Homework Question on Operations Strategy
- Scenario: Imagine that you are the vice president of operations at a production or service organization. You have noticed that your organization’s current operations strategy is not supporting the challenges that the organization is presently facing. In order to maintain a competitive edge, you must address these challenges with your Chief Executive Officer immediately.
- Select an existing production organization. Analyze the organization’s current vision, mission, business strategy, operation strategy, supply chain, total quality management, just-in-time philosophy, forecasting method, statistical technique, facility location, work design, project life cycle, and project management.
- Note: You will need this information in order to complete this and subsequent assignments.
- Evaluate key elements of the selected production or service organization’s operational efficiency with its operational strategy. Determine three (3) tasks that do not align with the operational strategy. Determine the weaknesses that are evident in each task.
- Formulate a new operations strategy for the selected organization based on the four (4) competitive priorities (i.e., cost, quality, time, and flexibility).
- Analyze both the structure of the competitive priorities and infrastructure of the production process. Develop three (3) new enablers that are aligned with the long-term plan of the selected organization. Evaluate three (3) pros and three (3) cons of the new enablers.
- Use at least three (3) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources..
Homework Answer on Operations Strategy
There are key elements that guide Toyota’s operational efficiency within its operational strategy. The key operational strategies are built within its continual improvement, flexibility, and efforts to achieve good performance in the organization. The first key element of the company’s operational strategy that promotes operational efficiency is innovation and product development strategy. Innovation and product development has been critical in enhancing Toyota’s competitive advantage.
Toyota faces stiff competition from the various companies in the motor industry. Thus, the company’s innovativeness supports improved operations capability to deliver a better competitive position. Toyota cars brands such as the Hybrid cars are developed under the current innovations that are fuel-efficient (Naveh, 2013). The innovation initiatives and strategies have also been useful in implementing new technologies for the operational strategy.
Secondly, the company’s operational efficiency is also relied upon quality management initiatives. Quality management in the company has been crucial in building a strong capability to support competitiveness. Toyota’s quality management process seeks to deliver consistent manufacturing process that enhances quality positioning. Another key element of Toyota’s operational strategy is to attract and develop skilled and talented employees.