operation in some way. This may mean changing
what the operation does, how it is doing it, or when it is doing it. Specifically, customers will
need the operation to change so that it can provide four types of requirement:
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product/service flexibility – the operation’s ability to introduce new or modified products
and services;
mix flexibility – the operation’s ability to produce a wide range or mix of products and
services;
volume flexibility – the operation’s ability to change its level of output or activity to
produce different quantities or volumes of products and services over time;
delivery flexibility – the operation’s ability to change the timing of the delivery of its
services or products.
Figure 2.8 gives examples of what these different types of flexibility mean to the four different
operations.
Source: Arup
Figure 2.8 Flexibility means different things in different operations